Strategies for Creative Problem Solving
"Very good mix of theory and practical application ... was pertinent to everyday problem solving on and off the job"
"... Course was stimulating."
"... It is a start for us who know we have problems but don't know where to begin."
"Gets your thinking out of a rut!"
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It is known that every individual possesses creative skills of one type or another and that these skills can be much more productive if they are drawn upon and exercised regularly. A way of improving street smarts for problem solvers is to present strategies that will enhance problem-solving skills. |
Course Objective
The objective of this course is to enable one to identify the real problems in an ill-defined situation, effectively explore that constraint space, plan a robust approach, carry it through to a viable solution and then evaluate what has been accomplished.
The skills to achieve these goals will be imparted by examining the components of a problem solving algorithm and by studying a series of graduated exercises to familiarize, reinforce, challenge and stretch the participant in the problem solving process.
The problem solving techniques that will be presented will provide an organized, logical approach to generating more creative solutions.
Who Should Attend
This course is for new professionals, practicing engineers, businessmen, and managers as well as anyone wishing to increase their problem solving skills.
Course Outline*
Day 1
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8:30 |
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9:15 |
Ill-Defined Problems Characteristics of Good and Poor Problem Solvers The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People |
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9:15 |
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9:45 |
Worksheet 1 Individual Improvement from Pages 11 and 12 |
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9:45 |
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10:00 |
Risk Taking, Failure and Establishing a Creative Environment |
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10:00 |
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10:15 |
Break |
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10:15 |
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11:00 |
Video Tape 1 Discovering the Future |
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11:00 |
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11:15 |
Class Discussion on Risk Taking and Failure |
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11:15 |
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11:45 |
The First 4 Steps in Problem Solving |
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11:45 |
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12:15 |
Worksheet 2 What Things Can You Do To Improve Risk Taking. Describe what you learned from a failure. Describe how you could establish a more creative environment. |
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12:15 |
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13:00 |
Lunch |
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13:00 |
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13:30 |
Defining the Problem |
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13:30 |
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14:30 |
Exercise 1 Defining the Problem |
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14:30 |
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15:00 |
Presentations |
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15:00 |
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15:15 |
Break |
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15:15 |
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15:45 |
Conceptual Blocks Gomans Blockbusters Improving Your Creative Abilities Analogy |
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15:45 |
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16:00 |
Worksheet 3 Improving Your Creative Abilities |
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16:00 |
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17:00 |
Brainstorming |
Day 2
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8:00 |
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9:00 |
Exercise 2 Brainstorming |
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9:00 |
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9:30 |
Presentations of Brainstorming Exercise |
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9:30 |
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9:45 |
Discussion of What to Do First |
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9:45 |
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10:30 |
Exercise 3 The Exxon Valdez |
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10:30 |
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10:45 |
Presentations |
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10:45 |
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11:15 |
Problem Identification |
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11:15 |
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12:00 |
Exercise 4 |
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12:00 |
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12:45 |
Lunch |
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12:45 |
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13:00 |
Presentations |
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13:00 |
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13:30 |
Choosing Among Alternatives |
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13:30 |
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14:30 |
Exercise 5 |
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14:30 |
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14:45 |
Presentations |
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14:45 |
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15:00 |
Break |
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15:00 |
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15:15 |
Planning |
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15:15 |
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16:00 |
Exercise 6 |
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16:00 |
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16:30 |
Presentations |
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16:30 |
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16:45 |
Closing Ceremony/Certificate Presentation |
*The course can be taught in lengths of 1, 2, or 2 1/2 days to fit your needs.
For More Information Contact:
Professor H. Scott Fogler
Department of Chemical Engineering
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2136 USA
Phone: (734) 763-1361 FAX (734) 763-0459
E-mail: sfogler@umich.edu
Problem Solving Heuristic
The techniques of problem solving presented in this course are a compendium of a large selection of popular problem solving techniques. The need for an organized method of solving problems, the importance of approaching the problem with a positive attitude, the need for risk taking in the problem-solving process, an overview of the heuristic (i.e. systematic approach).
The Five Building Blocks of the Heuristic
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H. Scott Fogler is the Vennema Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan. He is the author of over 160 research publications and six books, one of the most recent, being "Strategies for Creative Problem Solving." Professor Fogler, an experienced practitioner in problem solving, has been a consultant to the Chevron Oil Field Research Co. for over twenty five years. |
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Previous Course Offerings
| May 7, 1993 Dow Corning, | Midland, Michigan, USA |
| May 11, 1994 Dow Corning, | Midland, Michigan, USA |
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November 8-9, 1994 AIChE, |
San Francisco, California, USA |
| December 6-13, 1994 Chulalongkorn University, | Bangkok, Thailand |
| June 12-15, 1995 UNOCAL, | Bangkok, Thailand |
| June 18-21, 1995 UNOCAL, | Bangkok, Thailand |
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August 10-11, 1995 University of Durban-Westville, |
Durban, South Africa |
| November 7, 1995 Dow Corning, | Midland, Michigan, USA |
| December 6-12, 1995 Chulalongkorn University, | Bangkok, Thailand |
| December 14-15, 1995 Chulalongkorn University, | Bangkok, Thailand |
| April 25, 1996 Dow Corning, | Midland, Michigan, USA |
| May 20-24, 1996 UNOCAL, | Bangkok, Thailand |
| October 7-9, 1996 UNOCAL, | Balikpapan, Indonesia |
| October 9-11, 1996 UNOCAL, | Balikpapan, Indonesia |
| June 17-18, 1997 Univ. of the Witwatersrand | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| June 23-24, 1997 University of Cape town | Rondebosch, South Africa |
| October 27, 1997 Devry Institute of Technology | Phoenix, Arizonia, USA |
| December 9-10, 1998 Nortel Networks, | Santa Clara, California, USA |
| August 2-3, 2000 Pen Tech, | Belville, South Africa |
A Short Course on Problem Solving
Presented by H. Scott Fogler, Vennema Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Techniques from the book Strategies for Creative Problem Solving by Fogler & LeBlanc
