Strategies for Individuals

Problem-Solving

and Teams

Teamwork and Communication

Section 1:

Broken Squares Activity• Goal: Use pieces to assemble

5 squares, all of equal size.• No talking, pointing, or gesturing.• You may give pieces to another team member,

but not take pieces from anyone.• Pieces must be given directly to another, not

just placed in the center of the table.

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Teamwork

Broken Squares Activity• What part of the game was the

most fun?• Were some members frustrated? Why?• Were any members always/never

willing to give away their pieces?• Did some members dominate the play?• Were some members willing to violate the rules?

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Teamwork

Broken Squares Activity• How did team members interact?• Were any members always/never

willing to give away their pieces?• Was there a turning point where cooperation began?• What role does communication play in solving

problems?

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Teamwork

Broken Squares Activity• What strategies could group

members have used to make theteam’s outcome more successful?

• What lessons did you learn from the game that could be applied in other problem-solving situations?

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Teamwork

Broken Squares Activity• Cooperation by all team members is necessary to

solve team problems.• It is important that everyone understand and follow

guidelines.• Everyone’s efforts are important.• Recognize that your contributions are important.• Communication in many forms is vital for success.

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Teamwork

Making Decisions

Section 2:

• How many decisions do you make in a day?• How do you make a decision?• What is a good decision? • Describe how you recently made a good

decision? What was the process?

Your Decision-making Skills

• Flip a coin, roll a die, “draw a card.”

• It “feels right.”• Formal or logical

methods; ranking the options.

• Eliminating decisions.

• Flip a coin, roll a die, “draw a card.”

• It “feels right.”• Formal or logical

methods; ranking the options.

• Eliminating decisions.

Making Decisions

For each approach:• Is this sometimes an

appropriate method?• Is this a good method?• Any drawbacks?• What will be the

likely outcomes?

Solving Problems

Section 3:

Draw a diagram.• “A picture is worth a thousand words.”• Are you a visual learners?• Turn an abstract problem into a concrete

problem by making a sketch.• Example: Determine the order of the houses.

Problem-solving Strategies

Make a list.• A systematic listing of options/choices can

make the answer clearer.• Use a methodical approach to cover all

options/choices.• Example: How many possible tile arrangements

are there?

Problem-solving Strategies

Trial and error.• Sometimes known as “guess and check.”• Good if the cost of a wrong guess is minimal.• Good if the number of possible answers is not

too large.• Example: The product of five consecutive

integers is greater than one million. What are the smallest values that do this?

Problem-solving Strategies

Divide and conquer.• Break big problems into several smaller

problems that are more easily solved.• Example: How many tiles

should be ordered for a countertop with complex geometry?

Problem-solving Strategies

Look for a pattern.• Often other approaches yield a pattern that

suggests a possible solution. Test the solution.• Example: 1000 students have 1000 lockers. Starting

at locker 0001, Student #1 opens every locker. Student #2 closes every other locker. Student #3 changes every 3rd locker. Student #4 changes every 4th locker. And so on, through Student #1000. What lockers will be left open?

Problem-solving Strategies

Working backward might be useful when...• The final result is clear, but the initial conditions are not.• The beginning situation is complicated but the end is simple.• The direct approach would involve a complicated equation.• The problem involves a sequence of reversible actions.• Example: What was your previous month’s bank balance if

this month’s statement shows $493.18, after checks for $17.73 and $88.10, and a deposit of $193.22 and interest of $0.26?

Problem-solving Strategies

Quality Improvement

Section 4:

1. Identify and define the problem.a) Brainstormingb) Impact changeability toolc) Problem statement

2. Study the current situation.a) Force-field analysisb) Flow chart

Seven-Step Strategy for Quality Improvement

3. Find the root cause.a) Asking “why” five timesb) Fishbone diagram

4. Choose a solution.a) Brainstormingb) Evaluation grid

Seven-Step Strategy for Quality Improvement

5. Develop and action plan.– Specific and clear– Logical sequence– Comprehensive– Shared with whole team– Reviewed frequently

Seven-Step Strategy for Quality Improvement

• Illustrates the beginning and completion dates for sub-tasks within a project

GANTT Chart

• Project Evaluation and Review (PERT) shows the sequence of tasks in a project or problem-solving process

PERT Chart

6. Implement the action plan.a) Five Ws and one H

Seven-Step Strategy for Quality Improvement

7. Check the results.a) Force-field analysisb) Brainstormingc) Evaluation grid

Seven-Step Strategy for Quality Improvement

• X-Bar and R-charts– “X-bar” (orx ) is

the average of sample measures.

– “R” is the range, themaximum value minus minimum value.

• X-bar shows “drift.”• R shows variation.

Quality-Control Charting