Wikipedia describes problem resolution as "using generic or ad hoc methods, in an orderly manner, for finding solutions to problems". This is fine but of itself it does not inspire me to see problems in a different light so as to be able to solve them.
I was faced recently with a long standing problem that had phased me for a couple of years. A mundane task of changing the lock in the door of a holiday apartment. It should be simple but the apartment and the door are in France and the lock is not a simple nightlatch lock but an intricate multi-point lock with a mechanism that interfaces with various parts of the door. I did not want to go to the no doubt immense expense of engaging a local locksmith, but the lock needed changing and updating to a more secure version.
Then I stopped being phased and looked again at the problem more logically. I unscrewed the door handle and read the name on the lock. Then I Googled the lock manufacturer and hey presto there was a PDF describing how I could remove and change the lock cylinder itself without affecting the rest of the mechanism. The local supermarket miraculously stocked a replacement cylinder for under £20, complete with more updated security keys, and I had solved my problem.
Translated into a more serious work situation sometimes all it takes to solve a problem of one sort or another is to start being constructive, look at the problem from a different perspective, break the issue down into its component parts, understand them in a logical way and then find an effective solution.
I was faced recently with a long standing problem that had phased me for a couple of years. A mundane task of changing the lock in the door of a holiday apartment. It should be simple but the apartment and the door are in France and the lock is not a simple nightlatch lock but an intricate multi-point lock with a mechanism that interfaces with various parts of the door. I did not want to go to the no doubt immense expense of engaging a local locksmith, but the lock needed changing and updating to a more secure version.
Then I stopped being phased and looked again at the problem more logically. I unscrewed the door handle and read the name on the lock. Then I Googled the lock manufacturer and hey presto there was a PDF describing how I could remove and change the lock cylinder itself without affecting the rest of the mechanism. The local supermarket miraculously stocked a replacement cylinder for under £20, complete with more updated security keys, and I had solved my problem.
Translated into a more serious work situation sometimes all it takes to solve a problem of one sort or another is to start being constructive, look at the problem from a different perspective, break the issue down into its component parts, understand them in a logical way and then find an effective solution.
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