Problem solving and

Decision Making
Life is what but a game of problem solving and decision
making?

What was the first decision you made What one problem did you solve
after waking up today? through the day?
Problem-solving and decision-making are
two similar, yet distinct, skills that
employers from varying industries search
for in candidates.

Knowing how to approach and resolve

situations in the workplace are skills that
can add to your value as an employee and
potentially increase your chances of
securing a job.
 Problem 1

Critical Stakeholders
 To improve your efficiency at work, you can follow a
streamlined and organized approach to solve problems
and make decisions.
 Problem 2

Man in a Desert
You can brainstorm independently or
collaboratively, and you can use tools
like a whiteboard or online software to
illustrate your brainstorming.

Common brainstorming techniques

include:
Mind Mapping
Mind mapping is creating illustrations of
ideas in hierarchical layouts. Mind maps
can show the relationships between
different aspects of an issue, making this
technique fitting for problem-solving and
decision-making.
SWOT Analysis
You can use a SWOT analysis to identify
the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats related to an issue.
Understanding these important components
can help you to come up with potential
solutions.
Flowcharts
Flowcharts can be useful for illustrating
processes and workflows, so they can be
helpful in planning a process to respond to
an issue. Creating a flowchart can help you
organize your ideas and design step-by-step
solutions to problems.
Example
 Problem 3

A South India based food retailer is looking to expand into

North India. The retailer has 15% market share in South
India, with three major competitors having 10-12% shares
each. The rest of industry is fragmented amongst smaller
players. Two of the competitors already have operations in
North India. Our company has no experience of retailing in
North India and a minimal knowledge of the region. Should
the company open stores in North India too?
Rapid Ideation
Rapid ideation is a brainstorming technique
in which everyone involved with an issue
writes as many potential solutions as they
can think of in a short amount of time.
After everyone writes their ideas, you can
review them as a team.
Decision Making based
on
Time and Impact
 Time for some
Case Studies on
Problem Solving!
 Case Study
1

In a private sector company, the workers are very lazy

and do not do their allotted jobs in the stipulated time.
The vice-president calls the manager and questions him
about the situation. The manger says that the workers are
bored with their jobs and their salary is not adequate. He
is not willing to take a decision. What should the V.P. do?
Who is at fault? Devise a solution.
 Case Study
2

A software company was entering a new area of

MIS. This company had a good reputation in the
software areas. The company won a contract for
MIS for a pharmaceutical company. The project was
scheduled for completion in one year. But after 8
months a large part of the project was incomplete.
Not completing the project on schedule will bring
loss of face and litigation for the company. What
should be the company do?
 Case Study
3

New Media is an Internet Service Provider that has

had two continuous years of high profits. However,
this quarter, the profits have fallen by 50%. What
can be the possible causes for this? As a group,
work out an action plan to save the company based
on the causes of decline in profits.
Eagles Story on Decision
Making
Thank You!