Special personal problem solving techniques

Problem solving concept structures: Special personal processes - Memory techniques

Use of indexed memory

Process is a series of steps with a purpose. It is obviously more complex a concept structure than either a rule or a rule set. Routinely we follow many processes. The process of brushing the teeth, placating an angry spouse, handling happy new year - all are routine processes however frequent or infrequent these may be. But occasionally, you may discover by accident a process that helps you to come out of a tight spot. 

This special process you remember because it helped you in solving a difficult problem. We call this type of process as a special personal process of problem solving kind. 
This then acts as an additional resource in your Problem Solving Armory resources. In future whenever you encounter the same problem context, you recall the effectiveness of the process you had used in the past to solve the seemingly unsolvable problem and use it again to solve your problem. With repeated successful use, belief on the process increases as well as its refinement.
We will now go through an example.

Story of a trick to remember a name

I became quite confused when it happened the first time. I was about to make an urgent call to a person on my mobile. Just when I was going to start dialing, I found that I couldn't remember the name of the person at all. In confusion I tried hard to remember the name. I knew the call was important and it was in my own interest. But however much I tried, the desired name remained elusive. In today's world nobody remembers the mobile numbers of contacts in address book, one searches in the address book by the name of the person to be called, and then makes the call.
Unless I remember the name of the person I needed to call, I will miss something important. Even that I couldn't remember - the purpose of making the call.

Then it occurred to me, why not start from the first letter A in the alphabet and consider for a few second, whether I can remember the name in case it starts with letter A. If the first letter fails to produce a result, try the method on the second letter B. I carried on this way till suddenly, while on a particular letter, like a flash I remembered the desired name. Surely the name began with the particular letter. Oh yes, this is the name I wanted to remember -I said silently and completed my urgent call. I may have a bad memory, but still I survived due to an unusual process that came to my aid.

Once is not enough for you to believe the applicability of a new process. When you get the opportunity to use a special process again, you reuse it to test its sustainability.

In subsequent years I had used this special technique many times and it never failed to give me desired result.

Repeated successful use of this special process finally made me a firm believer of the process

Now It is ingrained in my mental problem solving framework.

For some days my surprise lingered on - how the process really worked! Then I started analyzing. My conclusion was: "the names in my address book must have been indexed in my memory." That was the first time I got an idea of how contents are organized in our memory. 
Indexes are small snippets or codes representing a particular piece of content. While storing a content in the memory its index also to be formed. Searching the memory must be on indexes. After selecting a particular index, its corresponding content is fetched to the upper memory for use. In simple terms, this is my visualization of how memory works. 

Technique of Summarization

When I was a student, after finishing the preparation of a subject paper just before the exam, I used to write a summary of important relevant points in the subject. This way I attempted to capture the whole subject in my mind, but in compressed form. While answering the questions during the exam, I found it very easy to recall the right answer to a question. I felt quite comfortable and confident as far as memorization of the content was concerned. I have a firm belief that just this process of writing the summary points made recall so easy. Later when I came to know about indexing mechanism, my understanding got a firmer support. 

Still later after going through the book Future Shock by Alvin Toffler, I set out to summarize its contents in handwritten four pages. Those four pages contained the gist of the whole book and going through the summary later was nearly like the experience of reading the whole book for me. That was also an Index.

If you know that your memory works on indexes, you may resort to creation and use of different types of external indexes. Summarization forms one such type. 

Abstracts though seem to be similar to Summarization, lack the point by point details of Summarization. Abstract is usually smaller than summaries. Though an abstract gives an idea about a piece of information, it does not usually contain enough information for use as a recall mechanism for the whole piece.

Finally, to sum-up this three post series on special concept structures:
Personal Rules, Rule-sets and Special processes are all classified as special concept structures and form a highly useful set of problem solving armory resources.  Also we are fairly certain that our memory works on indexes. Accordingly we can create and use various types of short form indexes of main matter for easy recall and effective use.

Read my other blogs on Innovative idea generation and its basic principles and Get smart, get innovative usingTRIZ

Problem solving rule-set for fault diagnosis

A special problem solving rule-set helps solving special types of real-life problems quickly

Whom to ask?

 We form problem solving rules as we go through experiences in life. We store in our mind rules that we found effective in solving a particular problem. Usually we do it involuntarily. Applicability and effectiveness of the rule increases when such a rule is  consciously created and applied for solving real life problems. We have seen examples of such rules during the last session.

A problem solving rule has a simple concept structure usually in the form of

                      “if <condition> then <action>”

The condition may be complex but still the structure of the rule remains simple. In contrast a rule-set has a more complex structure. It can be considered as a combination of more than one rule.

Story 1: Diagnosing a difficult cough

Years ago I stayed away from home for two years due to job demands. Finally after two years I returned home with a bad racking cough that I could not get rid of. It took away my sleep and energy. For months I consulted physicians and specialists, underwent innumerable diagnostic tests and took a series of prescribed medicines. Even alternative medicine path I tried. But nothing could reduce the intensity of the evil cough.

Then I thought of Dr. Mukherjee whom I used to consult before. When I entered his chamber he greeted me—we knew each other well. Patiently he listened through what I had to say.My speaking was frequently interrupted by my constant companion cough. 
He thought for a moment, took out a printed booklet from his desk drawer and started asking me a series of questions. As far as I remember he asked me five questions. Answer to each of the questions had to be yes or no. At the end of the questionnaire he concluded without any hesitation, “You have bronchial asthma. I am prescribing you an inhaler. You will get well soon, but in future also you may need to use the inhaler if you get this cough again.”

That was that. Within two weeks I got cured (for the time being) of the devil of a cough that tormented me for the interminable many months past.

I thought even then, how powerful that questionnaire is! There was no need to go through any diagnostic test at all—a few questions and the issue was settled for good. Can’t there be such powerful set of questions for solving other difficult issues, not only in health domain?

As an inquirer into the subject of Innovation & Problem Solving, I remembered that experience, evaluated it with a new mindset and understood to some extent its power. Even I went recently to see Dr. Mukherjee and asked him about the questions he had used for me. He smiled. It was eight years ago. Then he took out a booklet and showed a list of nine questions. Even though my memory fails many times, I was sure that these were not the questions he asked eight years ago. After a moments thought though I understood what happened. To confirm, I asked, “You had changed the questions in your own way, isn’t it?” “Yes”, he nodded.

I am reproducing below the questions to be asked to a patient for diagnosing whether he has bronchial asthma. These are taken from a standard printed help to practicing physicians.

“Questions to be asked to the patient:

1.   Have you had an attack or recurrent episodes of wheezing (high pitched whistling sounds when breathing out)?

2.   Do you have troublesome cough which is particularly worse at night or on waking?

3.   Are you awakened by coughing or difficult breathing?

4.   Do you cough or wheeze after physical activity (like games or exercise)?

5.   Does the patient experience breathing problems during a particular season?

6.   Do you cough, wheeze or develop chest tightness after exposure to airborne allergens or irritants e.g. smoke, perfumes, animal fur?

7.   Does the patient’s cold frequently “go to the chest” or take more than 10 days to resolve?

8.   Does the patient use medication when symptoms occur? How often?

9.   Are symptoms relieved when medication is used?

If answer is yes to any of the questions, a diagnosis of asthma should be considered.”

This type of special problem solving rule-sets can be effectively used in disease and fault diagnostics kind of problem solving.

You have perhaps experienced such set of questions when availing of telephonic support for some of your gadget at home going faulty. Fault diagnosis is similar to disease diagnosis. Practitioners in any fault diagnostics domain can carefully form such a set of leading questions from long experience to screen out most of the common faults. The faults still not resolved after the questions should be tackled with more detailed attention. This powerful rule-set mechanism is used often for quick diagnosis and rectification.

You can also form your own such problem solving rule-sets for personal use in tackling special types of problems.

In your work domain or personal life, you can form such effective rule-sets to simplify fault rectification or disease diagnostics processes. Use of such special problem solving rules and rule-sets increases efficiency by directly cutting short your time to reach the solution.

Though such pre-formed question-answer mechanism is used often in fault or disease diagnostics situations, we will see later how a series of linked yes/no type of questions can be used for reducing the confusion in complex real life decision problems.

Read my other blogs on Innovative idea generation and its basic principles and Get smart, get innovative usingTRIZ

Personal Rules - effective in real life problem solving

Highly efficient problem solving special rules are created from successful problem solving experiences

Power of Rules

During our life we create useful rules that we have found to work well for us. Some of these rules are known to most people around, but still we believe in such a rule and own it for personal use. Some other rules most people do not follow, these are more personal for us as in some occasion we found such a rule to help us unexpectedly.

Ability to create and use such effective rules sometimes cut short our decision making time and improve quality of decision, thus improving our overall problem solving ability.

An effective rule-set is a set of rules created for specific purpose and not generally known. A rule-set is usually more powerful than a single rule.

Apart from personally formed rules and rule-sets, sometimes we make minor discovery of a special process for a special purpose. Concept structure of a special process is obviously more complex than a rule.

In this session we will discuss these special things that help us in solving our problems efficiently. In terms of concept structures, I categorize these under the class of special concept structures. I could have though categorized these as problem solving tools also. I did not do it to keep the speciality of these concept structures separate from more obvious nature of tools of problem solving.  

Example of a special problem solving rule reinforces your learning

Story 1: Everyone in the domain follows this rule

We have shortage of small coins in our city. Small daily tasks need small coins. It is not a critical situation, but still a widespread problem.

Just before boarding the train from the terminal station, I wanted to have a hot cup of drink, it was chilly this morning. A few steps away stood the tea stall. I went ahead and asked for a cup of tea. As the train may arrive soon, I offered 5 rupees in coins simultaneously. It would speed up the transaction—that was my reckoning. I knew that a cup of tea costs 5 rupees and no one will accept a 10 rupee note when the price of item bought is 5 rupees. Getting change is a real difficulty here.

The tea stall was crowded. After a few minutes, the man in the stall at last looked at me. In his hand was a steaming paper cup. His response was short and precise, “Coffee – eight rupees”. Well coffee instead of tea won’t hurt. I accepted the cup and quickly produced three rupees more in coins. I could see the train approaching.

I turned and moved towards the place where my porter stood.

Soon after boarding the train (I managed to drink the coffee on the go) I realized that I violated my own principle and one rule that everyone around follows.

If you are following my posts with serious intent, you might be interested to offer your answer to my question: which principle, which rule?

A small break is called for here to give you some space of thinking.

Violations: anyone is expected to commit violations of rules that are known as the right rules to be followed, but one should try to know reasons why the violation was committed.

·      The generally known rule I violated is: never produce a 10 rupee note when the price of item is 8 rupees (oh it is nearly 10 rupees in change). More general expression might be: if the price to be given is more than 5 rupees (rounding off principle – domain mapping), at 6 you might try your luck. But not always the man on the other side will accept it without some grumbling. At the figure of 8, there can’t be any question regarding who is on the winning side. It was kind of  a criminal offense on my part to violate this golden rule that everyone knows and unfailingly follows.

·      The second violation is still worse. It is the violation of the principle of zero-based problem solving that only a few days back I had explained with such a flourish in this blog of mine.

This principle prescribed: when facing a new problem or situation, start fresh, don’t continue to think like before.

As soon as the man uttered “Coffee – rupees 8” I should have re-evaluated the situation, taken back 5 rupees change and should quickly have produced a 10 rupee note. I still had time to take this course of action. An adept decision maker should have done that.

Why did I make the two violations?

I made the violations because:

·      I was in a hurry and tended to continue with previous pattern of thought and behavior rather than stop for a second and think fresh, “Oh, it is getting back coin change scenario, I must produce a 10 rupee note”.

It follows: when you are in a hurry, you tend to follow the path that you were in and stay in the comfort zone, rather than take the pressure of evaluating a new situation.

Recommendation: be in a hurry, but never be in mental hurry. I mean act fast and precise, but keep control. Never feel the hurry.

There is a golden saying for car drivers: Drive fast if you need to, but never hurry while driving. A sense of hurry while driving increases the chances of accident.

·      Also I went into affective decision making mode where I was driven by extraneous cognitive impulse and was drawn away from the problem at hand.

·      Lastly, it is always more than a possibility that when I am the DA and DM combined and in a time-tight situation, I may lose my neutrality of mind that would usually not happen when I am the DA analyzing a problem of someone else. This gives rise to another rule some doctors follow:

“Never treat a patient when the patient is yourself or someone very close to you”.

Exceptions to a rule: all rules are supposed to have exceptions.

All of us know the cliche: every rule has an exception. When we are trying to become pragmatic and systematic problem solvers, we need to be more specific than this. For the coin shortage rule, we might follow an exception:

“When your wallet is filled up by religious hoarding of coins and you have started to feel the difficulty of sitting down on a hard seat with the bloated wallet in your hip pocket, you might decide to give away even 9 rupees in coin change once or twice before reviewing the stock and falling back to the hoarding mode again”.

By any chance does it remind you of the concept of Inventory Control? Even if it does, please desist. One must not push too hard.

Like many other rules, this coin change rule is known, agreed to and being followed by most of the members in a specific domain. It is kind of public rule but nevertheless a useful unwritten rule.

But there are also some rules which only you and not most of the people follow because you have discovered it and made it a part of your problem solving armory. These are personal rules.

Today we won’t continue further and will take up this awkward topic next session, with a parting question:

Can you identify any personal rule that you found useful and probably you only are following? If you know, your problem solving ability will increase.

If you cultivate a culture of identifying explicitly a special rule that you have used in solving a problem, not only will you be able to apply the rule with more promptness and confidence for the second and subsequent times, but also gradually you would build a nice rich set of useful problem solving rules in your problem solving armory resources.

Read my other blogs on Innovative idea generation and its basic principles and Get smart, get innovative usingTRIZ