These two processes are different – but my free app will help you with both.
Help me solve a problem
Solving a problem involves generating options, and then choosing the best one. So the first part of the process is to come up with possible ideas
For example, if your problem is you are not happy in your job, what are your options?
- Leave
- Move to a different role within the current company
- Live with it
- Ask for help from your boss or HR
- Try to change your bosses behaviour
- Change your own attitude and focus on the good bits
- Get some training and learn some new skills
- What else?
Then phase 2 is to choose the best option
Another example, if you want to make more money, similarly you would generate some options:
Then phase 2 is to choose the best option
You can see that generating options is very important because you don’t want to pick the first idea that comes to mind, or be choosing between two or three when there are other ideas still to be generated.
So the app helps you to come up with as many options as possible. Or if you’re stuck thinking of ANY, it can help.
Next, we choose between the options we have, and that is decision making:
Help me make a decision
Sometimes we are choosing between just two options, or even one option: to do it or not.
For example we might have two job offers we are choosing between, or we might be trying to decide whether to move to a new job or not. Or is it a good idea to start a side hustle or not?
Alternatively we might be choosing between a whole lot of choices:
Though generally we can easily get rid of the bad options and it comes down to two or three close choices.
My app will help you to weigh up the choices and to choose one.
The key to good decision-making is to use both your logical brain and your intuitive brain, rather than using only one part of it. Also to get as much information from other people as you can, but then make your own decision. The app will make sure you do this.
More about problem solving here.
Help me think
If you’re not sure whether you’re generating options or choosing between them, you’re just confused and need help with thinking, then the third part of the app is for you. Because you’re being less precise then the answers may not always be applicable, but they may help, and certainly it’s good to take some time out from a big complicated problem and try the app.
You can download my app from the apple app store or the android play store – just search for Magic Problem Solver
You may also like my jobs to do app, details here.
Hi Chris,
I got slightly confused with regards to the definitions you use.
To my knowledge:
1. Problem solving is the entire process from defining the problem until it is solved. This includes multiple decision making and taking, so it won’t be accurate to compare the whole to its part.
2. Decision making (as a part of problem solving) starts right after problem definition and includes solution accumulation/generation (based on predefined required and desirable criteria for good decision; it helps to target the choices), deliberation (=grouping potential solutions into patterns), incubation (=’hatching’ the final idea), illumination (=arriving to the best chosen option) and accomodation (=finetuning) of the latter.
3. Decision taking is actually the finalization of the accomodated choice. It usually needs reinforcement for the full acceptance (to sustain the decision).
In short: Problem solving = Decision Making + Decision Taking + Reinforcement
I supoose, decision making in your case includes decision taking as well.
In any case, your app is good fun!
Yes, I agree, I have simplified the process quite a lot! I agree that problem-solving really is generating options, the divergent part of the process, and then choosing one, the convergent part of the process, and the first part of my app only generates the options. I think the choosing between options could be called decision-making, the convergent part of the process, and that is the second part of my app. So it’s not an in-depth comprehensive guide to problem-solving, but at least it’s kind of fun and useful and a start towards properly thinking about problems and decisions. I’m glad you like it!