DDDM Critical Thinking

You have a very efficient and reliable team member on your team, but they are infamous for treating symptoms rather than root causes. What is the likely outcome of using their quick assistance?

Any fix provided will be short-lived.

What's the recommended strategy for dealing with a complex problem that has no obvious solution?

Break the problem down into smaller, more solvable pieces.

What's the most productive way to apply the 80/20 principle to critical thinking?

Focus on the 20% of efforts that impact 80% of the results.

Why is asking repeated "whys" useful?

It enables you to get to root causes and a basic understanding of the true problem.

Why do people tend to rush off and start solving the problem without understanding causes and consequences first?

It makes them feel like they're being responsive to stakeholders.

Your team is being asked to revisit a project that they completed three years ago. Which question should they address to clarify the problem definition?

What circumstances have changed since three years ago?

Which question is least focusing?

Where do you see this sort of effort leading in the next decade?

You start on a new project that seems very similar to previous work you've done. You immediately dive in and proceed as you have done before. Why is your bold start probably a mistake?

You should take time to think critically about the scope of the project.

Why is it beneficial to repeatedly ask, "So what?"

all of these answers

You have a team member who is a bit inflexible; they are prone to doing their job without much reflection and they do not like change. Which pitfalls likely impact their critical thinking?

being unwilling to change the problem space, and failing to consider implications

Focusing questions help you _____ a problem space.

bound

Your team has completed writing recommendations for solving a major problem in your business unit. How can you make implementation go smoothly?

by anticipating unintended consequences

Your manager asks you to examine a new operational problem from the point of view of a customer. You are not clear on where to begin. How can you make a quick start on this task?

by interviewing a few customers

During the critical thinking process what's the first thing you should consider?

causes

You just completed your analysis for a project and have your initial recommendation completed. After validating your results, what is the best next step you should take?

compare your results with other unrelated projects to see if new insights emerge

Causality involves digging down to uncover root causes as well as considering the _____ of potential solutions.

consequences

When you change _____ you typically look at the problem from a different functional perspective.

context

Challenging how the business runs means to _____.

imagine a redesign free from present constraints

Looking at prior efforts on a problem can help you understand previous limitations and gain _____ that can be applied the next time around.

institutional knowledge

Defining a clear problem statement can help you avoid this common pitfall.

jumping to answers too quickly

Metaphorically, the process of asking "why" five times is like what?

peeling an onion to the core

Vilfredo Pareto, the author of the 80/20 rule, observed this rule to be in effect in both _____ and _____.

real estate; gardening

What is the best tool for getting to a problem's root cause?

the 5 Why's

When performing detailed analyses, why should you view the situation from a broad perspective, or the high road, periodically?

to assess whether the detailed analysis is appropriate

You've received a concise request for a short, simple project from a colleague in another department. Why should you talk with the stakeholder in more detail?

to better define the problem

You present your boss with an analysis and recommended actions for the employee retention program. Your boss asks what might happen in six months if you make these changes. You don't have an answer so your boss sends you away. What have you forgotten?

to examine the consequences of your analysis

What are the main consequences of inadequately defining a problem?

wasted effort and an inappropriate solution

When do you know that you have broken down a problem sufficiently?

when solutions begin to become obvious

Your colleague advocates for solving the easiest problems first. You advocate applying the 80/20 rule. When would your approaches agree?

when the easy problems have major impacts