ADVANCED PROBLEM SOLVING CURSO 1

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Problem solving process.

1.  Define the problem.

2. Think of possible solutions.

3.Choose one solution.

4. Implement the solution and evaluate.

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In this course, we’ll cover four advanced problem-solving strategies to help you tackle even the trickiest problems, including:

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1.How to use divergent and convergent thinking to incorporate both creativity and logical analysis in the problem-solving process.

2. How to use heuristics—or mental shortcuts—to solve problems efficiently.

3. How to reframe problems to see them differently so you can generate innovative solutions.

4. How to use design thinking to solve problems with a human-centered, empathetic approach.

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Divergent vs. Convergent Thinking

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 The best problem-solvers use a dual approach: : First, they brainstorm and generate ideas. Then, they narrow down those possibilities and find the best solution.

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Divergent: Divergent thinking is the process of generating and exploring a wide variety of solutions to a problem. There’s no one right answer. All possibilities are considered without regard to their quality or feasibility. Divergent thinking can be described as: Exploratory - Spontaneous - Unrestricted

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Examples of divergent thinking: group brainstorming, mind mapping, journaling, freewriting

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 Convergent: Convergent thinking is the process of weeding through solutions to find the best one. It’s associated with judgment and analysis, with the goal of arriving at a final choice. Convergent thinking can be described as: Logical - Efficient - Precise.

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Examples of convergent thinking: deciding between a limited number of choices, comparing options with a pros-and-cons list

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There are top steps in a process. Practice divergent thinking first and convergent thinking second.

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The secret sauce is when you combine divergent and convergent thinking. Best practice to have them is to: Set aside intentional time (so we can think in them) - Avoid overlap (They should happen separately.) - Embrace collaboration   

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​The risk on heuristics on problem solving

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A heuristic or heuristic technique is any approach to problem solving that employs a pragmatic method that is not fully optimized, perfected, or rationalized, but is nevertheless "good enough" as an approximation or attribute substitution.

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Representativeness heuristic: You categorize an event or object by comparing the event or person to an existing prototype you have in your mind.

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Availability heuristic: You believe something is common, true, or probable because you can come up with many examples of it.

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Affect heuristic:  You base your next steps on your emotional response.

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Authority heuristic: You determine whether or not a person’s viewpoint is valid based on their status as an authority figure.

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Scarcity heuristic: You believe something is more valuable if it’s not available or available only in limited quantities.

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Reframing problems for Innovative solutions

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The reframing matrix is a great tool for considering alternative perspectives. When developing a reframing matrix, first create a four-quadrant grid. Then, choose four perspectives you’d like to explore and add them to your matrix. In the quadrants, write down insights about your issue from each perspective. When finished, use the reframing matrix to challenge your thinking and generate alternative solutions to your problem.

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Design Thinking vs. Traditional Problem-Solving]

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Traditional approach: begin with the problem  - assumes understanding of users needs - avoids failure 

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Design thinking: begins with empathy - tries to understand users needs - embraces failure 

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Design thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving. At its heart is empathy. The goal of design thinking is to understand and empathize with people’s needs within the context of an issue. In doing so, you can identify fresh, creative, and relevant ways to address those needs.

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5 elements of design thinking. -

1. Empathize with your audience 

2. Define the problem 

3. Generate possible solutions 

4. Explore the solutions 

5. Test a solutions 

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CURSO 2 PROBLEM SOLVING FUNDAMENTALS

1. Identify the problem: 

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2. Develop the strategy: Each problem is different, so consider the situation’s unique needs, and the resource you have to address them.  It can be helpful to have multiple strategies in mind as you move forward.

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3. Gather relevant information: 

• What resources do we need to implement this solution?

• Has this solution been used before, and why? How did it turn out?

• What benefits does this solution offer?

• What risks are involved with implementing this solution?

• How should we define and measure success? 

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4. Implement a solution

 

5. Evaluate the results 

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Problem solving strategy: 

1. Ask solution-focused questions 

2. Adopt a positive mindset 

3. Play logic games 

4. take a break brain

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Top Skills and Problem-Solving Strategies

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​Creativity

Research

Analysis

Communication

Flexibility

Dependability

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Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.

Denis Waitley

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Roadblocks to growing your problem-solving skills

 

 

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Felling too overwhelmed to start

Self-doubt and perfectionism

Giving up when you get stuck

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5 tips for growing your problem-solving skills

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Adopt a step by step process

Define your problem 

 Brainstorm strategies

Research and evaluate your potential strategies 

Implement the best solution 

Evaluate your results 

simplify issues

Approach problems from different angles

Ask for help

Track and reflect on your progress

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“In any given moment, we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety.”Abraham Maslow

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Managing complicated vs complex problems 

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Complicated

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Linear: Following clear steps will lead you to a solution.

 

 

 

Predictable: Once you solve a complicated problem, you can easily solve it again in the same manner and produce similar

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results.

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Technical: Complicated problems typically require someone with the proper training to solve them. For example, you would

 

need an IT specialist to resolve a computer error.

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Examples of complicated problems: fixing your car, ordering office supplies online, or determining how much money a bank

 

 

can lend to a customer

 

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Complex

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Multidimensional: 

• There’s no simple solution—you need multiple touchpoints as you tackle the problem. You also may uncover additional issues along the way

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Unpredictable and messy:  The many moving parts interact in unpredictable ways. That means it’s important to remain

 

 

flexible with your strategy. Similarly, a strategy will rarely work the same way twice for a complex problem.

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No rights answer: Because you can approach a complex problem from many different angles, you won’t find a single “right” answer. Also, your efforts may produce different results each time.

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Examples of complex problems: merging two companies, determining how a market will react to a new product, or

 

delivering a winning customer service experience

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If your problem is complicated, find an expert to help you solve it. If your problem is complex, be flexible, and use your creativity to manage it.

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​Solving a complicated problem is like following a recipe. The same set of steps can be used over and over to achieve a particular outcome. However, for a complex problem, ditch the cookbook, and engage your creativity. Complex problems involve too many unknowns and interrelated parts for a process to be effective.

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Overcoming Barriers to Effective Problem-Solving

 

4 Common Types of Barriers When Problem-Solving

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Mental set:  If you’ve ever been accused of being inflexible or “stuck in your ways,” you likely favor a certain approach each time you tackle a particular problem. Maybe a solution has worked in the past, so you turn to use it again rather than looking for creative alternatives. In problem-solving, this tendency is known as mental set. 

 

Functional fixedness: is a specific type of mental set. Functional fixedness is the tendency to see an object’s purpose only in its traditional sense. For example, you might think of a pen only as a writing tool. But could you also take it apart and use it as a drinking straw? Or, attach it to a hurt finger as a temporary splint?

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Confirmation Bias: We all tend to believe our own thoughts are the correct ones. After all, who doesn’t want to be right? However, if you’ve ever felt so strongly about something that you’d only accept information that supported that belief, you fall into a dangerous trap known as confirmation bias.

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Irrelevant Information:  Have you ever been part of a problem-solving meeting that strays off course? Often, it’s due to introducing irrelevant information into the conversation. Why does this happen? Maybe the problem is complex. Or perhaps a team member has misidentified the issue.

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does not give - business question - true - why is - false - a guess - true - the problem  -  why

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CURSO 3 STEPS ANALYTICAL THINKING

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7 steps in analytical thinking process

Business question: what is the problem -  how do we know is a problem -   hay alguna diferencia entre lo que debe ser y lo que es 

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Hypothesis formulation: tentative explanation of what could be the problem -  are not random statements 

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Analysis plan: to test the hypothesis 

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Identification and collection of data

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Data analysis and interpretation 

Root cause analysis: 5 why to go to the root of the problem 

Fishbone diagram or cause and effect diagram 

6m framework: Man - Machine - Methods - Materials - measurement -  mother nature 

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Deriving insights and drawing conclusions: benchmarking ( evaluacion comparativa) 

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Communication of insights and conclusions 

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CURSO 4 DATA BASICS

• Data is used to inform and improve decision-making.

• Data provides evidence whether something is good or not.

• Data helps make accurate forecasts/predictions.

• Data refers to a collection of raw facts.

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• information is data with context.

• Knowledge refers to the use of information to understand how we can achieve goals. 

• Wisdom is knowledge applied in taking action.

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continues discrete

KPI critical to quality

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false

true 

true 

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The knowledge of Hierarchy

Data - information - knowledge  - wisdom 

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Under -  discrete 

number of errors continue

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CTQ ( Critical to Quality) A performance standard that translates a customer need into quantified requirement for our products or service 

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Lagging indicator is a metric that takes a long time to impact or measure. these are not good option for providing feedback. However are the most accurately measures metrics to actual impact you are trying to achieve.

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Leading metrics: Give early indications of performance, lead to results by showing the progress. Help you to keep on your track 

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Mean: Average of data points 

Median: Middle value (50 percentile) 

Mode highest occurring data point 

Standard deviation how much the data points away from the mean 

Skewness Lack of symmetry across mean compared to normal distribution. Right skewed (+) means the plot extends to the right side more. mode<median<mean , else mean < median < mode 

Kurtosis

Confidence interval 

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SAMPLES = MUESTRAS O SAMPLING = MUESTREO 

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• Random sampling allows equal probability for each member of a given population to be selected.

• Stratified sampling selects individuals by clustering them into different groups based on certain characteristics. 

• Systematic sampling picks members of a population at regular fixed intervals. 

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CURSO 5 DATA BASICS

Line chart: A line chart uses lines and points to represent changes in data over a period of time​

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Pie chart: Pie charts frequently appear in business sheets or presentations. In fact, when people think of charts, it’s usually the pie chart that’s first to pop up in their minds.

This chart should not be used for evaluating the relative sizes of categories, No Y- Axis -  comparing data across pies and visualizing percentages that do not sum to 100%

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bar and stacked: a bar chart uses either horizontal/vertical rectangular bars to represent data values. Bar charts come in a variety of forms. One such form that’s commonly used in business data analysis is the stacked bar chart.  

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scatterplot: If you wish to show the relationship of two sets of data or variables, the scatter plot is the best visual to use.

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waterfall chart: A waterfall chart uses what looks like a cascading illustration to show the addition or subtraction of values from its initial value. The first bar represents a starting valu, the last one shows the ending quantity and the smaller bars in between illustrate the incremental change to go from start to finish 

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spider chart: The spider chart is called as such because it uses an illustration that looks like a spider web to display data. Often used when you want to display data across several unique dimensions

bubble chart: Remember, the scatter plot? Well, the bubble chart is kind of like that, but instead of points, it uses bubbles to represent data. And unlike the scatter plot, a bubble chart is capable of showing relationships of more than two numeric variables.

pareto chart

tree map: A tree map is another way of visualizing part-to-whole relationships. But unlike a pie chart, a tree map uses nested rectangles organized in spatial hierarchies.

box wisher plot: A box/whisker plot is used when you want to show how data is distributed through their quartiles. This chart allows you to do a cross-category comparison of data. 

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Concealing errors  - false

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CURSO 6 DATA PREPARATION

• Data preparation allows us to filter data.

• Data preparation ensures that no error in data goes unnoticed.

• Data preparation lets us consolidate data.

• Data preparation improves data quality.

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• Correcting and refining data

• Checking for data errors, completeness, and accuracy

• Organizing and consolidating data for a more efficient analysis

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​True

• Import

• DirectQuery

• Dual Mode

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​False

• Data Standardization

• Cleaning and filtering

• Data Normalization

• Quality Check

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​When the dataset is too large to be stored in-memory.

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False

True

Column Profile

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Power Query and Power BI

Business Insights Data Science (BIDS)

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The first step of data analysis is data preparation

STORAGE MODES IN POWER BI 

IMPORT: Data from the source is imported and copied into power bi stored in memory (cached) .  Report - Faster  Refresh - depends on the size of the datasaet

DIRECT QUERY: No data is imported or copied into power BI, It queries the underlying data source so you are always viewing current data.    Report - Faster  Refresh - depends on the size of the datasaet

DUAL MODE: Can act either cached or not cached, depending on the context of the query that is submitted to the power bi dataset 

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TOMAR LA FOTO DEL DATA PREPARATION - STORAGE MODES  EN EL MINUTO: 10.20

• What is Data Preparation?

   

  Data preparation is the process of:

  • Correcting and refining data

  • Checking for data errors, completeness, and accuracy

  • Organizing and consolidating data for a more efficient analysis

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• What is Power Query for?

   

  We use Power Query for:

  • Data standardization

  • Cleaning and filtering

  • Data normalization

  • Quality check 

• What makes up the Power Query interface and data profiling tools?

   

  The parts that make up the interface of Power Query are:

  • Query editing tools

  • Query list

  • Query settings

  • Data table preview

  The data profiling tools include:

  • Column quality

  • Column distribution

  • Column profile

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CURSO strategies for Growing Your Problem-Solving Skills

Trust the process

simplify the issue

Use positive language 

Approach problems from different angles

Ask for help 

Track and reflect your progress

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Diagnostic analysis

Predictive analysis

Descriptive analysis

​Prescriptive analysis

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Pivot table

 

PRINCIPLES OF DATA VISUALIZATION 

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Know your audience 

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