Subject areaProcess and organisation
Also known asproblem-solving
Problem solving is the ability to analyse a problem, identify its causes, build a workable solution and then check its effect.
It is a method before it is a talent: you define the problem, separate symptoms from causes, compare alternatives, choose and measure the result.
The most neglected step is the first. A badly defined problem leads to fixing the symptom, and the defect comes back. This is why problem solving counts among the transversal skills required at work, and the European Commission places it among the five areas of its DigComp 2.2 framework on digital competences. It follows that effective training builds it through cases, simulations and exercises as well as theory.
Source: Commissione Europea, Joint Research Centre, DigComp 2.2, 2022.
An example
At an electronic components manufacturer, returns are rising. Instead of replacing the supplier, the quality team analyses returns by batch, finds that the defect arises in a single packaging step, fixes that step and checks over the following weeks that returns go down.
broader entriesthis entry and narrowertwo levels down← up · → down
Enrico Giubertoni. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0: you may quote, translate and adapt this entry with the author’s name and a link, stating any changes. For commercial use, write to info@enricogiubertoni.com
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