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Three States in Problem Solving

Posted by: Esther Derby on 03/03/2010

“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when it’s the only one you have.”

Emile-Auguste Chartier

There are three states in problem solving.

Not enough ideas
Too many ideas
Just the right number of ideas

In the first case (stuck) the task is to generate ideas.

In the second case (stuck in churn) the task is to prune the number of ideas.

In the third, to test and refine the ideas, then implement and refine.

Fixing the Quick Fix

Esther Derby's complete blog can be found at: http://www.estherderby.com/category/insights

About Esther Derby

I started my career as a programmer, and over the years I’ve worn many hats, including business owner, internal consultant and manager. From all these perspectives, one thing became clear: our level of individual, team and company success was deeply impacted by our work environment and organizational dynamics. As a result, I have spent the last twenty-five years helping companies design their environment, culture, and human dynamics for optimum success.

I’ve written over 100 articles, and co-authored two books–Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great and Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management. I write about management, leadership, collaboration, organizations and change (or another topic I’m currently exploring).

Follow me on Twitter @estherderby

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