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3 Step Problem solving approach for Product Managers

Problem Solving for Product Managers

As a product manager, your most important why is the customer problem that your product is trying to solve. Include your team and other stakeholders in understanding the customer problem and selecting the right goal metric to grow. This way, everyone can contribute, feel ownership, and stay motivated to solve the problem even if the product changes.

A problem well defined is a problem half-solved — Charles Kettering

Concept of problem-solving

Today’s businesses want employees who can adapt to new situations rapidly and effectively.

If you can solve problems, you can write your own ticket to whatever job you want.

Defining Problem Solving

Problems can be classified into puzzle problems, well-structured problems, and ill-structured problems.

Simple Problems

Well-structured Problems

Ill-structured Problems

To summarize ill-structured problems:

Here is an example of an ill-structured problem:

The population of your community is growing. Your water supply will not support many new people.

What do you do?

This is a complex problem. It affects the people, the environment, and the quality of life itself. To arrive at a good solution, you need to use math, science, political science, psychology, and probably more!

This problem actually occurs frequently in areas with a growing population. In one community facing this problem, more than 20 possible solutions were presented to the public. A solution was then chosen upon which the majority of the public agreed. It wasn’t the “right” solution because all of the 20 possible solutions had strengths and weaknesses.

The lesson here is that ill-structured problems usually have several workable solutions. Each solution has advantages and disadvantages that depend on who is affected by the solution. The solution chosen is often the one that has the best argument for it.


Problem-solving strategies

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