Do You Have Problems?

Think back to the last time you delighted your senior management team. Was it the result of systematic efforts or can your success be traced back to someone lower down in the organization who unexpectedly solved solving a key problem that was hindering progress? The problems you inherited from your predecessor are the solutions they created to counteract older problems buried deep in the history of your organization. How will you avoid leaving a similar legacy to your successor? If you must now cut further costs from IT budgets and at the same time develop valuable new business processes, there is no way out: problems associated with the existing legacy must be resolved. Can you afford to wait for flashes of genius by individual architects or for ad hoc ideas raised in skunkworks projects? Wouldn’t you prefer to be a more reliable problem solver? Isn’t problem solving your real job?

How do you feel about the problems you own? Do you bury those your team regard as insoluble? Do you believe the issues your organization faces are unique and have no known ideal solution? Do you often rely on compromise solutions rather than resolve real conflicts and so marry diverse requirements? Or are you of the view that, given sufficient time and resources, all problems that present themselves can be resolved? Perhaps you suspect answers lie somewhere ‘out there’ and that all that is necessary is to find the right book or the right consultant walking in through the door? Or would you prefer to use a reliable methodology?

You can download a PDF containing an overview of Modern TRIZ