- Practice · 6 marks
Creative problem solving and brainstorming
Short answer
Problem solving steps: define problem, gather facts, generate solutions, evaluate, implement, review. Creative problem solving adds stages of preparation, incubation, illumination, verification. Brainstorming is a group method to generate many ideas without criticism, welcoming wild ideas, aiming for quantity, and combining ideas.
Explain the problem solving process and the stages of creative problem solving. Describe brainstorming, giving its rules and the way a session is conducted.
Problem solving process
Problem solving is a systematic way of moving from a given situation to a desired one. The usual steps are:
- Identify and define the problem (what is wrong, what is wanted).
- Collect facts and analyse the causes.
- Generate possible solutions.
- Evaluate the solutions against criteria and constraints.
- Select and implement the best solution.
- Review the result and feed back any lessons.
Creative problem solving
Creative problem solving is used when the usual methods fail and a new idea is needed. The stages are:
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Preparation | Study the problem and gather information |
| Incubation | The problem is left aside while the mind works on it unconsciously |
| Illumination | A new idea suddenly appears (the "aha" moment) |
| Verification | The idea is tested, refined and developed |
Techniques that help are brainstorming, analogy, inversion (asking how to make the problem worse), checklists, morphological charts and questioning assumptions. Creativity is helped by a relaxed atmosphere and delay of judgement. Invention is the result when the idea is new, useful and can be made to work.
Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a group method to produce many ideas quickly.
Rules:
- No criticism or evaluation during idea generation.
- Welcome unusual and wild ideas.
- Aim for quantity; more ideas give more good ideas.
- Combine and improve the ideas of others ("hitch-hiking").
Conduct of a session: a group of 5 to 12 people with a leader and a recorder; the problem is stated clearly; the session lasts 20 to 40 minutes; all ideas are written visibly. Afterwards the ideas are grouped, evaluated and the best are developed further.
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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