CASE WRITING TIP
Create a file in MS Word (or whatever word processing program that you use) that looks like this:
Problem
Causes/ Issues
Criteria
Alternatives
• Alt 1
• Alt 2
• Alt 3
Analysis
Pros and Cons of Alt 1
Pros and Cons of Alt 2
Pros and Cons of Alt 3
Select / Implement
References
The Problem
"There is nothing worse than the right answer to the wrong question" - Winston Churchill
And the same can be said of problem identification. Misidentify the problem and when the smoke clears....... You still have the same pesky problem to deal with again. All you have done is expend valuable and finite resources. And what do you have to show?
The Dictionary definition of a problem is "a question proposed for solution; a matter that is perplexing or difficult." The definition of a cause is"a person or thing that brings about an effect or result." These are clearly different. What happens if we solve a cause? Have we solved our problem? What happens if we identify a cause as our problem? Will we be able to arrive at the most efficient response?
One important thing to remember- PROBLEMS ARE IN THE PRESENT, not the past or the future!! So define it that way, in that tense.
A point of importance here is that people recognize and assimilate information using different senses. Some people need to read information, some people need to hear information to understand it, and some people need to visualize data to process and understand it.
For visual learners, one tool to help with problem identification is called The FACT Map. To utilize this tool:
1) Isolate each fact in your scenario. Write these on a sheet of paper, chalkboard, etc. For ease of viewing, draw a circle or rectangle around each fact.
2) Go to a fact. Compare this fact with each of the other facts by asking " Did Fact 1 cause Fact 2 to happen?" If NO, switch the two and ask "Did Fact 2 cause Fact 1 to happen?" If you can say YES to either, draw a line between the two facts and point an arrow away from the causal fact toward the other.
3) Repeat until you have paired and compared all the facts.
4) Your problem will be dealing with the fact:
a) the arrows point toward
b) where "the arrows end"
(If there are two facts, you may be confronted with multiple problems. Try and consolidate. If not possible, prioritize and solve one at a time.)
c) if there are no connecting arrows, look for the central fact.
PROBLEM LEVELS and Solutions - A General Rule
Problems will occur at one of these four levels:
1. Intrapersonal 3. Organizational
2. Interpersonal 4. Environmental
It will be helpful for you to recognize in which level your problem rests. You can more effectively marshal your available resources and apply them to that point. You may solve a Level 1 problem by attacking it with a Level 3 response, but you will not usually be effective by going the other way. If you have an organizational problem, you will not effectively solve it at Level 2. (It is usually better to be more global.)
Common Qualitative Criteria
Time
Acceptance of Affected Parties
Safety
Money
Competitive Advantage
Ethics
Legal
Corporate Image
Customer Satisfaction
When considering the results of your actions, you need to select suitable criteria to measure possible outcomes of your decision.
The above is a list of qualitative and quantitative criteria. It is not totally complete, though the most important for most decisions are in evidence. Add your own to the list. Be sure and define what each of these criterion means in relation to the others. They do not overlap. In essence, all of these can be considered for every decision that you will make. But this is unwieldy and takes more time and resources than we are usually willing to put to play in making a decision. For efficiency of resource use, prioritize and select the most important to aid you in your decision making.
It will be up to you to decide which are the key criteria in each decision. The more targeted and focused in your criteria selection, the better your decision should be. We will practice this in this course.