Problem Solving Methods, Approaches, and Techniques

Understanding the Nuances: Technique vs. Method vs. Approach vs. Strategy
These terms are often used interchangeably, leading to confusion. However, there are subtle but important distinction

Approach (Broadest): An "approach" is a general philosophy or perspective for tackling problems. It defines the overa
Example: Design Thinking, Lean Thinking, Agile approach.

Strategy (Planned Action): A "strategy" is a well-defined plan or series of actions designed to achieve a specific goal o
Example: A company's strategy to reduce customer churn might involve improving product quality (method), impleme

Method (Structured Process): A "method" is a systematic, step-by-step procedure or process for achieving a particula
Example: PDCA cycle, the 5-step problem-solving process, A3 problem solving.

Technique (Specific Tool/Skill): A "technique" is a specific tool, skill, or procedure used to perform a particular task wi
Example: Brainstorming (for idea generation), 5 Whys (for root cause analysis), Fishbone Diagram (for visualizing cau

Analogy: Imagine you want to build a house (solve a problem).

Approach: You decide to take an "eco-friendly" approach, prioritizing sustainable materials and energy efficiency.
Strategy: Your strategy might be to build a passive house.
Method: The specific method you follow is a detailed construction blueprint, outlining phases like foundation, framing, roofing, e
Technique: Within the framing phase, a technique you use might be using a nail gun for speed, or a specific jointing technique f

Name (Type)

5 Whys(Technique)

Fishbone Diagram (Ishikawa Diagram)(Technique)

PDCA Cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act)(Method)

5 Step Problem Solving(Method/Approach)

Problem Tree Analysis(Technique)

Brainstorming(Technique)

Six Thinking Hats(Technique)

SCAMPER(Technique)

TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem

Solving)(Method/Approach)

Root Cause Analysis (RCA)(Method/Approach)

SWOT Analysis(Technique)

Pareto Analysis(Technique)

Decision Matrix(Technique)

Mind Mapping(Technique)

Design Thinking(Approach/Method)

Lean Six Sigma(Approach/Method)

A3 Problem Solving (Method)

Affinity Diagram(Technique)

Interrelationship Digraph (Relations Diagram)(Technique)

Force Field Analysis(Technique)

Nominal Group Technique (NGT)(Technique)

Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve,

Control) (Method)

Kepner-Tregoe (KT) Problem Solving & Decision

Making(Method)

Gap Analysis(Technique)

Critical Path Method (CPM)(Method/Technique)

Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA)(Technique)

Cause and Effect Matrix (Technique)

Scenario Planning(Strategy/Approach)

System Thinking(Approach)

Hypothesis Testing(Method/Technique)
ches, and Techniques

ach vs. Strategy

sion. However, there are subtle but important distinctions:

or perspective for tackling problems. It defines the overall mindset, principles, and values you bring to problem-solving. It's the hi

or series of actions designed to achieve a specific goal or solve a particular problem. It outlines the overall direction and allocatio
ght involve improving product quality (method), implementing a new feedback system (method), and training customer service (m

p-by-step procedure or process for achieving a particular outcome. It provides a structured way to execute a strategy. A method o
problem solving.

l, skill, or procedure used to perform a particular task within a method or strategy. Techniques are the practical actions you perfo
t cause analysis), Fishbone Diagram (for visualizing causes).

ng sustainable materials and energy efficiency.

blueprint, outlining phases like foundation, framing, roofing, etc.

e using a nail gun for speed, or a specific jointing technique for strength.

Description

An iterative interrogative technique used to explore the cause-

and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem. The
primary goal is to determine the root cause of a defect or
problem by repeatedly asking the question "Why?".

A visual tool for categorizing the potential causes of a problem to

identify its root causes. It resembles a fish skeleton, with the
"head" being the problem statement and the "bones"
representing major categories of causes (e.g., Man, Machine,
Materials, Methods, Measurement, Environment).
An iterative four-step management method used for the control
and continuous improvement of processes and products.

A general systematic process that typically involves: 1. Define

the Problem, 2. Analyze the Problem, 3. Develop Solutions, 4.
Implement Solutions, 5. Evaluate Results. (Variations exist with 6
or 7 steps).

A visual tool used to identify and map out the causes and effects
of a specific problem. The core problem is the "trunk," its causes
are the "roots," and its effects are the "branches."

A group creativity technique used to generate a large number of

ideas for the solution of a problem.

A parallel thinking process where participants "wear" different

colored "hats" representing different different modes of thinking
(White: facts, Red: feelings, Black: caution, Yellow: benefits,
Green: creativity, Blue: process).

An acronym-based checklist used as a creative thinking

technique to generate ideas for improving products, services, or
processes: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another
use, Eliminate, Reverse.

A systematic methodology developed in the USSR for inventive

problem solving. It focuses on identifying and resolving
contradictions in systems by applying a set of inventive
principles.

A systematic process for identifying the underlying causes of

problems or incidents, rather than just addressing the symptoms.
It encompasses techniques like 5 Whys and Fishbone Diagrams.
A strategic planning technique used to identify Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats related to business
competition or project planning.

Based on the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule), it's used to prioritize

problems by identifying the "vital few" causes that are
responsible for the "trivial many" effects.

A tool used to evaluate and compare different options based on

a set of criteria. Options are listed, criteria are weighted, and
each option is scored against each criterion.

A visual thinking tool that helps organize information, generate

ideas, and improve memory. It uses a central idea with branches
radiating out for related concepts, sub-topics, and details.

A human-centered, iterative approach to innovation and

problem-solving, typically involving five phases: Empathize,
Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.

A methodology that combines Lean principles (eliminating

waste) and Six Sigma principles (reducing variation and defects)
to improve processes and achieve operational excellence.

A structured problem-solving approach, originating from Toyota,

where the entire problem-solving process (from problem
definition to countermeasures and follow-up) is condensed onto
a single A3-sized paper.

A tool used to organize a large number of ideas or issues into

natural groupings based on their relationships.

A tool that maps out the cause-and-effect relationships between

a complex set of factors or issues.
A technique used to analyze the forces for and against a
proposed change or solution. It helps identify factors that help or
hinder a desired outcome.

A structured variation of brainstorming used to generate ideas

and then prioritize them through a silent voting process, reducing
the influence of dominant personalities.

A data-driven improvement cycle used for improving, optimizing,

and stabilizing business processes and designs. It is the core
framework for Lean Six Sigma.

A systematic rational process for problem solving (Situation

Appraisal, Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, Potential
Problem Analysis) and decision making.

A technique used to compare the actual performance or state of

something with its desired performance or state, identifying the
"gap" and necessary steps to close it.

A project management algorithm for scheduling a set of project

activities. It identifies the longest sequence of activities that must
be completed on time for the entire project to be completed by its
deadline.

A systematic process for calculating and comparing the benefits

and costs of a project, decision, or proposed action.

A tool used to prioritize the outputs (effects) of a process against

the inputs (causes) that influence them, based on their
correlation.
A strategic planning method that involves creating and analyzing
several plausible future scenarios (not predictions) to understand
potential risks and opportunities.

A holistic way of analyzing and understanding how different

components of a system interact with each other and with the
external environment. It focuses on interconnections, feedback
loops, and emergent properties.

A statistical method used to test assumptions or beliefs about a

population parameter based on sample data. It involves
formulating a null and alternative hypothesis and collecting
evidence to support or reject the null.
ples, and values you bring to problem-solving. It's the high-level framework that guides your thinking.

ar problem. It outlines the overall direction and allocation of resources. Strategies are often composed of multiple methods and te
back system (method), and training customer service (method).

vides a structured way to execute a strategy. A method often incorporates several techniques.

strategy. Techniques are the practical actions you perform.

Pros

Simple and easy to learn/apply; doesn't require statistical

analysis; helps identify root causes rather than just symptoms.

Excellent for brainstorming potential causes; provides a visual

structure for organizing complex information; promotes team
collaboration and a holistic view.
Promotes continuous improvement; allows for small-scale testing
and risk mitigation; adaptable to various industries and project
types; fosters a learning culture.

Structured and logical; ensures a thorough understanding of the

problem; encourages exploration of multiple solutions; widely
applicable.

Helps to visualize the interconnectedness of causes and effects;

clearly distinguishes between causes and symptoms; good for
identifying underlying issues.

Encourages creative thinking and diverse perspectives; fosters

collaboration and team participation; generates a large volume of
ideas.

Encourages a holistic view by systematically exploring different

perspectives; reduces conflict by separating ego from thinking;
fosters more focused and productive discussions.

Provides a structured way to provoke new ideas; stimulates

creative thinking; applicable to a wide range of subjects.

Provides a systematic way to generate inventive solutions;

encourages thinking outside the box; based on patterns of
successful innovation.

Prevents recurrence of problems by addressing the true source;

improves long-term solutions; enhances organizational learning
and decision-making.
Simple and easy to understand/use; cost-effective; versatile for
various situations; provides a holistic view of internal and
external factors.

Helps prioritize efforts and resources; focuses on the most

impactful problems; simple to understand and apply visually
(Pareto Chart).

Provides a structured and logical way to compare options;

reduces bias in decision-making; useful for complex decisions
with multiple factors.

Excellent for brainstorming and idea generation; improves

information recall and organization; stimulates creativity;
provides a visual overview of relationships.

Focuses on user needs and desires; fosters creativity and

innovation; encourages rapid prototyping and learning from
failure; promotes interdisciplinary collaboration.

Data-driven and systematic; leads to significant cost savings and

quality improvements; reduces waste and inefficiencies; provides
a structured framework for problem-solving (DMAIC: Define,
Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control).

Concise and visual for clear communication; promotes

collaboration and alignment; encourages continuous learning;
fosters a deep understanding of the problem.

Helps make sense of large amounts of qualitative data; promotes

team consensus; reveals underlying themes and patterns.

Helps identify key drivers and outcomes in complex systems;

visualizes feedback loops and indirect relationships; excellent for
understanding interdependence.
Provides a balanced view of a situation; helps identify leverage
points for change; useful for planning change management
strategies.

Encourages participation from all members; reduces groupthink;

efficient for generating and prioritizing ideas quickly; produces a
clear decision.

Highly structured and data-driven; proven to deliver significant

improvements; focuses on reducing variation and defects;
provides clear steps and deliverables.

Highly structured and logical; reduces bias and emotional

influence; effective for complex, critical problems; provides a
framework for clear thinking.

Clearly defines the current state vs. desired state; highlights

areas for improvement; provides a basis for strategic planning
and goal setting.

Helps identify critical tasks and potential bottlenecks; provides a

clear project schedule; enables efficient resource allocation;
helps in risk management.

Provides a quantitative basis for decision-making; helps justify

investments; identifies the most economically viable solution;
promotes objective evaluation.

Helps prioritize causes for improvement efforts; quantifies

relationships between inputs and outputs; complements other
quality tools like FMEA.
Prepares organizations for an uncertain future; encourages
flexible thinking; identifies potential threats and opportunities not
otherwise considered; enhances strategic resilience.

Provides a deep understanding of complex problems; helps

identify leverage points for change; prevents unintended
consequences; promotes long-term solutions.

Provides a data-driven basis for decision making; reduces

reliance on intuition; allows for statistical validation of solutions
or theories.
rk that guides your thinking.

trategies are often composed of multiple methods and techniques.

s several techniques.

Cons

Can be limited for complex problems with multiple interacting

causes; can lead to superficial causes if not applied rigorously;
depends on the facilitator's skill.

Can become complex and cluttered for highly intricate problems;

doesn't prioritize causes; requires a good understanding of the
problem categories.
Can be time-consuming for urgent problems; requires clear
goals and sufficient data collection; not ideal for immediate
troubleshooting; resistance to change can be a barrier.

Can be too rigid for highly dynamic situations; may not foster
enough creativity in solution generation without additional
techniques; can be slow for urgent issues.

Can be time-consuming to create; risk of focusing only on

mentioned problems and missing others; doesn't indicate the
magnitude or priority of problems.

Can be unstructured and lead to irrelevant ideas; prone to

groupthink or dominance by strong personalities; requires
effective facilitation to be productive.

Can feel artificial or restrictive initially; requires discipline and

skilled facilitation; may not be suitable for very quick decision-
making.

Requires an existing idea or concept to start with; can be time-

consuming if not managed well; some questions might not be
relevant to every problem.

Can be complex and requires training to master; may be too

academic or abstract for some users; less suitable for simple,
everyday problems.

Can be time and resource-intensive; can be complex and

subjective if not facilitated well; requires thorough data collection
and analysis.
Can be subjective and biased if not based on objective data;
lacks built-in prioritization; can be ambiguous or oversimplified
without clear definitions; a static snapshot.

Oversimplifies complex data; focuses on frequency over severity

(unless weighted); less suitable for qualitative data or equally
distributed problems; static representation.

Criteria and weights can be arbitrary; may not capture all

relevant factors; scoring can still be subjective; best for a limited
number of comparable options.

Can become messy or overwhelming for very complex subjects;

requires practice to be effective; difficult to distinguish facts from
thoughts in some cases.

Lack of guaranteed results; can be overly flexible and lose focus

without strong facilitation; time and resource intensive, especially
for complex solutions; virtual interaction can be a challenge.

Complex and time-consuming to implement; requires significant

training and expertise; can be rigid and bureaucratic if not
applied flexibly; not suitable for all types of businesses.

Requires discipline to condense information; success depends

on accurate problem definition and root cause analysis; requires
stakeholder buy-in.

Can be time-consuming for very large datasets; requires

effective facilitation to prevent premature grouping; subjective
interpretation can lead to different groupings.

Can be complex and time-consuming to construct for many

items; requires careful analysis to avoid misinterpreting
relationships; not suitable for simple problems.
Can be subjective in identifying forces and assigning strength;
may oversimplify complex dynamics; does not provide a direct
solution, only an analysis.

Can feel less spontaneous than pure brainstorming; limited

opportunity for discussion and clarification during voting; requires
good facilitation.

Requires extensive training and statistical knowledge; can be

time-consuming; not suitable for problems that don't involve
measurable processes; can be too rigid for exploratory problems.

Can be time-consuming and labor-intensive; requires significant

training and discipline; may be too formal for simple problems;
can be seen as rigid.

Relies on accurate definition of current and desired states;

doesn't provide solutions directly, only identifies the gap; can be
oversimplified if underlying causes aren't explored.

Can be complex for large projects; relies on accurate time

estimates; doesn't account for resource constraints outside the
critical path; can be rigid if changes occur.

Difficult to quantify all costs and benefits (e.g., social impact);

prone to bias in assigning monetary values; future costs/benefits
are estimates; ethical considerations may be overlooked.

Can be subjective in assigning correlation scores; requires good

data and process understanding; not suitable for highly complex
or qualitative problems without clear inputs/outputs.
Time and resource-intensive; scenarios may not fully capture
reality; can lead to "analysis paralysis" if not managed well;
requires creativity and diverse perspectives.

Can be abstract and challenging to apply without practice;

requires a shift in mindset from linear thinking; can be time-
consuming for initial analysis.

Requires statistical knowledge and appropriate data; can be

misinterpreted if assumptions are violated; not suitable for
qualitative problems or initial ideation.
Most Suitable For

Simple to moderate problems; initial root cause analysis;

identifying human errors or process failures.

Identifying potential causes in a structured way; group

brainstorming sessions; quality control and process
improvement.
Continuous improvement initiatives; process optimization; quality
management; implementing small-scale changes before broader
rollout.

Most general problem-solving scenarios; when a structured,

rational approach is preferred; for training individuals in problem-
solving fundamentals.

Understanding complex problems with multiple contributing

factors; project planning and analysis; developing logical
frameworks.

Idea generation; creative problem solving; when a wide range of

options is needed; at the initial solution development phase.

Group decision-making; evaluating ideas from multiple angles;

conflict resolution; fostering more balanced thinking.

Product development; service innovation; process improvement;

when seeking to transform or refine an existing solution.

Complex technical or scientific problems; when incremental

improvements are not enough; situations requiring breakthrough
innovation.

Recurring problems; major incidents or failures; when long-term

solutions and prevention are critical; safety and quality
management.
Strategic planning; evaluating new projects or ventures;
understanding competitive landscape; initial assessment of a
situation.

Prioritizing multiple problems or causes; quality improvement

(e.g., identifying top defect types); resource allocation; when
data shows a clear imbalance.

When choosing between several similar alternatives; when

multiple criteria need to be considered and weighted; for making
objective decisions.

Brainstorming; organizing information; note-taking; planning

projects; creative exploration of ideas.

Developing new products/services; addressing complex, ill-

defined problems; fostering innovation in organizations;
improving user experience.

Process improvement and optimization; reducing defects and

errors; increasing efficiency and speed; large-scale
organizational change.

Rapid problem-solving; process improvement; communicating

complex problems and solutions effectively; fostering a problem-
solving culture in organizations.

Organizing brainstorming results; making sense of customer

feedback; identifying themes from qualitative data; team-based
problem definition.

Analyzing complex systems; identifying critical factors in a

problem; understanding the ripple effect of changes; strategic
planning.
Planning for change; overcoming resistance to solutions;
understanding the dynamics of a problem; evaluating the
feasibility of a proposed solution.

When a group needs to generate and prioritize ideas; when

some members might be hesitant to speak up; making quick
decisions with group input.

Process improvement; quality control; reducing defects and

errors; when detailed data analysis is required to identify root
causes and solutions.

Critical, complex problems where potential risks are high;

troubleshooting technical issues; high-stakes decision-making;
when a thoroughly logical approach is paramount.

Strategic planning; performance improvement; identifying

training needs; evaluating software or system implementations;
business process re-engineering.

Project planning and scheduling; managing complex projects

with interdependencies; identifying and managing project risks;
resource optimization.

Evaluating investment opportunities; choosing between

alternative solutions; justifying project proposals; policy decision-
making where financial impact is key.

Prioritizing process inputs for improvement; understanding

cause-and-effect relationships in processes; preparing for FMEA.
Long-term strategic planning; risk management; adapting to
highly uncertain environments; developing robust business
strategies.

Complex, interconnected problems (e.g., social, environmental,

organizational); understanding systemic failures; developing
sustainable solutions; policy design.

Validating proposed solutions; testing the effectiveness of

changes; data analysis in scientific or business research; A/B
testing.