Students of the EPAM training center not only study the subject area in which they will work in the future but also actively practice their "soft skills". Today, Maria Melnikova, a student of the JavaScript Development training center, will share why and how to improve problem-solving skills.
Our life is a series of problems that need to be solved. One of the most important skills of leaders and effective people in any field is the ability to solve problems. This skill opens up many opportunities, including promotion and/or salary increases. The good news is that this is a learnable skill that you can develop in practice.
Simplify the problem
People have a tendency to complicate problems and make them bigger than they really are. Try to divide the problem into smaller parts, trying step by step to determine where and what went wrong as you expected. Then try to find and choose the simplest and most obvious solution. As we know, most often simple things are more effective in practice.
«Solving a problem means reducing it to a simpler problem» Walter Warwick Sawyer
Train your brain with logic games
This will definitely help to develop strategic thinking. By applying this skill, you will be able to plan solutions to problems more easily.
Use the «Why» method
This is one of the simplest methods to identify the causes of problems. The idea is that it is necessary to ask the question «Why?» until the root of the problem is found. Knowing the root of the problem, it is much easier to find and plan the solution.
«If you can't solve a problem, start managing it» Robert Schuller
Begin from the end
Before collecting information, think about what you will do after solving the problem. This will help you focus and avoid additional unnecessary analysis and development of ideas. If your answer is «Nothing», perhaps the problem does not require a solution.
Make notes
It happens that during the day you think about a problem and suddenly the idea of solving it pops up, but at the end of the day, it completely flies out of your head. A good way to avoid such situations is to keep a diary with notes. This will help to structure and visualize the problem.
«It is much more difficult to see the problem than to solve it. The first requires imagination, and the second requires only skill» John Desmond Bernal
Look at the problem from different angles
Before making any decision, think about what the other person would do in your place. Try to analyze and look at the situation from the side and imagine that it did not happen to you.
Participate in brainstorming
This will help you learn how to generate and propose ideas faster, as well as exchange opinions with other people.
