The Art of Problem Solving*

A presentation at WPExeter in August 2019 in Exeter, UK by Ben Everard

Slide 1

Slide 1

The Art of Problem Solving * By Ben Everard

Slide 2

Slide 2

Slide 3

Slide 3

Ben, why the f *** are you talking about this?

Slide 4

Slide 4

Impact Opportunity Stress Time Reputation Enjoyment Money

Slide 5

Slide 5

Impact Opportunity Stress Time Reputation Enjoyment Money

Slide 6

Slide 6

Impact Opportunity Stress Time Reputation Enjoyment Money

Slide 7

Slide 7

Slide 8

Slide 8

Slide 9

Slide 9

This isn’t just for our work problems.

Slide 10

Slide 10

https://www.space.com/24835-spacesuit-water-leak-nasa-investigation.html

Slide 11

Slide 11

Brexit

Slide 12

Slide 12

1 2 3 4 5 Discover Understand Solve Report Share

Slide 13

Slide 13

1 2 3 4 5 Discover Understand Solve Report Share

Slide 14

Slide 14

  1. Discover Proactively discover our problems.

Slide 15

Slide 15

  1. Discover Embrace problems while they’re cheap to solve.

Slide 16

Slide 16

  1. Discover Think about the future now, it’ll be an investment you had wished you’d made.

Slide 17

Slide 17

  1. Discover Don’t hide from our problems.

Slide 18

Slide 18

  1. Discover Document our problems.

Slide 19

Slide 19

  1. Discover Prioritise our problems.

Slide 20

Slide 20

https://blog.ajsmart.com/how-to-prioritise-your-tasks-and-reduce-stress-at-work-acb352df3ec9

Slide 21

Slide 21

https://blog.ajsmart.com/how-to-prioritise-your-tasks-and-reduce-stress-at-work-acb352df3ec9

Slide 22

Slide 22

https://blog.ajsmart.com/how-to-prioritise-your-tasks-and-reduce-stress-at-work-acb352df3ec9

Slide 23

Slide 23

Slide 24

Slide 24

Slide 25

Slide 25

. t i b / / : s p t t h z z T i g S 2 / ly 👆 !

Slide 26

Slide 26

https://www.thesprintbook.com/

Slide 27

Slide 27

1 2 3 4 5 Discover Understand Solve Report Share

Slide 28

Slide 28

1 2 3 4 5 Discover Understand Solve Report Share

Slide 29

Slide 29

  1. Understand Know the problem.

Slide 30

Slide 30

Problem Knowledge

Slide 31

Slide 31

  1. Understand “Very little will cost you more than having to do something twice” https://youtu.be/JnlxXTbGwj4?t=1065

Slide 32

Slide 32

  1. Understand Challenge assumptions Speak to users Use data Consult experts Ask questions etc… Challenge our biases

Slide 33

Slide 33

  1. Understand Is this even a problem that needs solving?

Slide 34

Slide 34

  1. Understand

Slide 35

Slide 35

1 2 3 4 5 Discover Understand Solve Report Share

Slide 36

Slide 36

“If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/04/28/shorter-letter/

Slide 37

Slide 37

1 2 3 4 5 Discover Understand Solve Report Share

Slide 38

Slide 38

  1. Solve Keep it simple!

Slide 39

Slide 39

  1. Solve Layering complexity will either become a resource drain or a failure, pick one.

Slide 40

Slide 40

[5]

Slide 41

Slide 41

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F98lUtez3EU

Slide 42

Slide 42

  1. Solve Test. Test. Test.

Slide 43

Slide 43

1 2 3 4 5 Discover Understand Solve Report Share

Slide 44

Slide 44

1 2 3 4 5 Discover Understand Solve Report Share

Slide 45

Slide 45

  1. Report Things go wrong, and it’s important to be able report on what happened.

Slide 46

Slide 46

  1. Report It’s a strength to report to a stakeholder how a problem occurred, not a weakness.

Slide 47

Slide 47

  1. Report https://twitter.com/monzo/status/1149627021934206977

Slide 48

Slide 48

1 2 3 4 5 Discover Understand Solve Report Share

Slide 49

Slide 49

1 2 3 4 5 Discover Understand Solve Report Share

Slide 50

Slide 50

  1. Share The problem is solved… are we done?

Slide 51

Slide 51

  1. Share https://twitter.com/lurkmoophy/status/1090936204047142912

Slide 52

Slide 52

  1. Share

Slide 53

Slide 53

1 2 3 4 5 Discover Understand Solve Report Share

Slide 54

Slide 54

1 2 3 4 5 Discover Understand Solve Report Share

Slide 55

Slide 55

Impact Opportunity Stress Time Reputation Enjoyment Money

Slide 56

Slide 56

Thanks, sincerely. @_beneverard noti.st/beneverard