Building a Problem-Solving Atmosphere

• Encourage team members to air their concerns. They may see a problem you do not. They may have solutions you have not thought of.


• Raise the issue of possible problems during regular meetings.


• Explain to team members how important it is to bring any problems or concerns forward and encourage them to offer solutions as well.

Often managers are known for not wanting to hear about problems. Team members may be reluctant to share their concerns. Evaluate yourself as a manager and see if you have this tendency. If so, you should address it immediately.

Problem-Solving Structure

• Define a structured step-by-step method for solving problems. The method should be clear to all team members.
  When a problem or non-conformance is suspected or arises, you will already have the process in place for dealing with it.


• Root cause analysis of the problem is the first step in problem-solving. Not only does it expose the cause of the problem, but it may reveal other problems that were not exposed or potential problem that may occur.


• Once you know the root cause of a problem you should discuss the impact and explore ALL options and examine ALL alternatives. First option may not always be the best.
  Therefore, brainstorming sessions are a good method to find alternative answers to a problem.


• Select an appropriate approach to solve the problem and examine the impact the solution will have.
  Plan and execute the solution. Verify the results of the solution actually solve the problem and does not create additional problems or issues.


• If the solution involves changes to the project or process, update the plan and notify any relevant stakeholders.

The last step should be to deal with the root cause of the problem. If it is a team member, coach them or examine his/her role in the team. If a process is flawed, implement a process improvement plan.
Remember that the goal is not to place blame. The goal is to improve your problem-solving skills and those of your team.
Using structured problem-solving techniques and developing an open approach to problems with team members will help expose them early. Not only will this help keep the project on track, but it will help you deliver a project on time, on budget and problem free. Music to management’s ears.

Source:
http://itmanagersinbox.com/173/project-managementproblem-
solving-skills/