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| Classifying Problems |
Classifying Problems
The process of classifying a problem is in itself a basic problem solving strategy.
Judging the relative significance of problems is an important component of the classifying process. ‘What do I do first, plug the leak in the forward hold or put out the fire in the engine room?’
Small, medium, and large
Not all problems have the same significance. Breaking a shoelace before leaving for work is a minor problem; losing your job is a major problem.
Not all problems have the same significance to all persons. If you sprain your ankle, you are confronted with a number of problems: how to ease the pain, how to manage the injury so that it will heal quickly, and how to reduce the amount of walking you have to do. To a fellow citizen across town, your injured ankle is of little concern.
The process of classifying a problem is in itself a basic problem solving strategy.
Judging the relative significance of problems is an important component of the classifying process. ‘What do I do first, plug the leak in the forward hold or put out the fire in the engine room?’
Small, medium, and large
Not all problems have the same significance. Breaking a shoelace before leaving for work is a minor problem; losing your job is a major problem.
Not all problems have the same significance to all persons. If you sprain your ankle, you are confronted with a number of problems: how to ease the pain, how to manage the injury so that it will heal quickly, and how to reduce the amount of walking you have to do. To a fellow citizen across town, your injured ankle is of little concern.
Even the same problem can have a different significance depending on the circumstances. If your car runs out of gas as you pull into a service station that is a much smaller problem than if it runs out of gas on a major highway in the middle of rush hour.
Timing can also affect the significance of a problem. A large payment that is due this afternoon is liable to be more significant than if the same payment is due in ten years.
Degree of difficulty
Problems can come in various degrees of difficulty, from very simple problems that you can solve in a few minutes, to very complex problems that may never be solved.
A problem is more difficult when the situation is more complex, the number of steps needed for a solution is large, or the required resources are scarce.
Most Sudoku puzzles can be solved in less than a half-hour of focused effort. Finding a cure for cancer is a much more difficult problem.
You may have to seek additional instruction before you are qualified to tackle a problem. For example, it would be much easier to sew a dress after you had learned how use a sewing machine. It would be much easier to shoe a horse after you had apprenticed as a rural blacksmith.
You may need to assemble a team before attempting a problem that cannot be completed by one person. For example, a politician has to develop a broad base of support before introducing new legislation. You would need a crew of construction workers to build a new hospital. You would need an army to invade another country.
You may need to solve a series of precursor problems before you can attempt your primary problem. For example, before you could start a colony on the Moon you would have to develop a capable space ship, a launching facility, communication facilities, an astronaut-training program, a design for the colony, and have appropriate supplies delivered to the site.
How important is the problem?
Estimating the importance of a problem is a key factor in deciding how much time, energy, and resources you are willing to spend in solving it.
Estimating the importance of a problem helps to establish priorities so you can answer questions such as: ‘Which problem has to be dealt with first?’ and ‘What portion of my limited resources should be devoted to dealing with this problem?’
Estimating the importance of a problem is a subjective process. If you earn $40 000 a year and lose $20 000 on the stock market, it is probably a significant problem. If you earn over $4 000 000 a year, then a $20 000 loss on the stock market is probably a less serious problem.
Suppose that after several years of effort, there is one flaw remaining in an experimental process for converting wood chips into diesel fuel. Eliminating that last flaw would be a high priority problem, since once it was resolved the whole process could be patented, the investors could be repaid, and society could make use of a new fuel source.
Mechanical, organic, or logical
A problem can also be classified as mechanical, organic, or logical.
Mechanical problems have some physical phenomenon at their root. Typically, such problems can be solved by efforts such as gluing it back together, changing the gear ratios, transporting it from here to there, or building a better mousetrap.
Organic problems have their roots in biological systems. They may be based on human frailties or environmental concerns. There may be an outbreak of a new disease or an oil spill in the arctic.
Logical problems are based on cognitive processes. Can you debug the program, solve the equation, write the essay, translate the speech, solve the puzzle, or determine the most likely outcome?
Ignore, manage, or solve Many problems present you with options: you can ignore them, you can contain and manage them, or you can choose to solve them outright. A noisy muffler on your car provides a good example. The car still works, so you might choose to ignore the extra engine roar and the possibility of asphyxiating yourself with exhaust fumes. You might choose to make a temporary repair and fasten part of a soup can over the hole in your muffler with a twisted length of coat hanger wire. Or you might choose to solve the problem by visiting your local car repair shop and having a new muffler installed.
Some of the problems that we choose to ignore exhibit minor symptoms that slowly gain in importance such as: weight gain, peeling paint, and the national debt. We hope that if we ignore the symptoms, the problem will magically go away or that there will be a much more suitable time in the future to deal with the problem.
The problems that we tend to manage, rather than actually solve are often extended in time and scope. Not enough storage space, an irritating neighbour, youth crime, and environmental damage are examples of problems that would probably fall into this category.
Problems that are of immediate concern and that can be solved with specific action tend to be dealt with more promptly. Questions on a physics test are dealt with energetically in the time available. Jurors in a criminal trial deliberate until a decision is reached. A move to a new home is managed in accordance with closing dates.
While a leaky roof may be tolerated, a creaking roof that is about to collapse cannot.
Timing can also affect the significance of a problem. A large payment that is due this afternoon is liable to be more significant than if the same payment is due in ten years.
Degree of difficulty
Problems can come in various degrees of difficulty, from very simple problems that you can solve in a few minutes, to very complex problems that may never be solved.
A problem is more difficult when the situation is more complex, the number of steps needed for a solution is large, or the required resources are scarce.
Most Sudoku puzzles can be solved in less than a half-hour of focused effort. Finding a cure for cancer is a much more difficult problem.
You may have to seek additional instruction before you are qualified to tackle a problem. For example, it would be much easier to sew a dress after you had learned how use a sewing machine. It would be much easier to shoe a horse after you had apprenticed as a rural blacksmith.
You may need to assemble a team before attempting a problem that cannot be completed by one person. For example, a politician has to develop a broad base of support before introducing new legislation. You would need a crew of construction workers to build a new hospital. You would need an army to invade another country.
You may need to solve a series of precursor problems before you can attempt your primary problem. For example, before you could start a colony on the Moon you would have to develop a capable space ship, a launching facility, communication facilities, an astronaut-training program, a design for the colony, and have appropriate supplies delivered to the site.
How important is the problem?
Estimating the importance of a problem is a key factor in deciding how much time, energy, and resources you are willing to spend in solving it.
Estimating the importance of a problem helps to establish priorities so you can answer questions such as: ‘Which problem has to be dealt with first?’ and ‘What portion of my limited resources should be devoted to dealing with this problem?’
Estimating the importance of a problem is a subjective process. If you earn $40 000 a year and lose $20 000 on the stock market, it is probably a significant problem. If you earn over $4 000 000 a year, then a $20 000 loss on the stock market is probably a less serious problem.
Suppose that after several years of effort, there is one flaw remaining in an experimental process for converting wood chips into diesel fuel. Eliminating that last flaw would be a high priority problem, since once it was resolved the whole process could be patented, the investors could be repaid, and society could make use of a new fuel source.
Mechanical, organic, or logical
A problem can also be classified as mechanical, organic, or logical.
Mechanical problems have some physical phenomenon at their root. Typically, such problems can be solved by efforts such as gluing it back together, changing the gear ratios, transporting it from here to there, or building a better mousetrap.
Organic problems have their roots in biological systems. They may be based on human frailties or environmental concerns. There may be an outbreak of a new disease or an oil spill in the arctic.
Logical problems are based on cognitive processes. Can you debug the program, solve the equation, write the essay, translate the speech, solve the puzzle, or determine the most likely outcome?
Ignore, manage, or solve Many problems present you with options: you can ignore them, you can contain and manage them, or you can choose to solve them outright. A noisy muffler on your car provides a good example. The car still works, so you might choose to ignore the extra engine roar and the possibility of asphyxiating yourself with exhaust fumes. You might choose to make a temporary repair and fasten part of a soup can over the hole in your muffler with a twisted length of coat hanger wire. Or you might choose to solve the problem by visiting your local car repair shop and having a new muffler installed.
Some of the problems that we choose to ignore exhibit minor symptoms that slowly gain in importance such as: weight gain, peeling paint, and the national debt. We hope that if we ignore the symptoms, the problem will magically go away or that there will be a much more suitable time in the future to deal with the problem.
The problems that we tend to manage, rather than actually solve are often extended in time and scope. Not enough storage space, an irritating neighbour, youth crime, and environmental damage are examples of problems that would probably fall into this category.
Problems that are of immediate concern and that can be solved with specific action tend to be dealt with more promptly. Questions on a physics test are dealt with energetically in the time available. Jurors in a criminal trial deliberate until a decision is reached. A move to a new home is managed in accordance with closing dates.
While a leaky roof may be tolerated, a creaking roof that is about to collapse cannot.
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