What it is
Problem-solving is spotting a problem, finding its cause, weighing the options, and testing a fix. Good problem-solvers confirm the result instead of assuming it worked.
Why it matters at work
Every job has problems nobody wrote a procedure for. People who can work through them calmly save their employer time, money, and customers.
In the real world
Computer repair is problem-solving every day. A slow laptop could be a failing drive, malware, or too many startup programs, and guessing wastes the customer's money. I test one cause at a time and confirm the fix before I hand it back.
In the restoration app I'm building, scanned measurements are not always right in a flooded basement. So the app lets the technician correct any number by hand. The tape measure wins.
My reflection
Strengths
- Breaking big problems into small, testable pieces
- Staying calm when something breaks
- Checking the result before calling it done
Growth goals
- Write down what I tried so nobody repeats it
- Ask for help sooner when I'm stuck