Problem Solving

The Problem Solving consists of a sequence of sections that fit together depending on the type of problem to be solved. These are:
• Problem Definition or Identification
• Problem Analysis.
• Generating possible Solutions.
• Analyzing the Solutions.
• Selecting the best Solution(s).
• Planning the next course of action (Next Steps)
1. Problem Definition/Identification
The normal process for solving a problem will initially involve defining the problem you want to solve. You need to decide what you want achieve and write it down. Often people keep the problem in their head as a vague idea and can so often get lost in what they are trying to solve that no solution seems to fit. Merely writing down the problem forces you to think about what you are actually trying to solve and how much you want to achieve. The first part of the process not only involves writing down the problem to solve, but also checking that you are answering the right problem. It is a check-step to ensure that you do not answer a side issue or only solve the part of the problem that is most easy to solve. People often use the most immediate solution to the first problem definition that they find without spending time checking the problem is the right one to answer.
The problem definition defines what the problem is without any reference to the possible solutions. It is a simple statement, may be one to two pages and should sound like a problem. The problem definition should be in user language and it should be described from the user’s point of view. It should not be defined in technical computer terms.
2. Problem Analysis
The next step in the process is often to check where we are, what is the current situation and what is involved in making it a problem. For example, what are the benefits of the current product/service/process? And why did we decide to make it like that? Understanding where the problem is coming from, how it fits in with current developments and what the current environment is, is crucial when working out whether a solution will actually work or not. Similarly you must have a set of criteria by which to evaluate any new solutions or you will not know whether the idea is workable or not. This section of the problem solving process ensures that time is spent in stepping back and assessing the current situation and what actually needs to be changed.
After this investigation, it is often good to go back one step to reconfirm that your problem definition is still valid. Frequently after the investigation people discover that the problem they really want to answer is very different from their original interpretation of it.
3. Generating possible Solutions
When you have discovered the real problem that you want to solve and have investigated the climate into which the solution must fit, the next stage is to generate a number of possible solutions. At this stage you should concentrate on generating many solutions and should not evaluate them at all. Very often an idea, which would have been discarded immediately, when evaluated properly, can be developed into a superb solution. At this stage, you should not pre-judge any potential solutions but should treat each idea as a new idea in its own right and worthy of consideration.
4. Analyzing the Solutions
This section of the problem solving process is where you investigate the various factors about each of the potential solutions. You note down the good and bad points and other things which are relevant to each solution. Even at this stage you are not evaluating the solution because if you do so then you could decide not to write down the valid good points about it because overall you think it will not work. However you might discover that by writing down its advantages that it has a totally unique advantage. Only by discovering this might you choose to put the effort in to develop the idea so that it will work.
5. Selecting the best Solution
This is the section where you look through the various influencing factors for each possible solution and decide which solutions to keep and which to disregard. You look at the solution as a whole and use your judgement as to whether to use the solution or not. In Innovation Toolbox, you can vote using either a Yes/No/Interesting process or on a sliding scale depending on how good the idea is. Sometimes pure facts and figures dictate which ideas will work and which will not. In other situations, it will be purely feelings and intuition that decides. Remember that intuition is really a lifetimes experience and judgement compressed into a single decision.
By voting for the solutions you will end up with a shortlist of potential solutions. You may want to increase the depth in the analysis of each idea and vote again on that shortlist to further refine your shortlist.
You will then end up with one, many or no viable solutions. In the case where you have no solutions that work, you will need to repeat the generation of solutions section to discover more potential solutions. Alternatively you might consider re-evaluating the problem again as sometimes you may not find a solution because the problem definition is not well defined or self-contradictory.
6. Planning the next course of action
This section of the process is where you write down what you are going to do next. Now that you have a potential solution or solutions you need to decide how you will make the solution happen. This will involve people doing various things at various times in the future and then confirming that they have been carried out as planned. This stage ensures that the valuable thinking that has gone into solving the problem becomes reality. This series of Next Steps is the logical step to physically solving the problem.

Talking on the Miss World contest

At first I want to some review on what expert says.

"Miss World is no longer the annual event that it used to be. Things have changed for women at home and at work. It is degrading when they are still ogled by men. I would find it easier if there was a Mr World." - Kay Corrigan, Britain.

"I was watching the show in a house about 50-50 male and female. The men were branded sexists for watching the show. After five minutes of rubbish, we tried to turn it over. We were slated and one of the girls stole the remote, and we had to sit through 2 hours of rubbish." -Ronan Friel, Ireland.

"The problem is that such contests over the period have become more of brawn related than brain related. A facelift to this contest could be given by including more personality related rounds. I personally feel that currently these contests are more of a marketing event for cosmetics etc. in countries like India. The contest could be an excellent opportunity for girls to make their mark in their respective areas." - Nirjhari Chhaya, India.

"Beauty contests will not degrade women. Nature has many beautiful objects. Women are one of the most beautiful objects in the world. I am not denigrating women as objects, but really appreciating the beauty of them. Beauty contests should only be seen as an appreciation of beauty." - Munawar Mohammed, Kuwait

As from all the above thinking its shows.

CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA

India has the dubious distinction of employing largest number of children in the world. According to 1991 census 11.2 million children in the age group of 5-14 are employed in our country. This accounts for 1.35% of the total population and 3.6 of the child population of the country and 4% of total working population. More than 90% of the working children are in the rural areas and most of them are employed in agriculture and allied activities. The figure are contradicted by several NGOs and also do not reflect the complete picture of working children as the census ignores the “No where children” which is a residual category of children population who are neither at school nor reported to be economically active as full time or marginal workers. They are either doing nothing or performing household work not classified as economic activity and has not be recorded in either of the categories of full time or marginal child labour. Where as world bank report 2000 estimates the child labour in India to be 60 million. Given the uncertainties of definition and the complexities of enumeration it is no wonder that estimate of child labour vary so greatly in India.

A Positive Attitude

An attitude is nothing it's just your thinking, it just your mentality. How to react any work, and your passion. A positive attitude is not a goal; it's a manner of life. I tell you a story.

A gentleman who woke up a morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed he had only three hairs on her head. "Well," he said, "I think I'll braid my hair today?" So he did and he had a fantastic day.

The next day he woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that he had only two hairs on her head. "H-M-M," he said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today?" So he did and he had a grand day.

The next day he woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that he had only one hair on her head. "Well," he said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So he did and he had a very fun day.

The next day he woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. "YEA!" he exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is the whole thing. Be positive always and look only at the brighter side of things. Every end of day, we have no guarantee to getting up alive in the next morning but still we have plans for the next coming day. That's called positive attitude.

A Right Move for Interviewee

A Resume shows work gaps and/or job hops, creates a worst thing. Then what's the right move if, as an interviewee you are caught in such a situation?

Here few Interview tips which would help you achieve your goals without any hassles.

Preparation for the Interview:-

Before your interview, find out some history about the company (visit company’s website, gather recent news clippings, read company’s annual report, etc).

Go through your CV/Resume; think about your own career and the questions they might ask you.

Note down technical areas/questions, which the interview panel might like to evaluate for the position and prepare for the same. Also, try to anticipate the general questions which they may ask during the process and also prepare some questions to ask them.

Document for the interview:-

Ensure that you are carrying a decent bag/folder, containing copies of your latest CV (same which is sent to the company)

A diary to take notes & a pen.

Testimonials supporting your qualifications and achievements

Your gross compensation details

Your passport size photographs

Original travel tickets for the travel reimbursements (if you are an out station candidate).

You should wear well dress for interview, wear formal cloths.

Arrive a few minutes early, you may be delayed by traffic or for other reasons.

Don't bring a friend or relative. If someone takes you to the interview, leave him/her outside the waiting/conference room. Arrange to meet after the interview.

During the Interview:-

Knock & enter the interview room

Greet your interviewer with a handshake

Smile and look into the interviewer's eyes

Relax and enjoy the conversation

At the conclusion, thank the interviewers

Get the Right Reason:-

An important thing to remember is never portray your past company in a negative light. If the reasons are something beyond your control then honesty is the best policy.

Determining a Good Interview:-

You must remember that in an interview, you will have to convince the panel members about suitability of your candidature for the position. In simple word, interview is a process of evaluating a right fitment for the available job. Hence taking panel to your strong areas.

An Interview is not just about giving the right answers but getting your attitude right. Interview is always a combination of Technical & Behavior attributes assessment. There is no substitute for your technical knowledge.

Remember that a well-prepared interview enhances your chances for the job.

All the Best .............

Decision making skills

Decision making skill

We apply our choice to solve troubles by selecting one way of action from some probable alternatives. Decision making skills are also a key component of time management skills.

Decision making can be hard. Almost any decision involves some conflicts or disappointment. The complex part is to pick one solution where the positive result can outweigh possible losses. Avoiding decisions often seems easier. Yet, making your own decisions and accepting the effect is the only way to stay in control of your time, your success, and your life. If you want to learn more on how to make a decision, here are some decisions making instructions to get you started.

An important part of decision making skills is to knowing and practicing good decision making techniques. One of the most realistic decision making techniques can be summarized in those simple decision making steps:

Recognize the purpose of your decision. What is exactly the trouble to be solved? Why it should be solved?

Gather information. What factors does the problem occupy?

Identify the ideology to judge the alternatives. What values and decision criteria must the result meet?

Think and list different probable choices. Generate ideas for possible solutions.

Decide the best alternative. This is much easier after you go through the above grounding steps.

Plant the decision into action. Change your decision into specific plan of action steps. Perform your plan.

Calculate the outcome of your decision and action steps. This is an important step for further progress of your decision making skills and judgment.

Use a decision tree study to systematically enter at your smartest option
Decision trees is mostly useful for working through complex multistage decisions. They also give a logical way to include the uncertainty introduced by disorderly events.

Simplify your choice method with a decision environment
Process your decision making situation one byte at a time to build a decision medium. Then do a simple calculation to appear at the relative overall ratings for your alternatives.

In our life we regularly have to make decisions fast, without enough time to scientifically go through the above action and thinking steps. In such situations the most valuable decision making approach is to keep an eye on your goals and then judge the correctly option.