Creative Problem Solving:

An Overview
by

Zainal Abidin Sayadi

Humanities Studies & Communication Centre
Identify the Goal, Wish or Challenge
Gather Data
Clarify the Problem

Generate Ideas

Select & Strengthen Solutions

Plan for Action
1 2 3 4 5 6

Explore the Generate Prepare for

Challenge Ideas Action

DIVERGING & CONVERGING

Whatever idea comes to mind, go
with it.
Don’t evaluate ideas while you are
generating them.
The ideas can be evaluated later.
The more ideas you have, the
greater chances of getting a good
one.
Lay out all the usual approaches to
the problem, then push to consider
new ideas.
 Freewheel - the wilder the ideas the
better.
It’s easier to tame a wild idea than to
invigorate a weak one. (Osborn)
Stretch your thinking to create some
wild ideas.
“If at the first the idea is not absurd, there is no hope for it”
Albert Einstein
Let one idea spur other ideas.
Build, combine and improve ideas.
1st Stage
Divergent
What if?
Why not?
What associations can we find
What rules can we break?
What assumptions are at work?
What is this like?
What analogy could we use?
What metaphor suggests itself?
Suppose the problem were a solution?
 2nd Stage
Convergent
Will it work?
Can we do it?
Has it been tried before?
Does it fit in?
Have we got the resources?
Is the timing right?
Who can help?
How much will it cost?
Suppose it fails?
 1 2 3 4 5 6

Explore the Challenge

Identify the Goal, Wish or Challenge
• State a variety of goals, wishes or
challenges.
• Choose a goal, wish or challenge where
you have ownership, motivation and a
need for imagination
 1 2 3 4 5 6

Explore the Challenge

Gather Data
• Explore all data around the goal, wish
or challenge.
• Identify all the relevant data
• Use Journalist’s questions 5Ws & 2Hs
•Who…? What…? When…? Where…?
Why…? How…? How much…?
 1 2 3 4 5 6

Explore the Challenge

Clarify the Problem
• State the problem in as many ways as
possible.
• Choose a problem statement to work
on.
 1 2 3 4 5 6

Generate Ideas
• Think up a wide variety of ideas to
solve the problem.
• Choose the most promising ideas.
 1 2 3 4 5 6

Prepare for Action

Select & Strengthen Solutions
• Evaluate and refine the ideas you selected.
• Select the most promising solution(s).
• Many similar ideas – Restate & PPCO
• One idea – PPCO
•Diverse Ideas – Evaluation Matrix
•Many ideas of equal worth – Card Sort
 1 2 3 4 5 6

Prepare for Action

Plan for Action
• List a series of possible actions for
implementation.
• Form a specific plan for action.
•Select key actions to implement.
•Create a plan that details who does what,
by when, reporting completion to whom.
 1 2 3 4 5 6

Prepare for Action

Goals Action By Whom By When Reporting
completion to whom
Immediate

Short

Medium

Long Term
Brainstorming
Brainwriting
Forced Connections
Visual Connections
SCAMPER
Ladder of Abstraction
Word Dance
Random Word
Excursions
Focus
Alternatives
Challenge
Highlighting
Praise First (PPCO)
Card Sort
Evaluation Matrix
Highlighting
 3 steps of highlighting
 Hits
 Look for ideas that are interesting, promising,
compelling, intriguing, innovative or on target.
 Mark or “hit” those ideas with a check, star or
colored dot.
 Cluster
 From the hits, see if any share a theme or
reiterate the same idea.
 Group or “cluster” of those related ideas.
 Restate
 For each cluster, try to synthesize the different
ideas into a single statement.
 Try to capture the essence and paraphrase the
ideas into one concise phrase.
Praise First (PPCO)
 Pluses
 What do you like about the person’s idea, work, proposal,
or performance right now?
 Be direct, honest and specific.
 Potentials
 What opportunities might this idea open up?
 It might…
 Concerns
 Express your concerns as open ended questions that offer a
possible future direction.
 How to…
 Overcome Concerns
 Review your list of concerns.
 Brainstorm to generate ways to overcome each concern.
Card Sort
 Helps to compare, rank and
prioritize promising ideas.
 It can be used to rank ideas,
solutions, problem statements or
criteria.

Continued…..
 Card Sort… directions
1. Write each idea on a separate card (3” x 5”)
and arrange the cards in a row.
2. Count how many cards (ideas) you have.
3. Identify the option you like the least. Write
the number that equals the total number of
cards you have. Put the card off to the side.
4. Of the cards remaining, identify the option
you like the best and write “1” on it. Put it off
to the side.
5. ……
Evaluation Matrix
 A systematic way to analyze ideas.
 Directions:
 Generate Criteria
 Select Criteria
 Create a rating scale
 Set up the matrix
 Fill in the blank boxes
 Compare their strengths & weaknesses
 Overcome low criteria ratings
 Evaluation Matrix

Rating Scale: Good Average Fair

5 4 3 2 1

option1 option2 option3 option4 option5 Option6

criteria1

criteria2

criteria3

criteria4

criteria5
 …summary
Explore The 1. Identify the Goal, Wish or
Challenge Challenge.
2. Gather Data
3. Clarify the Problem

Generate 4. Generate Ideas

Ideas
Prepare for 5. Select & Strengthen Solutions
Action 6. Plan for Action