Problem Solving Methods & Tools – Action Management Associates
Tools and methods for effective problem solving.
If you ask a carpenter for a three word description of his job, he is likely to say, “I build things.” Evidence of this can be found simply by looking at the tool box he brings to work with him each day, filled with hammers, screwdrivers, nails, a level, and the like. The same could be said for the farmer who “grows things” armed with shovels, plows, seeds, and water. Both the carpenter and the farmer come to work with tools to make their lives easier.
Ask any corporate leader to provide you with a three word description of his job, and you are likely to hear, “I solve problems.”
A corporate employee differs from the carpenter and farmer in that he often comes to work without any tangible problem solving tools. The manager may be incredibly successful, but many of today’s business leaders lack those tools which could make their work easier. Action Management Associates has spent the past 28 years equipping today’s business professionals with concrete problem solving methods to facilitate success on the job.
Action Management Associates’ problem solving model is built around the idea that today’s organizations face myriad problems and each problem solving situation must be assessed to determine which tool is best used for the job. Is the problem that a decision must be made quickly with limited information? The Decision Making Matrix is likely the best option. Is your organization facing a difficult problem, and you have yet to pinpoint the cause? The Deviation Analysis Worksheet might be the place to start. Needing an innovative solution to a complex problem? Then our Creative Problem Solving method could help.
The fact that the carpenter owns a level does not guarantee that everything he builds will be straight. Action Management Associates spends considerable time with its clients, assuring that each of them knows how to use each of the problem solving tools and can teach others to use them as well. This is a proven way for an organization to build a problem solving culture, complete with workers who can quickly and effectively use each of their problem solving tools to face any challenge.