Solve Any Problem Using 10 Step Process

People who throw themselves at their problems often become frantic and confused. They take a haphazard approach to thinking, and then they are amazed when they find themselves floundering and making no progress.

Everyone talks about problem solving, but how do you do that? 

Here is a simple 10 step process to apply problem solving in a way anyone can apply. Give them away – print them out – put them on your desk. Use them.

1.Investigate and gather information – to see if it is really even a problem.

Instead of using the word problem, use the word situation, or call it a challenge or an opportunity. The more positive your language is, the more confident and optimistic you will be when approaching any difficulty. The more creative and insightful you will be in identifying creative solutions and breakthrough ideas

2.Define problem – write it down on paper (when we do this we get a different perspective) determine the cause if possible.

What exactly is the challenge you are facing? What is causing you the stress and anxiety? What is causing you to worry? Why are you unhappy? Write it out clearly in detail.

3.Brainstorm as many possible solutions you can think of, use other people, ask them – quantity is key, not quality – examples of how we stop this.

Ask, “What else is the problem?” Don’t be satisfied with a superficial answer. Look for the root cause of the problem rather than get sidetracked by the symptom. Approach the problem from several different directions.

4. Apply 80/20 rule to step 3 the ideas– at this point in time find which ideas might work and produce the biggest results with the lease amount of effort.

What exaclty must the solution accomplish? What ingredients must the solution contain? What would your ideal solution to this problem look like? Define the parameters clearly.

5.Pick one, decision using the 80/20 rule

Pick the best solution by comparing your various possible solutions against your problem, on the one hand, and your ideal solution, on the other. What is the best thing to do at this time under the circumstances?

6. Act on step 5 – do not let time elaps – key characteristic of successful people is they are decisive. Successful people have a clear goal, a lifetime goal, of where they want to go. Because of the clear picture of where they want to go, they know if their decision fits in or not. Unsuccessful people don’t know if their decision fits into their picture because they don’t have one. They don’t have goals

7. Follow up – inspect – we get what we inspect, not what we expect

Set measures on your decision. How will you know that you are making progress? How will you measure success? How will you compare the success of this solution against the success of another solution?

8. Evaluate your progress to date

Accept complete responsibility for implementing the decision. Many of the most creative ideas never materialize because no one is specifically assigned the responsibility of carrying out the decision.

9. Do 1-8 for parts of the problem not resolved or if problem is not resolved.

A decision without a deadline is a meaningless discussion. If it is a major decision and will take some time to implement, set a series of short-term deadlines and a schedule for reporting.

10. Document what you did – so you do not have to do this again.

Get busy. Get going. Develop a sense of urgency. The faster you move in the direction of your clearly defined goals, the more creative you will be. The more energy you will have. The more you will learn. And the faster you will develop your capacity to achieve even more in the future.

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The Value of Talent Management of Business in the Cloud

As cloud computing becomes the norm globally, it’s time to stop talking about TCO only, and start focusing on what really matters: the required business outcomes that change the conversation. The savviest human resources (HR) organizations adopting cloud-based software have already realized the exponential value it generates across the entire company in attracting and retaining top talent.

Talent management remains one of the top three priorities for CEOs. Yet according to the latest research from Oxford Economics, only 35 percent of surveyed executives worldwide believe the talent in leadership positions today is sufficient to drive global growth for their companies. If the lack of adequate leadership is a major impediment to achieving workforce goals ‒ and I believe this is the case ‒ then talent management is one of major challenges every company needs to address. The impact on companies can’t be overstated. According to research from PwC, one in four CEOs stated they were unable to pursue a market opportunity or had to cancel or delay a strategic initiative because of talent challenges. What’s more, the study also found that one in three is concerned that skills shortages will impact their company’s ability to innovate effectively.

The talent crisis is only getting worse as geographies and borders come down, and technology enables mobility of talent.

This is not just a conversation about talent management software. It is about what happens to how employees work, how managers manage, and how companies predict, plan and measure, by taking talent management to the cloud with the right software. I talk with SuccessFactors customers every day, and here are the types of things I hear:

Training and Development: “Whether it is video trainings creatable and viewable on mobile devices which quickly allow the transfer of knowledge, or workspaces connecting virtual teams globally, or forums to connect with customers and partners, our employees today demand access to collaboration platforms. They have to be as easy-to-use and accessible as the tools we have at home. People won’t tolerate going backward in technology at work.”

Real-Time Insights: “Connecting SuccessFactors data about employees in Employee Central to our SAP installations has drastically cut our administrative overhead, while providing real-time data on job costing. We immediately know who’s doing what work, what their skill sets are, and are able to trace back how we’re doing from a quality standpoint.”

Business Innovation: “We don’t need a whole bunch of IT people sitting around writing programs to interface things – it automatically happens. The information is already there, allowing us to focus our time on the important pieces, such as figuring out how we can create more business value for our internal and external customers.”

Strategic & Predictive HR: Tapping into the power of the cloud, HR is providing real-time answers that impact the business:

• How can we ensure the right people with the right skills are in the right place—today and for the future?How do we better engage our workforce knowing that engaged employees are more productive, profitable, customer-focused?
• What if we change the compensation scheme? How will it impact engagement and retention?
• How do we ensure that global compliance is in place to quickly and easily enter new markets?

Winning the talent war requires a fundamental rethinking of HR strategies – innovative new ways to find people, develop capabilities, and share expertise. HR has a new data-driven role in the creation of a culture that manages performance, retains and engages workers, and develops leaders with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Talent Management in the cloud has astonishing powers to help companies not only address today’s toughest workforce challenges, but also everyone’s desire to simplify. CEOs have been talking about solving talent management for over ten years. Today we can do it. That’s why the future of HR is in the clouds.