Advanced Problem Solving

The ability of its highly-qualified staff to pool their knowledge is essential for the sustainability of an organisation. Such knowledge is gained from years of individual experience and has always proved difficult to tap into and document for the wider use and benefit of all the people in the organisation.

The application of problem solving allows experienced staff and inexperienced staff to share experience with new innovative thinking.

 

Course Objectives:

• Enable teams to identify problems
• To ensure that an analysis is done to assess the problem
• Encouraging teams to identify a number of solutions
• Investigating and confirming the validity of the solutions
• Preparing a presentation to convince stakeholders of the best solution
• Compiling a cost benefit analysis and an implementation plan

Course Outline:

Module 1: Outline the Question

• Problem definition
• Results to achieve
• Stakeholder identification
• Stakeholder expectation alignment

Module 2: Breakdown the Issues

• Problem analysis breakdown
• Prioritising actions
• Project planning
• Creating a responsibility assignment matrix

Module 3: Analyse the Problem

• Identifying causes to the problem
• Identifying data required
• Consultation techniques
• Performing root cause analysis

Module 4: Imagine the Solution

• Setting evaluation criteria
• Defining solutions
• Selecting the best solution
• Confirming solution

Module 5: Notify the Stakeholders

• Collating information
• Compiling reports
• Preparing implementation plans

Module 6: Tools and Techniques

• 4 P’s of Marketing
• 5 C’s of Strategy
• Anshoff Matrix
• BCG Growth-share Matrix
• Benchmarking
• The 5 Why’s
• Brainstorming
• De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats
• Kano Analysis
• McClelland’s Theory of Needs
• McKinsey 7S Framework
• PESTEL
• Porter’s Five Forces
• SWOT
• Value-chain Analysis

Course Duration:

2 Days

• The course is offered in-house and can be custom made to include specific examples and exercises based on the organisation’s activities.
• The course is wholly interactive combining theory with role play, team exercises and group interaction.
• Evaluation happens through participation and group discussion

Who should attend:

• Project teams
• Managers
• Supervisors
• Technical staff
• Knowledge workers

Previous Facilitator Feedback:

• Interactive and well presented – F Nogueira – Eskom
• The presenter is very knowledgeable and practical – Thabo Motinyane – Cell C
• Was very good, I learnt a lot, the presenter was very good – Jan Lamla – J P Morgan