Problem Solving - Meaning, Stages, Examples and Skills required for Problem solving

In this video, we discuss Problem Solving. Problems can be resolved swiftly and efficiently with the help of problem-solving abilities.
One of the primary skills that is sought by employers while recruiting employees is problem-solving skills.
This is because people who are capable of solving problems efficiently are generally self-reliant.
Recognizing underlying problems and executing solutions is necessary in order to have problem-solving abilities.
Since it cannot be learned through coaching or education, it is considered a soft skill instead of a hard skill.

Problem Solving Skills
Innovation
New, uncommon problems or complicated issues will need to be solved with a more rational and organized approach, which requires innovative thinking.
Researching ability
Research is generally needed to interpret and resolve issues.
Teamwork skills
Input from other individuals can help resolve and interpret many issues well. Teamwork is not just important at work but is equally important in schools and homes.
Emotional Intelligence
The effect of an issue or its resolution on a person and on others must be taken into consideration.
Management of Risks
Some amount of risk is involved with resolving issues. One must compare not resolving the issue with the risks involved in resolving them.
Skills for Decision Making
The ability to make decisions is connected to resolving problems. Since people who resolve issues encounter the presence of a lot of alternatives and options, decision-making skills are crucial to resolving problems.

How to improve your Problem Solving Skills
Obtain more field-related technical knowledge
Resolving issues becomes easier when a person has a lot of technical knowledge of the industry.
Practice, extra course work or training can help a person obtain additional technical knowledge.

Pursue opportunities to Resolve issues
People tend to uncover more chances of resolving issues when they put themselves in new circumstances.
They may uncover chances to volunteer for fresh projects in their existing roles, beyond their place of work for other companies or on other teams.
Solve mock problems
It can be beneficial to role-play and rehearse while honing one's problem-solving abilities.
Scenarios to rehearse problem-solving abilities can be found online in addition to professional books for practice.
Note other people's way of resolving problems
One's co-workers may have exceptional problem-solving skills. Watching how they resolve issues may help improve one's own abilities.
One must ask their co-workers who have more expertise if their methods can be observed.

Stages of Problem Solving
Recognizing problems
Identifying the existence of a problem, recognizing its nature, and outlining the problem is what constitutes this stage.
Although it may sound apparent, this initial stage of problem-solving needs a lot of evaluation and deliberation
Understanding the Problem
A period of monitoring, seeking facts, examination, and understanding the problem clearly is a part of the stage.
After recognizing the issue, structuring it is mainly about acquiring more knowledge about the issue and understanding it better.
Seeking possible Resolutions
A lot of probable approaches need to be gathered at this stage without thoroughly analyzing them.
From the data obtained from the previous two stages, possible resolutions need to be sought for the recognized issue.
Arriving at a Decision
This is the most complicated stage of the process of resolving issues. Each possible resolution gathered in the previous stage need to be evaluated in this stage.
Factors like budgets or deadlines may make some solutions impossible.

Execution
Acknowledging and executing the decided approach is what constitutes this stage. Execution refers to performing the decided solution.
One might face many issues while executing, especially if the stages of recognizing the problem or structuring it were left incomplete.
Observing/pursuing Feedback
This phase consists of evaluating the results of problem-solving.
This is done over a particular time span and involves pursuing feedback for the effectiveness of the results that the decided resolution yield.

Problem Solving Example
Steve Jobs and Elon Musk
Steve Jobs and Elon Musk faced many problems, succeeded tremendously, and endured many losses throughout their careers.
The approaches of Jobs and Musk towards resolving issues are very different even though they, as people, have a lot of similarities.

This video is on Problem Solving and it has the following sub-topics.

Time Stamps

0:00 Introduction to Problem Solving
0:15 Definition of Problem Solving
0:45 Problem-Solving Skills
1:49 How to improve your Problem Solving Skills
2:54 Stages of Problem Solving
4:30 Problem Solving Example