four quadrant problem solving tool

Quad Charts: A Visual Approach to Strategic Planning

Simplify your strategic planning and decision making process using Quad Charts with a clear visual representation.

What is a Quad Chart?
How does a Quad Chart work?
What are the benefits of a Quad Chart?
What is the purpose of a Quad Chart?
How can Quad chart help in strategic planning?
Explaining Quad Chart with an example in Balanced Scorecard
In what order do you read a Quad Chart?
How is information organised in a digital Quad Chart?
How do you make a good quad chart?
What is a Quad Chart template?
What makes a digital Quad Chart software right for your organisation?
Examples of Quad Chart frameworks in strategic planning
Is there a standard format for creating a Quad Chart?
What software tools can you use to create a Quad Chart?
How often should Quad Charts be updated?
How Quad Charts enhance your project management operations?
What are some common mistakes to avoid when creating Quad Charts?
What industries benefit the most from Quad Chart analysis?
Tips for designing an effective Quad Chart
Quad Charts vs SWOT Analysis
Visualising Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) using Quad Charts
Using Quad Charts for Performance Evaluation in Organisations
Quad Charts in Balanced Scorecard framework
Integrating Artificial Intelligence for Advanced Quad Chart Analysis

A Quad Chart is a visual tool used in strategic planning, organising information into four quadrants for a concise overview. Each quadrant highlights specific aspects, allowing stakeholders to quickly assess a project's or organisation's current status at a glance. Quad Charts are widely utilised in various industries for effective project management, offering a structured approach to analysing complex information, enhancing communication, and making informed strategic decisions. Quad Charts streamline complex data for effective strategic planning, enhancing decision-making through clear visual representation.

A Quad Chart works by organising complex information into four distinct quadrants, allowing for a clear and concise visual representation of key aspects. For example, a Quad Chart in project management can divide information into Goals and Objectives, Tasks and Milestones, Resources and Budget, and Risks and Issues. Each quadrant highlights specific project elements, enabling stakeholders to quickly grasp essential details without delving into lengthy reports. This structured format enhances communication, supports efficient decision-making, and aids in strategic planning by presenting critical information in a visually engaging manner.

Enables clear Visualisation: Quad Charts provide a clear and structured visualisation of complex data by dividing information into four distinct categories, making it easier to understand and interpret.
Helps in Efficient Communication: The organised format of Quad Charts enhances communication within teams and organisations. It lets stakeholders quickly grasp essential information without delving into lengthy reports, facilitating efficient decision-making.
Utilised for Strategic Analysis: Quad Charts facilitate strategic analysis by highlighting key aspects of a situation. Whether used for business planning, project management, or risk assessment, Quad Charts help identify critical factors and devise strategies to address them.
Provides Real-time Updates: Dynamic Quad Charts provide real-time insights into changing data, allowing businesses to adapt swiftly to evolving situations and make prompt decisions based on the latest information.
Simplified Comparison: Quad Charts enable easy comparison between different categories by placing data side by side. Decision-makers can quickly compare strengths against weaknesses or opportunities against threats, aiding in prioritisation and resource allocation.
Makes Effective Presentations: Quad Charts are useful for creating impactful presentations. The visual appeal and organised layout make them engaging and easy to follow during meetings or presentations, ensuring the audience understands the key points.
Promotes Collaboration: When teams collaborate on creating Quad Charts, it encourages discussions and brainstorming sessions. Team members can contribute their insights, ensuring a comprehensive analysis of the situation and fostering a collaborative work environment.
Aids in Scenario Planning: Scenario planning with Quad Charts enhances organisational flexibility. Businesses can quickly adapt to changing conditions by having pre-considered and analysed responses to various scenarios, reducing the time needed to implement necessary changes.

The purpose of a Quad Chart is to provide a structured and visually engaging format for presenting complex information, enabling clear communication, concise data representation, and informed decision-making in various contexts, such as strategic planning, project management, and communication of critical insights.

A Quad Chart is used in strategic planning as it offers a structured and visual format to analyse critical aspects of a situation. This concise representation allows decision-makers to quickly assess complex data, identify key factors affecting the organisation, and formulate effective strategies. The organised layout enhances communication, enabling stakeholders to grasp essential information efficiently. By providing a clear overview of internal strengths and weaknesses alongside external opportunities and threats, Quad Charts aid in informed decision-making, enabling businesses to align their strategies with current market conditions and make proactive, well-informed choices for future success.

A Quad chart does not have predefined quadrants, allowing organisations to adapt them based on their specific requirements, processes, or chosen categories.

Let's discuss it with a quad chart example.

A quad chart used for KPI performance tracking within the shop floor can include quadrants like Trend Graph, Failure Reasons, Current Actions (JDI) and Actions for Improvement ( CI and Kaizen) as quadrant categories. All these quadrants give a comprehensive overview of current processes and can help enhance organisational performance.

First Quadrant: In the Trend Graph quadrant, organisations can analyse the current trends of processes in a graphical format. The graph can be suitably changed into a pie, bar, or line chart. By analysing current performances, strategic planners can immediately identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, enabling corrective actions. Trend graphs also identify and bridge the gaps between current strategies within the shop floor.
Second Quadrant: In the Failure Reasons quadrant, the focus is to identify and prioritise various failure reasons with the help of a Pareto Chart. The primary objective here is to gain profound insights into shop floor failures by analysing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) through the Pareto analysis. The Pareto Chart visualises the most significant factors contributing to failures, emphasising the '80/20' rule, where approximately 80% of the problems stem from 20% of the causes. This approach aids in focusing efforts on addressing the most critical issues first, leading to a more targeted and efficient resolution of shop floor challenges.
Third Quadrant: The quadrant Current Actions (JDI) can focus on short-term action plans developed as corrective measures to tackle immediate challenges. JDI stands for "Just Do It," indicating that these actions are swift, practical, and can be implemented promptly to resolve issues. They do not require extensive planning, lengthy discussions, or complex approvals. Instead, they emphasise immediate execution to address the identified problems promptly. JDI actions can often be carried out by a small team or even a single person.
Fourth Quadrant: Actions for Improvement ( CI and Kaizen) quadrant, is focused on action plans for Continuous Improvement (CI) or Kaizen, which plays a crucial role in long-term strategic planning within organisations. This quadrant helps implement sustainable practices for continuous improvement, specifically emphasising Kaizen principles. Long-term action plans require careful planning and execution due to their far-reaching impact on organisational performance.

Download Quad Chart Template

There isn't a strict order to follow when reading a Quad Chart. It's typically designed for flexibility in information consumption. Individuals can approach it based on their specific needs and interests. Some may start from the upper left quadrant, covering key objectives, then move to the upper right to assess milestones and progress. Others might be more interested in the lower left quadrant, focusing on potential risks and challenges, before exploring available resources and support in the lower right quadrant. The lack of a rigid sequence allows users to tailor their approach, extracting the most relevant and essential information according to their priorities, making the Quad Chart a versatile tool for diverse purposes in industries and organisational sectors.

Information in a digital Quad Chart is organised into four distinct quadrants, each dedicated to a specific category similar to the quadrants in a SWOT analysis framework, which consists of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Relevant data, statistics, and key points related to each category are briefly presented within their respective quadrants. This structured layout enables a clear visual representation, allowing stakeholders to quickly grasp essential information without extensive reading. The categorisation helps in strategic planning, decision-making, and effective communication by presenting a comprehensive overview of critical factors in a concise and organised manner.

Creating an effective Quad Chart involves several key steps to ensure clarity, relevance, and impact. Here are the steps to make a good Quad Chart:

Define your Purpose and Set specific Categories: Determine the actual objective of the Quad Chart. Decide whether it's for a project overview, strategic analysis, or presentation. Identify and define the specific categories within your Quad Chart, ensuring they align with the purpose.
Gather Relevant Information: Gather appropriate data, statistics, and insights related to each category. Ensure the information is accurate, up-to-date, and directly contributes to the Quad Chart's purpose.
Design a Clear Layout: Divide the chart into four distinct quadrants, dedicating each quadrant to one category. Use clear headings for easy identification. Incorporate visuals, such as charts, graphs, and icons to enhance understanding. Maintain a consistent colour scheme and font style for a professional look.
Craft Concise Content: Write concise, clear statements for each category. Avoid jargon and use simple language to ensure easy comprehension. Highlight key points within each quadrant. Bullet points or short sentences can effectively convey information.
Ensure Relevance and Impact: Double-check the information to ensure it directly aligns with the chosen categories and the overall purpose of the Quad Chart. Use impactful language to convey strengths, acknowledge weaknesses, emphasise opportunities, and address threats.
Review and Refinement: Review the Quad Chart for spelling, grammar, and factual accuracy. Eliminate errors to maintain professionalism. Seek feedback from colleagues or team members to gain different perspectives. Make necessary adjustments based on their input if required. Additionally, consider formulating countermeasures and action plans to address any potential issues that may arise.
Practise Effective Presentation: When presenting the Quad Chart, clearly explain each quadrant, emphasising key points and insights. It's important to be ready to respond to queries and offer more information if required. Please ensure that your answers are comprehensive and meaningful. Encourage meetings by asking questions, initiating discussions, and addressing concerns. Encouraging an interactive environment while conducting group discussions using the Quad Charts is essential.

Experience the Data Point Digital Quad Charts

A Quad Chart template is a pre-designed layout that provides a structured framework for organising information into four distinct quadrants. It serves as a visual guide featuring key categories or other relevant aspects of the strategic plan. These templates often include designated spaces for concise text, bullet points, charts, and graphics within each quadrant. Quad Chart templates help users create professional and visually appealing presentations or documents by ensuring consistency in design, making it easier to convey complex information clearly and concisely.

Download Gemba Walk Template Here

A digital Quad Chart is ideal for any organisation aiming to enhance communication, streamline data presentation, and facilitate strategic decision-making. Its structured layout and clear categorisations of information into quadrants make it an effective tool for presenting complex data concisely. Digital Quad Charts enable a quick understanding of critical factors by highlighting key aspects, fostering informed discussions and aiding in strategic planning. Their versatility and simplicity make Quad Charts suitable for diverse industries, ensuring that organisations can effectively convey essential insights and align stakeholders with their strategic goals.

Ready to upgrade to Digital Quad Charts?

SWOT Analysis: SWOT analysis divides information into Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Each quadrant assesses internal strengths and weaknesses alongside external opportunities and threats, providing a comprehensive overview of an organisation's strategic position.
PEST Analysis: PEST analysis evaluates Political, Economic, Social, and Technological factors influencing a business. By using a Quad Chart format for PEST analysis, organisations can systematically analyse the impact of these external factors, aiding strategic planning and risk management.
Ansoff Matrix: The Ansoff Matrix explores strategic growth options, including Market Penetration, Market Development, Product Development, and Diversification. A Quad Chart format of Ansoff Matrix helps organisations assess these strategies individually, providing insights into market expansion and diversification opportunities.
Quad Chart for Business Proposals and Product Development: Quad Charts enhance the professionalism and clarity of business proposals, aiding in securing contracts and partnerships. In product development, they streamline the presentation of product features, market analysis, competitive advantages, and potential challenges, facilitating efficient decision-making and stakeholder alignment. Quad Charts are pivotal in winning new opportunities and guiding product development by offering a structured and visually appealing framework.

While there isn't a strict standard quadrant within a Quad Chart, common principles make it effective. A Quad Chart typically consists of four quadrants, each dedicated to a specific category, such as Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It incorporates concise text, bullet points, charts, and graphics within each quadrant. Maintaining a consistent colour scheme, font style, and clear headings is essential for a professional and organised appearance. The goal is to provide a structured framework that allows for the clear and concise presentation of information relevant to the intended purpose, whether it's for strategic planning, project management, or communication.

Several software tools are suitable for creating Quad Charts, including Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel. These widely used office productivity software offer built-in templates and tools for creating visually appealing Quad Charts. Specialised data visualisation tools like Data Point ,Tableau, Lucidchart, and Canva also provide advanced features and customisation options for designing dynamic and interactive Quad Charts. Users can consider factors such as the complexity of their Quad Chart, desired collaboration features, and ease of use when choosing software.

The Data Point Balanced scorecard software can also be utilised to create digital Quad Charts, as it integrates Quad Chart functionality within the framework. This integration enhances project management and strategic planning efficiency, allowing users to seamlessly align project objectives and resources within the Balanced Scorecard framework, encouraging a comprehensive approach to measuring performance and making informed decisions.

Quad Charts should be updated regularly to ensure the information remains accurate and relevant. The frequency of updates depends on the context and the nature of the data being represented. For dynamic projects or rapidly changing environments, Quad Charts may need to be updated weekly or daily to reflect real-time data. In more stable situations, monthly or quarterly updates are sufficient. It's crucial to align the updating frequency with the pace of organisational changes, allowing stakeholders to rely on current and precise information for strategic decision-making. Regular updates also ensure that Quad Charts continue to serve as reliable tools for communication and planning within the organisation.

Quad Charts are highly effective tools for project management purposes. They provide a structured layout for organising project information into key categories such as Goals, Tasks, Resources, and Risks. Quad Charts enhance communication among team members, stakeholders, and project managers by visually representing project elements. This clear presentation aids in project planning, monitoring progress, identifying challenges, and making data-driven decisions. Quad Charts serve as dynamic snapshots of project status, ensuring everyone involved understands the project's key components and stays aligned with project goals, timelines, and potential risks.

Overcrowding Information: Avoid cluttering quadrants with excessive data; focus on key points to maintain clarity and readability.
Lack of Consistency: Ensure consistent formatting, colour schemes, and font styles across all quadrants for a professional appearance.
Neglecting Updates: Regularly update Quad Charts to reflect current information, ensuring accuracy and relevance.
Insufficient Visuals: Incorporate charts, graphs, and icons where necessary to enhance visual appeal and comprehension.
Lack of Focus: Stick to the main points; avoid unnecessary details that can overwhelm the audience and dilute the message.
Complex Language: Use clear and straightforward language, avoiding technical or complex jargon that leads to confusion.
Inadequate Proofreading: Thoroughly proofread the Quad Chart to eliminate errors, ensuring a polished and professional final product.

Quad Chart analysis is valuable across various industries, particularly in sectors where clear and concise communication of complex data is crucial. Automobile industries rely on Quad Chart software to showcase product features and competitive advantages. In healthcare, digital Quad Charts aid in visualising patient data and treatment plans for medical professionals. Aerospace and defence sectors use Quad Chart software to outline project goals and risk assessments. In business consulting, Quad Charts help analyse market trends and client strategies. Government agencies utilise Quad Charts for policy analysis and program evaluation. This versatile tool ensures effective communication and informed decision-making in various professional fields.

Clarity: Ensure clear and concise language, avoiding jargon or technical terms for broader understanding.
Prioritise Key Points: Focus on essential information to prevent overcrowding and maintain focus.
Consistency: Use consistent fonts, colours, and formatting for a professional and cohesive look.
Visual Elements: Incorporate charts, graphs, and icons to enhance visual appeal and convey data effectively.
Regular Updates: Keep Quad Charts current to reflect the latest information for accurate decision-making.
Balanced approach: Maintain a balanced approach across quadrants, addressing each aspect equally for a comprehensive overview.
Proofreading: Thoroughly proofread to eliminate errors and ensure a professional presentation.

Quad Charts and SWOT Analysis serve as strategic tools but differ in format and application. SWOT Analysis divides information into Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, providing a comprehensive internal and external assessment. On the other hand, Quad Charts organise these categories into visually appealing quadrants, enhancing the presentation's clarity and impact. While SWOT Analysis offers an in-depth analysis, virtual Quad Charts focus on visual communication, making complex data more accessible to diverse audiences. Organisations often choose between the two based on their communication needs, with Quad Charts offering a visually engaging way to present SWOT data.

Visualising Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) using digital Quad Charts is an effective strategy in performance management. Organising KPIs into distinct quadrants allows businesses to provide a clear and concise overview of their critical metrics, such as revenue growth, customer satisfaction, or operational efficiency. Each quadrant can represent specific KPI categories, allowing for a visual comparison of performance data. This method improves data interpretation, enabling quick trend identification. Quad Charts transform complex numerical data into accessible visual representations, aiding stakeholders in making informed decisions and fostering a data-driven organisational culture.

Utilising Quad Charts for organisational performance evaluation offers a streamlined approach to assessing key metrics and achievements. Virtual Quad Charts enable a comprehensive view of organisational performance through different categories. These visual tools enhance the evaluation process by allowing direct comparisons of internal performance indicators, aiding in identifying areas for growth and addressing weaknesses. Virtual Quad Charts compare organisational metrics to industry benchmarks or competitors' data for competitive analysis. This visual representation simplifies complex data and promotes data-driven decision-making, enabling organisations to stay agile, responsive, and competitive in their respective markets.

The Balanced Scorecard is a comprehensive strategic planning and management framework which integrates tools like quad charts , fishbone diagrams , huddle boards , A3 problem-solving and more tools to align strategic planning to the organisational goals in business operations. Quad Charts allow organisations to assess their strategy from various angles. The quad chart format divides the display into four quadrants, each dedicated to a specific category. Quad charts are valuable for communication and decision-making processes, helping stakeholders understand the organisation's progress, align objectives, and make data-driven decisions to improve overall performance and achieve strategic goals.

Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into digital Quad Chart software enhances strategic decision-making processes. AI algorithms can process vast datasets, identify patterns, and provide predictive insights, enabling advanced analysis of Quad Charts. By leveraging AI, organisations can better understand their Quad Chart data, extracting actionable intelligence for informed strategies. Machine learning algorithms can uncover hidden correlations within the categories, enabling more accurate forecasting and proactive decision-making. This integration improves Quad Chart analysis and empowers organisations with AI-driven strategic planning and insights.

Organise and visualise your ideas, data or project updates effectively.

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Digitalise your Quad Charts with Data Point Software

Discover how the Quad Chart enhances performance measurement within the Data Point Balanced Scorecard framework. The Quad Chart in Data Point serves as a dynamic visualisation tool, offering a holistic view of Key Performance Indicators(KPI) across four critical dimensions. By integrating seamlessly with the Balanced Scorecard methodology, this innovative feature empowers users to assess performance trends, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions with precision and efficiency. Gain access to exclusive content and unlock the full potential of your Balanced Scorecard implementation.

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Picking on the PICK Chart

The so-called “ PICK chart ” has become a pretty common sight in healthcare as a way of visualizing and prioritizing Lean or Kaizen improvement ideas. The concept was supposedly invented at Lockheed Martin, but it's a pretty common-sensical approach that's used to sort and rank ideas based on two dimensions:

Impact the idea would have (low to high)
Difficulty to implement the idea

While the PICK chart is used at health systems like ThedaCare, here's a picture that was recently tweeted by my friend Karl Wadensten at his manufacturing company, VIBCO:

Today we introduced our brand new Idea Board here at VIBCO: pic.twitter.com/cNJClpSGjP — Karl Wadensten (@KDubsLeanNation) July 9, 2014 </p>

You can see the two by two matrix. Often the four quadrants are labeled as one of the PICK letters:

Low impact, easy to implement – Possible
High impact, easy to implement – Implement
High impact, hard to implement – Challenge
Low impact, hard to implement – Kill

Generally, you choose the Implement ideas first – easy to do and a high impact. People generally ignore the Kill ideas as being not worth the effort. The Possible and Challenge ideas fall somewhat in between in terms of priority.

In the book, Barnas makes a great point that ideas in the Kibosh quadrant shouldn't just be ignored. This is good advice for any Kaizen idea and it's one reason that traditional suggestion box systems failed… too many ideas are just ignored and blown off. That discourages people. Barnas writes:

I think a different teaching opportunity is to talk with an employee about why an idea is deemed to be of high difficulty. I've seen many PICK chart discussions (at hospitals other than ThedaCare) where the high difficulty ideas are dismissed, as if being put in that quadrant is the end of the road for the idea (even if the manager has a respectful discussion with the employee).

We Can Do Better Than Kibosh

Instead of letting things wither in the Kill/Kibosh column, I think leaders and team members can be more collaborative… working toward something that CAN Be implemented (as we teach in the Kaizen methodology ). Effective improvement isn't just about ranking and sorting ideas — it's about finding something (or many things) to implement.

When something is in the Kibosh quadrant (and even in the Challenge quadrant), it's the leader's duty to ask questions like:

What is the problem being solved by that idea that's difficult to implement?
What would we have to do to make it easier to implement THAT idea? Are we willing to take those steps?
Can we think of alternative ideas that would solve that problem, or at least make things a little better?
Is there something easier that we an implement that has at least some impact? Do we need to implement a series of ideas to have the same effect?

We can break the problem down into smaller components. We can think about smaller ideas or countermeasures to implement.

Our goal should be to creatively shift things from right to left, finding ideas that are easier to implement, as illustrated below:

In our collaborative discussions, we might find new ideas that are easier AND have a higher impact (the diagonal red line that goes up and to the left). This is something I talked about last week in the webinar that Dr. Greg Jacobson and I did for Gemba Academy on what to do when you get lots of employee ideas.

Why Are We Prioritizing?

There are a few thoughts behind the PICK chart.

One is that there's always an explicit cost/benefit ratio that can be determined. How do we gauge if an idea is worth the effort?

The second assumption is that we have to prioritize ideas — that we can only implement so many.

Why is that?

We often have a bottleneck in the improvement process. That bottleneck is often the manager or supervisor. That bottleneck might also be a key staff member. The bottleneck person is the one who “has to” be involved in every idea. That creates a burden and it does limit how much improvement can be done.

In an effective Kaizen system, we spend LESS time on prioritizing ideas because we have MORE people involved. When the workload is distributed within a team… let's say everybody can be working on or taking the lead on one idea, then we're less likely to have a bottleneck. Instead of spending time prioritizing, we can spend time talking about problem solving and implementation.

That's one reason why I've never included a PICK chart in the “To Do” column of the Visual Idea Boards that we write about in our Healthcare Kaizen books. It's just a column that says simply “To Do” and different ideas get assigned to different people. A similar conceptual idea holds true in our KaiNexus software — when opportunities for improvement are assigned to people in a distributed way, you can focus on moving forward, not just prioritizing in place.

Here is an example of a Visual Idea Board where somebody did incorporate a PICK chart in the To Do area . That's not how I would do it, but I won't criticize them for doing so. If that works for them… that Kaizen of the Kaizen board, then great. I would just encourage them to find ways to make the PICK chart analysis and prioritization to be less necessary.

What Are You Doing?

Are you using PICK charts in your organization? How are they working? What mindsets and leadership actions exist to help keep things from getting “stuck” in the Kibosh or Challenge areas? Please post a comment and share your experiences, ideas, or questions.

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Throwback Thursday: The Suggestion Box is Dead, with a New Obituary

Don’t Digitize the Suggestion Box — Improve a Better Way with Kaizen and KaiNexus

Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape: June 13, 2024

16 comments.

Great points, Mark. I agree wholeheartedly with the idea that we should work to simplify apparently complex countermeasures, increase improvement capacity by removing bottlenecks/involving more people, and not making premature assumptions about what the cost/benefit of an idea might be.

While agreeing with all that, I’ve also used the PICK chart many, many times. Why? I think it’s because in facilitated, group-based improvement environments, such as kaizen events, we’re attempting to batch up a bunch of improvement work in a short period of time and need a quick, practical way to narrow down the list of countermeasures.

I realize this is not ideal. My preferred approach is more of a continuous improvement, kata-driven approach whereby we’re exploring and testing countermeasures on a frequent basis in small batches or ideally one at a time. But to obtain the benefits of a kaizen event (build excitement, show change is possible, harness wisdom of the team, etc.), we sometimes feel the need to compromise and go with a big-batch tool like the PICK chart.

It’s not ideal, but it’s useful in certain situations.

I agree, Michael. The PICK chart isn’t useless, nor should it be thrown away. I think we just have to be careful about traps and pitfalls, especially when PICK charts are being used in the context of daily Kaizen. Thanks for the comment!

I’ve never used the PICK chart before (with the quadrants labeled), though I’ve used the impact/ difficulty map quite a bit. I’m actually glad I never learned the labels, since the “kill” (or kibosh) labels strike me as expedient rather than thoughtful. I like how you suggest thinking about ways to shift ideas towards the top left area; I think this is a useful strategy.

I usually draw a widening band from the low impact/ low difficulty corner (small end) to the high impact/ high difficulty corner (large end), and have found most improvement projects to fit in this general space; projects can be assigned based on interest, availability and organizational need. To the top are easy/ low impact projects that are useful for jumpstarting campaigns or injecting energy during tough periods. Below the band are projects I enjoy thinking about during slow periods, and I’ve found that sometimes they either provide insight into other challenges, or turn out to be more impactful that initially thought. A lot of innovation occurs exactly because people work on relatively unimportant or tedious problems and end up with ideas and solutions never imagined.

Yes, I’ve seen and used those radial bands. The PICK chart methodology isn’t just about the quadrants. Thanks for pointing that out. Those bands often look like this, where you would work your way down from the top left toward the bottom right (bands are approximate):

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and approach, Sean.

I was introduced to this a few years ago. Now, as a manager I utilize this tool. I found the bottle neck was me. My staff are hospital clinical so it’s hard to find time for them to meet about pick ideas, much less see one through. I came up with the idea to copy our pick idea “cards” on to a piece of paper with lines to the side ;two to a page. I placed these in a binder in staff areas. Now when they have an idea they can quickly put it in writing in the binder. The charge nurse meets with the staff and I meet with the charge nurse after shift. I update the lines to the side of each idea to let staff know what progress is being made. I can quickly go through the binder and make calls or send emails about each idea. I change the PICK designation as I work them through. Before this, I would have to pick maybe five out of twenty or so and see them through before working on the others. I had 6 ideas out of 86 employees last month. After switching to the pick binder idea, I have 31 this month.

Here is an article from Harvard (Anita Tucker) that looks at prioritizing and analyzing, versus doing:

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/7046.html

Citing a hospital safety improvement program based on employee suggestions, researchers Anita L. Tucker and Sara J. Singer show that the commonly accepted “analysis” approach, wherein great attention is given to identifying and prioritizing a large number of problems, is not associated with success.

The commonly accepted wisdom in the process-improvement literature—including Frankel’s work—is that since not all problems identified by frontline staff are of equal importance, it is worth time and money to perform extensive prioritization. Suggestions that will produce the greatest improvement should be focused on first. Then, as Tucker says, “you work down the list until you run out of either time or money.” But Tucker and Singer’s findings diverge from previous research and theory.

and their conclusion:

“We found that the analysis approach was not associated with success at all, which surprised us, since it’s so ingrained in the process improvement literature,” says Tucker. “We found instead that the action approach was more successful: fix what you know about first. Units that solved a higher percentage of easy-to-solve problems—’low-hanging fruit’—showed greater improvement in safety climate.”

Interesting….

We use PICK Charts in my organization, though admittedly, very little tends to fall in the Kill quadrant. One of the biggest challenges I’ve had is finding a good template that dynamically puts an item in the right quadrant based on how you rate it. I ended up creating my own and it works fairly well: http://www.hitdocs.com/pick-chart-xlsx/

Thanks for sharing that, Eric.

I did a webinar today where I talked a bit about the PICK chart and the need to coach people on the things that end up in Kill/Kibosh, trying to find things that aren’t as difficult to implement.

I proposed that the “K” should stand for “Keep talking.”

Great suggestion with “Keep Talking”! I might try that out and see how it goes.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the PICK chart. Certainly the learning comes from your baseline discussion, but also the comments that follow. Hearing and reflecting on them deepens my understanding. When I use the PICK chart, the first thing that I like to do is get consensus on defining the criteria for each axis. For example, is Difficulty tied to time, technology, number of people or departments needed to collaborate, etc… Likewise Payoff can be viewed as Impact and that removes the shackles of thinking in sheer dollar terms.

Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this tool/topic.

Great point, Jon, about benefits needing to be more than monetary…

It’s my first time to be given an LSS project from our department in a banking institution and the challenge i have is on how to find a good strategy to know if my project will be feasible. Will this “PICK chart”(am not so familiar with this) technique be effective in achieving my project’s goal? Thanks

Dwainne – a PICK chart is often very subjective… one usually has to predict the difficulty and effectiveness of a solution (or a team does it).

A PICK chart won’t tell you definitively if a project is feasible.

If you’re new to LSS, I’d hope there is somebody there in your workplace (a black belt or master black belt) who is coaching you…

For the first time, I saw reference to a PICK Chart where K stands for “Keep Talking,” which is better than turning K into an idea graveyard, ala “Kill” or “Kibosh,”

[…] We always recommend parking those ideas and returning to them later (whether in 3, 6, 9 months or more), working continuously to find ways to make them possible. For a great article on the pros and cons of using PICK charts, and the importance of working to move ideas from “kill” to “implement,” see Mark Graban’s post. […]

[…] towards implementationWe need to prioritise what we are going to do in the implementation phase. A PICK chart might be helpful […]

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Get Ready to Negotiate: the Four Quadrants (tool #1)

It is often said that a good negotiator is the one who is capable of turning a win-lose situation into a win-win situation. The only way to do so is generating fresh ideas and options which could at least partially satisfy the interests of the parties. However, reaching this goal is extremely difficult, for negotiations are usually characterized by objective (e.g., time constraints, difficult procedures) and subjective (e.g., strong feelings and emotions, misperceptions) obstacles. In order to overcome these obstacles, it is of the utmost importance to get ready for the negotiation. In this post, and in another one that will be online next week/tomorrow, two tools are introduced. They are taken from a great book, Beyond Machiavelli , written by Roger Fisher (founder of the Harvard Negotiation Project and co-author of Getting to Yes ), Elizabeth Kopelman, and Andrea Kupfer Schneider. Check it out on Amazon to have more information on the negotiation tools, on how to use them, and on many other interesting ideas they put forth.

The first tool is the Four Quadrants. Before sitting at the negotiating table, try and think analytically and go through with the four categories shown in the chart below. According to the authors of Beyond Machiavelli , “a Four-Quadrant Analysis encourages systematic yet creative problem-solving.”

Perceptions of:
– disliked symptoms;
– a preferred situation;
and the gap between them.

Possible reasons why the problem hasn’t been resolved or the conflict settled.

Possible causes (about which somebody could do something) of the gap in Quadrant I.

Possible strategies for overcoming the identified diagnoses.

Ideas about who might do what tomorrow to put a general approach into action.

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Quadrant Analysis For Strategic Decision Making

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The Quadrant, often referred to as a 2×2 matrix, is one of the most flexible and powerful tools for driving innovative solutions and guide strategic decision making in meetings.

MeetingSift powers collaboration with customized quadrant analysis for strategic meetings, helping groups efficiently and effectively assess complex situations to make better decisions. Meeting participants’ provide individual assessments of each item or option, which is aggregated and presented visually in real-time. By mapping items directly into business driver quadrants, the graphed results focus team discussions on the most relevant issues and options.

Examples of Effective Quadrant Designs

Quadrants are very versatile as they can be designed with different goals and situations in mind. They consist of two axis, representing a set of conflicting interests or aspects, forming a table with four cells. The labels of the axis and the cells depends on the purpose of the quadrant analysis.

The following are a couple of examples of tried and tested Quadrant designs: the Urgent vs Important Quadrant and the Effort vs Impact Quadrant.

Urgent vs Important Quadrant

Former US President Eisenhower is known to have said: “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” This is reflected in a popular quadrant design, often referred to as “The Eisenhower Matrix”, used to effectively prioritize tasks according to their urgency and importance.

The Urgent vs Important Quadrant will let your group take a list of tasks and quickly identify which ones they collectively deem as both urgent and important. These are the tasks that should be prioritized the highest, and get done right away.

Tasks that are deemed to be important, but not urgent, are strategic tasks you should schedule enough time to plan for and execute later. Tasks that are urgent, but not important should be re-assessed, and if still deemed urgent, they can be delegated to others. Tasks that are neither urgent nor important are not very productive or useful tasks, and should either be deleted or be addressed at a later time.

Effort vs Impact Quadrant

Another very useful quadrant type is the Effort vs Impact Quadrant, which helps you prioritize projects and initiatives based on their predicted effort and impact.

Group members assess a list of projects and initiatives according to how much effort they think they will require, and how much impact they will have on the overall organization or product.

Projects that are deemed to require low effort, but have high impact, are identified as “Quick Wins” that should be pursued.

Other projects that will have high impact, but are deemed to also require high effort, are labelled “Major Projects”. These need significant focus and resources, so it is recommended to only focus on one or a couple major projects at the time.

Projects that requires low effort, and results in low impact, are labelled “Fill in Jobs”, and should be done mainly if they have some tactical impact over time.

Finally, projects that requires high effort but have low impact are labelled “Thankless Tasks” and are often not worth the effort it takes to do them.

Quadrant Analysis Example

To demonstrate how Quadrants are used, here’s a simple and fun Quadrant analysis example for making a group decision on which fruit to buy.

Use Different Quadrants to Examine the Problem Further

If looking at our fruit options’ sweetness and how easy they are to eat isn’t enough to help us make our fruit decision, we can use additional aspects to examine the options further. This time we design a Quadrant with the axis addressing size and costs, so we can see the situation from a different angle.

Depending on the complexity of the situation or problem at hand, and which interests and aspects are important to our decision making process, we can design and use as few or as many Quadrants we need.

MeetingSift’s Flexible Quadrant Activity

Design your own quadrants.

In addition to offering templates for tried and tested Quadrant types, like the examples above, MeetingSift lets you design your own custom Quadrants to fit your goals and needs.

Designing good and meaningful Quadrants can be a little challenging, so we recommend starting out using some of MeetingSift’s predefined Quadrant types before you endeavor to build your own. When designing a custom Quadrant it is important to remember that Quadrants are formed by two axis representing a set of potentially conflicting interests or aspects. You might want to brainstorm ahead of time with your team to identify what interests are applicable for the given problem you want to address.

Link Brainstorms and Quadrants

MeetingSift’s linked activities lets you link Brainstorms to Quadrants, so that your meeting participants can brainstorm the issues you want to place in your quadrant. For example, you can use a Brainstorm activity to have your group brainstorm tasks to address over the next week, then link this to a Urgency vs Importance Quadrant activity where they can collectively identify which of the tasks to prioritize highest.

Since you can design the focus of both the Brainstorm and the Quadrant activity, you can use MeetingSift to guide your meeting participants through innovation and strategic decision making processes on any topic.

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Send meeting invitations with meetingsift, capture meeting minutes & task assignments, create or import slides to go with your activities, linked activities – take your group from ideas to decision, brainstorm – capture & visualize ideas as word clouds, evaluate & compare – collaboratively evaluate competing options, how to run team building meetings, how to run innovation meetings, how to run status update meetings, how to run successful meetings, how to run information sharing meetings, how to run decision making meetings, how to run problem solving meetings, how to have more productive meetings, how to deal with individuals dominating meetings, how great leaders inspire action, how to get honest feedback at meetings, how meeting minutes can up your meeting game, how to choose the perfect icebreaker activity, how to get a tough crowd to support a new idea, how to create an effective meeting agenda, how to crowdsource your meeting, dika: data, information, knowledge, action, how to facilitate better brainstorming sessions, how to run lean meetings, end your meetings with a closing round, meeting warm up, keep your meetings short, have clear meeting goals, formulating questions for group discussions, got a one-on-one meeting make it a walking meeting.

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Simplifying Complexity: How the Four Fields Matrix Reshapes Thinking

3 MINUTES READ

Also known as Four Quadrant Matrix, Four Celled Matrix and Two-by-Two Matrix.

The Four-Field Matrix is an effective model for planning, organizing and making decisions. It is a two-dimensional chart that consists of four equal-sized quadrants, each describes a different aspect of information. This model serves as a valuable tool for structuring ideas and information in a logical and systematic manner, providing a structured and visual framework for analysis, prioritization , and decision-making.

Complex problems can be broken down into easier to handle groups by considering the most two important characteristics or criteria. These two criteria are then translated into the coordinates of the X and Y axes, creating a clear and structured framework of four quadrants. These quadrants serve as an effective tool for organizing information at a later stage.

As an illustration, teams may select the most appropriate improvement projects based on two important criteria: project impact and the level of effort required. In their context, these two criteria are more important than other criteria such as cost and time. Subsequently, they will proceed to utilize the matrix and identify which projects deliver greater results relative to the effort required.

Other Scenarios

A four-field matrix can be used in many other scenarios, including but not limited to the following:

To prioritize work and personal activities based on the Eisenhower method .

To evaluate the strategic position of an organization.

To classify stakeholders according to the power they hold and how likely they are to be interested in a project.

To select the appropriate approach or methodology for problem solving and process improvement.

A four-field matrix is commonly used in various scenarios. It helps manage priorities by comparing value to effort, impact to difficulty, or enjoyment to purpose. In marketing, it is often used in product portfolio management to analyze market share and potential growth. It is also used in evaluating marketing campaigns by assessing their impact in relation to timing.

Example – Digital Marketing Ideas

In this example, a team worked together to generate ideas for enhancing digital marketing strategies within a company based on two criteria: cost and relevancy.

Wrapping Up

This article explores the effectiveness of the four-field matrix, also known as the four quadrant matrix. This two-dimensional model helps structuring ideas, simplifying complex problems, and aligning teams and stakeholders around common objectives and evaluation criteria.

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Picking the Best Approach for the Problem at Hand

Published: February 26, 2010 by Jason Oates

As more organizations expand their efforts into multiple process improvement methodologies, choosing the methodology to solve a particular problem can be as difficult as solving the actual problem. While simply using a problem solving methodology significantly increases the success rate of a project, choosing the correct methodology optimizes the solution process to achieve the best result.

A simple tool, adapted from a marketing concept called a positioning map, can help practitioners choose the best methodology.

A Lesson from Marketing

In marketing, after segmenting a market and then targeting a consumer, the next step is to position a product within that market. When choosing a process improvement methodology, the process is much the same. First, practitioners scope the project. Then, they target the specific problem to address. The final step is choosing the best methodology to solve the problem.

When using a positioning map, marketers plot products or services in one of four quadrants so they can compare and contrast them. The map helps them evaluate the perceived attributes of their product or service, and address the reasoning for their placement of the product or service in the marketplace. This same process also is useful in choosing a problem solving methodology, as well as in allocating the appropriate resources to achieve a balance within an organization. Projects can be plotted in one of four quadrants in a positioning map, which correspond to four process improvement methodologies or roadmaps.

Using a Positioning Map

The practice of using a positioning map begins with drawing a Cartesian coordinate system and labeling each axis with the two attributes for comparison. For the process improvement methodology selection process, the two axis labels used are “Essential to the Process” and “Customer Value” (Figure 1).

The first step in using the positioning map is completing an internal-focused assessment, where practitioners determine if a potential project is essential to the process. This may mean challenging the design and methods of executing the current process steps.

When conducting this analysis exercise, it is useful to involve the process experts and others in the organization who know the history of the process. These individuals can greatly assist with answering “Why?” questions about the process. They also can assist in giving background information and documentation.

The ranking of projects in relation to the vertical axis, Customer Value, focuses on how the process output corresponds with the demands and desires of the customer. This is an external-focused assessment that makes an effort to position projects in relation to the customers’ requirements. Because this assessment focuses on the customer, using members of the marketing and sales groups within the organization is highly recommended.

The next phase in using the positioning map is to place the potential projects on the map in the area that corresponds to their relationship with the two axes (Figure 2). Process steps that are both value added to the customer and essential to the process are candidates for improvement or optimiatzation, while those that are value added but not essential to the process should be considered for redesign, and those that are non value added but essential to the process should be minimized or opted-out. Steps that are not value added and not essential to the process should be eliminated. Practitioners should evaluate their initial placement and ensure the intent of the improvement opportunity is met.

Meaning Behind the Quadrants

After practitioners agree to the placement of the projects on the positioning map, they can assign process improvement methodologies to each project in relation to the corresponding quadrant of the positioning map. The Lean methodology is used to address projects focused on non-essential and non-value-adding steps. Projects that focus on steps that are non-essential but value-adding to the customer should use a design improvement methodology such as Design for Six Sigma or TRIZ. Projects focused on improving essential and value-adding processes should be run using the traditional Six Sigma DMAIC methodology. Finally, projects focused on essential but non-value-adding processes should be completed using a combination of the Lean and DMAIC methodologies. In these projects the Lean tools help to eliminate the waste and the DMAIC tools help to optimize the performance of the process (Figure 3).

Agree on the Next Move

One key point to remember is that a positioning map is based on the perception of the group using the tool. Because perceptions are different from person to person and group to group, opinions on choosing an improvement methodology will also differ. But there should be similarities and eventual agreement.

Choosing the correct process improvement methodology is not a difficult task for full-time Six Sigma practitioners, but for other members of project prioritization teams, it is often an obstacle that takes up valuable time and energy. The positioning map is one tool that helps address this issue.

About the Author

Jason Oates

40 problem-solving techniques and processes

All teams and organizations encounter challenges. Approaching those challenges without a structured problem solving process can end up making things worse.

Proven problem solving techniques such as those outlined below can guide your group through a process of identifying problems and challenges , ideating on possible solutions , and then evaluating and implementing the most suitable .

In this post, you'll find problem-solving tools you can use to develop effective solutions. You'll also find some tips for facilitating the problem solving process and solving complex problems.

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What is problem solving?

Problem solving is a process of finding and implementing a solution to a challenge or obstacle. In most contexts, this means going through a problem solving process that begins with identifying the issue, exploring its root causes, ideating and refining possible solutions before implementing and measuring the impact of that solution.

For simple or small problems, it can be tempting to skip straight to implementing what you believe is the right solution. The danger with this approach is that without exploring the true causes of the issue, it might just occur again or your chosen solution may cause other issues.

Particularly in the world of work, good problem solving means using data to back up each step of the process, bringing in new perspectives and effectively measuring the impact of your solution.

Effective problem solving can help ensure that your team or organization is well positioned to overcome challenges, be resilient to change and create innovation. In my experience, problem solving is a combination of skillset, mindset and process, and it’s especially vital for leaders to cultivate this skill.

A group of people looking at a poster with notes on it

What is the seven step problem solving process?

A problem solving process is a step-by-step framework from going from discovering a problem all the way through to implementing a solution.

With practice, this framework can become intuitive, and innovative companies tend to have a consistent and ongoing ability to discover and tackle challenges when they come up.

You might see everything from a four step problem solving process through to seven steps. While all these processes cover roughly the same ground, I’ve found a seven step problem solving process is helpful for making all key steps legible.

We’ll outline that process here and then follow with techniques you can use to explore and work on that step of the problem solving process with a group.

The seven-step problem solving process is:

1. Problem identification

The first stage of any problem solving process is to identify the problem(s) you need to solve. This often looks like using group discussions and activities to help a group surface and effectively articulate the challenges they’re facing and wish to resolve.

Be sure to align with your team on the exact definition and nature of the problem you’re solving. An effective process is one where everyone is pulling in the same direction – ensure clarity and alignment now to help avoid misunderstandings later.

2. Problem analysis and refinement

The process of problem analysis means ensuring that the problem you are seeking to solve is the right problem . Choosing the right problem to solve means you are on the right path to creating the right solution.

At this stage, you may look deeper at the problem you identified to try and discover the root cause at the level of people or process. You may also spend some time sourcing data, consulting relevant parties and creating and refining a problem statement.

Problem refinement means adjusting scope or focus of the problem you will be aiming to solve based on what comes up during your analysis. As you analyze data sources, you might discover that the root cause means you need to adjust your problem statement. Alternatively, you might find that your original problem statement is too big to be meaningful approached within your current project.

Remember that the goal of any problem refinement is to help set the stage for effective solution development and deployment. Set the right focus and get buy-in from your team here and you’ll be well positioned to move forward with confidence.

3. Solution generation

Once your group has nailed down the particulars of the problem you wish to solve, you want to encourage a free flow of ideas connecting to solving that problem. This can take the form of problem solving games that encourage creative thinking or techniquess designed to produce working prototypes of possible solutions.

The key to ensuring the success of this stage of the problem solving process is to encourage quick, creative thinking and create an open space where all ideas are considered. The best solutions can often come from unlikely places and by using problem solving techniques that celebrate invention, you might come up with solution gold.

4. Solution development

No solution is perfect right out of the gate. It’s important to discuss and develop the solutions your group has come up with over the course of following the previous problem solving steps in order to arrive at the best possible solution. Problem solving games used in this stage involve lots of critical thinking, measuring potential effort and impact, and looking at possible solutions analytically.

During this stage, you will often ask your team to iterate and improve upon your front-running solutions and develop them further. Remember that problem solving strategies always benefit from a multitude of voices and opinions, and not to let ego get involved when it comes to choosing which solutions to develop and take further.

Finding the best solution is the goal of all problem solving workshops and here is the place to ensure that your solution is well thought out, sufficiently robust and fit for purpose.

5. Decision making and planning

Nearly there! Once you’ve got a set of possible, you’ll need to make a decision on which to implement. This can be a consensus-based group decision or it might be for a leader or major stakeholder to decide. You’ll find a set of effective decision making methods below.

Once your group has reached consensus and selected a solution, there are some additional actions that also need to be decided upon. You’ll want to work on allocating ownership of the project, figure out who will do what, how the success of the solution will be measured and decide the next course of action.

Set clear accountabilities, actions, timeframes, and follow-ups for your chosen solution. Make these decisions and set clear next-steps in the problem solving workshop so that everyone is aligned and you can move forward effectively as a group.

Ensuring that you plan for the roll-out of a solution is one of the most important problem solving steps. Without adequate planning or oversight, it can prove impossible to measure success or iterate further if the problem was not solved.

6. Solution implementation

This is what we were waiting for! All problem solving processes have the end goal of implementing an effective and impactful solution that your group has confidence in.

Project management and communication skills are key here – your solution may need to adjust when out in the wild or you might discover new challenges along the way. For some solutions, you might also implement a test with a small group and monitor results before rolling it out to an entire company.

You should have a clear owner for your solution who will oversee the plans you made together and help ensure they’re put into place. This person will often coordinate the implementation team and set-up processes to measure the efficacy of your solution too.

7. Solution evaluation

So you and your team developed a great solution to a problem and have a gut feeling it’s been solved. Work done, right? Wrong. All problem solving strategies benefit from evaluation, consideration, and feedback.

You might find that the solution does not work for everyone, might create new problems, or is potentially so successful that you will want to roll it out to larger teams or as part of other initiatives.

None of that is possible without taking the time to evaluate the success of the solution you developed in your problem solving model and adjust if necessary.

Remember that the problem solving process is often iterative and it can be common to not solve complex issues on the first try. Even when this is the case, you and your team will have generated learning that will be important for future problem solving workshops or in other parts of the organization.

It’s also worth underlining how important record keeping is throughout the problem solving process. If a solution didn’t work, you need to have the data and records to see why that was the case. If you go back to the drawing board, notes from the previous workshop can help save time.

What does an effective problem solving process look like?

Every effective problem solving process begins with an agenda . In our experience, a well-structured problem solving workshop is one of the best methods for successfully guiding a group from exploring a problem to implementing a solution.

The format of a workshop ensures that you can get buy-in from your group, encourage free-thinking and solution exploration before making a decision on what to implement following the session.

This Design Sprint 2.0 template is an effective problem solving process from top agency AJ&Smart. It’s a great format for the entire problem solving process, with four-days of workshops designed to surface issues, explore solutions and even test a solution.

Check it for an example of how you might structure and run a problem solving process and feel free to copy and adjust it your needs!

For a shorter process you can run in a single afternoon, this remote problem solving agenda will guide you effectively in just a couple of hours.

Whatever the length of your workshop, by using SessionLab, it’s easy to go from an idea to a complete agenda . Start by dragging and dropping your core problem solving activities into place . Add timings, breaks and necessary materials before sharing your agenda with your colleagues.

The resulting agenda will be your guide to an effective and productive problem solving session that will also help you stay organized on the day!

Complete problem-solving methods

In this section, we’ll look at in-depth problem-solving methods that provide a complete end-to-end process for developing effective solutions. These will help guide your team from the discovery and definition of a problem through to delivering the right solution.

If you’re looking for an all-encompassing method or problem-solving model, these processes are a great place to start. They’ll ask your team to challenge preconceived ideas and adopt a mindset for solving problems more effectively.

Six Thinking Hats

Individual approaches to solving a problem can be very different based on what team or role an individual holds. It can be easy for existing biases or perspectives to find their way into the mix, or for internal politics to direct a conversation.

Six Thinking Hats is a classic method for identifying the problems that need to be solved and enables your team to consider them from different angles, whether that is by focusing on facts and data, creative solutions, or by considering why a particular solution might not work.

Like all problem-solving frameworks, Six Thinking Hats is effective at helping teams remove roadblocks from a conversation or discussion and come to terms with all the aspects necessary to solve complex problems.

The Six Thinking Hats #creative thinking #meeting facilitation #problem solving #issue resolution #idea generation #conflict resolution The Six Thinking Hats are used by individuals and groups to separate out conflicting styles of thinking. They enable and encourage a group of people to think constructively together in exploring and implementing change, rather than using argument to fight over who is right and who is wrong.

Lightning Decision Jam

Featured courtesy of Jonathan Courtney of AJ&Smart Berlin, Lightning Decision Jam is one of those strategies that should be in every facilitation toolbox. Exploring problems and finding solutions is often creative in nature, though as with any creative process, there is the potential to lose focus and get lost.

Unstructured discussions might get you there in the end, but it’s much more effective to use a method that creates a clear process and team focus.

In Lightning Decision Jam, participants are invited to begin by writing challenges, concerns, or mistakes on post-its without discussing them before then being invited by the moderator to present them to the group.

From there, the team vote on which problems to solve and are guided through steps that will allow them to reframe those problems, create solutions and then decide what to execute on.

By deciding the problems that need to be solved as a team before moving on, this group process is great for ensuring the whole team is aligned and can take ownership over the next stages.

Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) #action #decision making #problem solving #issue analysis #innovation #design #remote-friendly It doesn’t matter where you work and what your job role is, if you work with other people together as a team, you will always encounter the same challenges: Unclear goals and miscommunication that cause busy work and overtime Unstructured meetings that leave attendants tired, confused and without clear outcomes. Frustration builds up because internal challenges to productivity are not addressed Sudden changes in priorities lead to a loss of focus and momentum Muddled compromise takes the place of clear decision- making, leaving everybody to come up with their own interpretation. In short, a lack of structure leads to a waste of time and effort, projects that drag on for too long and frustrated, burnt out teams. AJ&Smart has worked with some of the most innovative, productive companies in the world. What sets their teams apart from others is not better tools, bigger talent or more beautiful offices. The secret sauce to becoming a more productive, more creative and happier team is simple: Replace all open discussion or brainstorming with a structured process that leads to more ideas, clearer decisions and better outcomes. When a good process provides guardrails and a clear path to follow, it becomes easier to come up with ideas, make decisions and solve problems. This is why AJ&Smart created Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ). It’s a simple and short, but powerful group exercise that can be run either in-person, in the same room, or remotely with distributed teams.

Problem Definition Process

While problems can be complex, the problem-solving methods you use to identify and solve those problems can often be simple in design.

By taking the time to truly identify and define a problem before asking the group to reframe the challenge as an opportunity, this method is a great way to enable change.

Begin by identifying a focus question and exploring the ways in which it manifests before splitting into five teams who will each consider the problem using a different method: escape, reversal, exaggeration, distortion or wishful. Teams develop a problem objective and create ideas in line with their method before then feeding them back to the group.

This method is great for enabling in-depth discussions while also creating space for finding creative solutions too!

Problem Definition #problem solving #idea generation #creativity #online #remote-friendly A problem solving technique to define a problem, challenge or opportunity and to generate ideas.

The 5 Whys

Sometimes, a group needs to go further with their strategies and analyze the root cause at the heart of organizational issues. An RCA or root cause analysis is the process of identifying what is at the heart of business problems or recurring challenges.

The 5 Whys is a simple and effective method of helping a group go find the root cause of any problem or challenge and conduct analysis that will deliver results.

By beginning with the creation of a problem statement and going through five stages to refine it, The 5 Whys provides everything you need to truly discover the cause of an issue.

The 5 Whys #hyperisland #innovation This simple and powerful method is useful for getting to the core of a problem or challenge. As the title suggests, the group defines a problems, then asks the question “why” five times, often using the resulting explanation as a starting point for creative problem solving.

World Cafe is a simple but powerful facilitation technique to help bigger groups to focus their energy and attention on solving complex problems.

World Cafe enables this approach by creating a relaxed atmosphere where participants are able to self-organize and explore topics relevant and important to them which are themed around a central problem-solving purpose. Create the right atmosphere by modeling your space after a cafe and after guiding the group through the method, let them take the lead!

Making problem-solving a part of your organization’s culture in the long term can be a difficult undertaking. More approachable formats like World Cafe can be especially effective in bringing people unfamiliar with workshops into the fold.

World Cafe #hyperisland #innovation #issue analysis World Café is a simple yet powerful method, originated by Juanita Brown, for enabling meaningful conversations driven completely by participants and the topics that are relevant and important to them. Facilitators create a cafe-style space and provide simple guidelines. Participants then self-organize and explore a set of relevant topics or questions for conversation.

Discovery & Action Dialogue (DAD)

One of the best approaches is to create a safe space for a group to share and discover practices and behaviors that can help them find their own solutions.

With DAD, you can help a group choose which problems they wish to solve and which approaches they will take to do so. It’s great at helping remove resistance to change and can help get buy-in at every level too!

This process of enabling frontline ownership is great in ensuring follow-through and is one of the methods you will want in your toolbox as a facilitator.

Discovery & Action Dialogue (DAD) #idea generation #liberating structures #action #issue analysis #remote-friendly DADs make it easy for a group or community to discover practices and behaviors that enable some individuals (without access to special resources and facing the same constraints) to find better solutions than their peers to common problems. These are called positive deviant (PD) behaviors and practices. DADs make it possible for people in the group, unit, or community to discover by themselves these PD practices. DADs also create favorable conditions for stimulating participants’ creativity in spaces where they can feel safe to invent new and more effective practices. Resistance to change evaporates as participants are unleashed to choose freely which practices they will adopt or try and which problems they will tackle. DADs make it possible to achieve frontline ownership of solutions.

Design Sprint 2.0

Want to see how a team can solve big problems and move forward with prototyping and testing solutions in a few days? The Design Sprint 2.0 template from Jake Knapp, author of Sprint, is a complete agenda for a with proven results.

Developing the right agenda can involve difficult but necessary planning. Ensuring all the correct steps are followed can also be stressful or time-consuming depending on your level of experience.

Use this complete 4-day workshop template if you are finding there is no obvious solution to your challenge and want to focus your team around a specific problem that might require a shortcut to launching a minimum viable product or waiting for the organization-wide implementation of a solution.

Open space technology

Open space technology- developed by Harrison Owen – creates a space where large groups are invited to take ownership of their problem solving and lead individual sessions. Open space technology is a great format when you have a great deal of expertise and insight in the room and want to allow for different takes and approaches on a particular theme or problem you need to be solved.

Start by bringing your participants together to align around a central theme and focus their efforts. Explain the ground rules to help guide the problem-solving process and then invite members to identify any issue connecting to the central theme that they are interested in and are prepared to take responsibility for.

Once participants have decided on their approach to the core theme, they write their issue on a piece of paper, announce it to the group, pick a session time and place, and post the paper on the wall. As the wall fills up with sessions, the group is then invited to join the sessions that interest them the most and which they can contribute to, then you’re ready to begin!

Everyone joins the problem-solving group they’ve signed up to, record the discussion and if appropriate, findings can then be shared with the rest of the group afterward.

Open Space Technology #action plan #idea generation #problem solving #issue analysis #large group #online #remote-friendly Open Space is a methodology for large groups to create their agenda discerning important topics for discussion, suitable for conferences, community gatherings and whole system facilitation

Techniques to identify and analyze problems

Using a problem-solving method to help a team identify and analyze a problem can be a quick and effective addition to any workshop or meeting.

While further actions are always necessary, you can generate momentum and alignment easily, and these activities are a great place to get started.

We’ve put together this list of techniques to help you and your team with problem identification, analysis, and discussion that sets the foundation for developing effective solutions.

Let’s take a look!

Fishbone Analysis

Organizational or team challenges are rarely simple, and it’s important to remember that one problem can be an indication of something that goes deeper and may require further consideration to be solved.

Fishbone Analysis helps groups to dig deeper and understand the origins of a problem. It’s a great example of a root cause analysis method that is simple for everyone on a team to get their head around.

Participants in this activity are asked to annotate a diagram of a fish, first adding the problem or issue to be worked on at the head of a fish before then brainstorming the root causes of the problem and adding them as bones on the fish.

Using abstractions such as a diagram of a fish can really help a team break out of their regular thinking and develop a creative approach.

Fishbone Analysis #problem solving ##root cause analysis #decision making #online facilitation A process to help identify and understand the origins of problems, issues or observations.

Problem Tree

Encouraging visual thinking can be an essential part of many strategies. By simply reframing and clarifying problems, a group can move towards developing a problem solving model that works for them.

In Problem Tree, groups are asked to first brainstorm a list of problems – these can be design problems, team problems or larger business problems – and then organize them into a hierarchy. The hierarchy could be from most important to least important or abstract to practical, though the key thing with problem solving games that involve this aspect is that your group has some way of managing and sorting all the issues that are raised.

Once you have a list of problems that need to be solved and have organized them accordingly, you’re then well-positioned for the next problem solving steps.

Problem tree #define intentions #create #design #issue analysis A problem tree is a tool to clarify the hierarchy of problems addressed by the team within a design project; it represents high level problems or related sublevel problems.

SWOT Analysis

Chances are you’ve heard of the SWOT Analysis before. This problem-solving method focuses on identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is a tried and tested method for both individuals and teams.

Start by creating a desired end state or outcome and bare this in mind – any process solving model is made more effective by knowing what you are moving towards. Create a quadrant made up of the four categories of a SWOT analysis and ask participants to generate ideas based on each of those quadrants.

Once you have those ideas assembled in their quadrants, cluster them together based on their affinity with other ideas. These clusters are then used to facilitate group conversations and move things forward.

SWOT analysis #gamestorming #problem solving #action #meeting facilitation The SWOT Analysis is a long-standing technique of looking at what we have, with respect to the desired end state, as well as what we could improve on. It gives us an opportunity to gauge approaching opportunities and dangers, and assess the seriousness of the conditions that affect our future. When we understand those conditions, we can influence what comes next.

Agreement-Certainty Matrix

Not every problem-solving approach is right for every challenge, and deciding on the right method for the challenge at hand is a key part of being an effective team.

The Agreement Certainty matrix helps teams align on the nature of the challenges facing them. By sorting problems from simple to chaotic, your team can understand what methods are suitable for each problem and what they can do to ensure effective results.

If you are already using Liberating Structures techniques as part of your problem-solving strategy, the Agreement-Certainty Matrix can be an invaluable addition to your process. We’ve found it particularly if you are having issues with recurring problems in your organization and want to go deeper in understanding the root cause.

Agreement-Certainty Matrix #issue analysis #liberating structures #problem solving You can help individuals or groups avoid the frequent mistake of trying to solve a problem with methods that are not adapted to the nature of their challenge. The combination of two questions makes it possible to easily sort challenges into four categories: simple, complicated, complex , and chaotic . A problem is simple when it can be solved reliably with practices that are easy to duplicate. It is complicated when experts are required to devise a sophisticated solution that will yield the desired results predictably. A problem is complex when there are several valid ways to proceed but outcomes are not predictable in detail. Chaotic is when the context is too turbulent to identify a path forward. A loose analogy may be used to describe these differences: simple is like following a recipe, complicated like sending a rocket to the moon, complex like raising a child, and chaotic is like the game “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.” The Liberating Structures Matching Matrix in Chapter 5 can be used as the first step to clarify the nature of a challenge and avoid the mismatches between problems and solutions that are frequently at the root of chronic, recurring problems.

Organizing and charting a team’s progress can be important in ensuring its success. SQUID (Sequential Question and Insight Diagram) is a great model that allows a team to effectively switch between giving questions and answers and develop the skills they need to stay on track throughout the process.

Begin with two different colored sticky notes – one for questions and one for answers – and with your central topic (the head of the squid) on the board. Ask the group to first come up with a series of questions connected to their best guess of how to approach the topic. Ask the group to come up with answers to those questions, fix them to the board and connect them with a line. After some discussion, go back to question mode by responding to the generated answers or other points on the board.

It’s rewarding to see a diagram grow throughout the exercise, and a completed SQUID can provide a visual resource for future effort and as an example for other teams.

SQUID #gamestorming #project planning #issue analysis #problem solving When exploring an information space, it’s important for a group to know where they are at any given time. By using SQUID, a group charts out the territory as they go and can navigate accordingly. SQUID stands for Sequential Question and Insight Diagram.

To continue with our nautical theme, Speed Boat is a short and sweet activity that can help a team quickly identify what employees, clients or service users might have a problem with and analyze what might be standing in the way of achieving a solution.

Methods that allow for a group to make observations, have insights and obtain those eureka moments quickly are invaluable when trying to solve complex problems.

In Speed Boat, the approach is to first consider what anchors and challenges might be holding an organization (or boat) back. Bonus points if you are able to identify any sharks in the water and develop ideas that can also deal with competitors!

Speed Boat #gamestorming #problem solving #action Speedboat is a short and sweet way to identify what your employees or clients don’t like about your product/service or what’s standing in the way of a desired goal.

The Journalistic Six

Some of the most effective ways of solving problems is by encouraging teams to be more inclusive and diverse in their thinking.

Based on the six key questions journalism students are taught to answer in articles and news stories, The Journalistic Six helps create teams to see the whole picture. By using who, what, when, where, why, and how to facilitate the conversation and encourage creative thinking, your team can make sure that the problem identification and problem analysis stages of the are covered exhaustively and thoughtfully. Reporter’s notebook and dictaphone optional.

The Journalistic Six – Who What When Where Why How #idea generation #issue analysis #problem solving #online #creative thinking #remote-friendly A questioning method for generating, explaining, investigating ideas.

Individual and group perspectives are incredibly important, but what happens if people are set in their minds and need a change of perspective in order to approach a problem more effectively?

Flip It is a method we love because it is both simple to understand and run, and allows groups to understand how their perspectives and biases are formed.

Participants in Flip It are first invited to consider concerns, issues, or problems from a perspective of fear and write them on a flip chart. Then, the group is asked to consider those same issues from a perspective of hope and flip their understanding.

No problem and solution is free from existing bias and by changing perspectives with Flip It, you can then develop a problem solving model quickly and effectively.

Flip It! #gamestorming #problem solving #action Often, a change in a problem or situation comes simply from a change in our perspectives. Flip It! is a quick game designed to show players that perspectives are made, not born.

LEGO Challenge

Now for an activity that is a little out of the (toy) box. LEGO Serious Play is a facilitation methodology that can be used to improve creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

The LEGO Challenge includes giving each member of the team an assignment that is hidden from the rest of the group while they create a structure without speaking.

What the LEGO challenge brings to the table is a fun working example of working with stakeholders who might not be on the same page to solve problems. Also, it’s LEGO! Who doesn’t love LEGO!

LEGO Challenge #hyperisland #team A team-building activity in which groups must work together to build a structure out of LEGO, but each individual has a secret “assignment” which makes the collaborative process more challenging. It emphasizes group communication, leadership dynamics, conflict, cooperation, patience and problem solving strategy.

What, So What, Now What?

If not carefully managed, the problem identification and problem analysis stages of the problem-solving process can actually create more problems and misunderstandings.

The What, So What, Now What? problem-solving activity is designed to help collect insights and move forward while also eliminating the possibility of disagreement when it comes to identifying, clarifying, and analyzing organizational or work problems.

Facilitation is all about bringing groups together so that might work on a shared goal and the best problem-solving strategies ensure that teams are aligned in purpose, if not initially in opinion or insight.

Throughout the three steps of this game, you give everyone on a team to reflect on a problem by asking what happened, why it is important, and what actions should then be taken.

This can be a great activity for bringing our individual perceptions about a problem or challenge and contextualizing it in a larger group setting. This is one of the most important problem-solving skills you can bring to your organization.

W³ – What, So What, Now What? #issue analysis #innovation #liberating structures You can help groups reflect on a shared experience in a way that builds understanding and spurs coordinated action while avoiding unproductive conflict. It is possible for every voice to be heard while simultaneously sifting for insights and shaping new direction. Progressing in stages makes this practical—from collecting facts about What Happened to making sense of these facts with So What and finally to what actions logically follow with Now What . The shared progression eliminates most of the misunderstandings that otherwise fuel disagreements about what to do. Voila!

Journalists

Problem analysis can be one of the most important and decisive stages of all problem-solving tools. Sometimes, a team can become bogged down in the details and are unable to move forward.

Journalists is an activity that can avoid a group from getting stuck in the problem identification or problem analysis stages of the process.

In Journalists, the group is invited to draft the front page of a fictional newspaper and figure out what stories deserve to be on the cover and what headlines those stories will have. By reframing how your problems and challenges are approached, you can help a team move productively through the process and be better prepared for the steps to follow.

Journalists #vision #big picture #issue analysis #remote-friendly This is an exercise to use when the group gets stuck in details and struggles to see the big picture. Also good for defining a vision.

Problem-solving techniques for brainstorming solutions

Now you have the context and background of the problem you are trying to solving, now comes the time to start ideating and thinking about how you’ll solve the issue.

Here, you’ll want to encourage creative, free thinking and speed. Get as many ideas out as possible and explore different perspectives so you have the raw material for the next step.

Looking at a problem from a new angle can be one of the most effective ways of creating an effective solution. TRIZ is a problem-solving tool that asks the group to consider what they must not do in order to solve a challenge.

By reversing the discussion, new topics and taboo subjects often emerge, allowing the group to think more deeply and create ideas that confront the status quo in a safe and meaningful way. If you’re working on a problem that you’ve tried to solve before, TRIZ is a great problem-solving method to help your team get unblocked.

Making Space with TRIZ #issue analysis #liberating structures #issue resolution You can clear space for innovation by helping a group let go of what it knows (but rarely admits) limits its success and by inviting creative destruction. TRIZ makes it possible to challenge sacred cows safely and encourages heretical thinking. The question “What must we stop doing to make progress on our deepest purpose?” induces seriously fun yet very courageous conversations. Since laughter often erupts, issues that are otherwise taboo get a chance to be aired and confronted. With creative destruction come opportunities for renewal as local action and innovation rush in to fill the vacuum. Whoosh!

Mindspin

Brainstorming is part of the bread and butter of the problem-solving process and all problem-solving strategies benefit from getting ideas out and challenging a team to generate solutions quickly.

With Mindspin, participants are encouraged not only to generate ideas but to do so under time constraints and by slamming down cards and passing them on. By doing multiple rounds, your team can begin with a free generation of possible solutions before moving on to developing those solutions and encouraging further ideation.

This is one of our favorite problem-solving activities and can be great for keeping the energy up throughout the workshop. Remember the importance of helping people become engaged in the process – energizing problem-solving techniques like Mindspin can help ensure your team stays engaged and happy, even when the problems they’re coming together to solve are complex.

MindSpin #teampedia #idea generation #problem solving #action A fast and loud method to enhance brainstorming within a team. Since this activity has more than round ideas that are repetitive can be ruled out leaving more creative and innovative answers to the challenge.

The Creativity Dice

One of the most useful problem solving skills you can teach your team is of approaching challenges with creativity, flexibility, and openness. Games like The Creativity Dice allow teams to overcome the potential hurdle of too much linear thinking and approach the process with a sense of fun and speed.

In The Creativity Dice, participants are organized around a topic and roll a dice to determine what they will work on for a period of 3 minutes at a time. They might roll a 3 and work on investigating factual information on the chosen topic. They might roll a 1 and work on identifying the specific goals, standards, or criteria for the session.

Encouraging rapid work and iteration while asking participants to be flexible are great skills to cultivate. Having a stage for idea incubation in this game is also important. Moments of pause can help ensure the ideas that are put forward are the most suitable.

The Creativity Dice #creativity #problem solving #thiagi #issue analysis Too much linear thinking is hazardous to creative problem solving. To be creative, you should approach the problem (or the opportunity) from different points of view. You should leave a thought hanging in mid-air and move to another. This skipping around prevents premature closure and lets your brain incubate one line of thought while you consciously pursue another.

Idea and Concept Development

Brainstorming without structure can quickly become chaotic or frustrating. In a problem-solving context, having an ideation framework to follow can help ensure your team is both creative and disciplined.

In this method, you’ll find an idea generation process that encourages your group to brainstorm effectively before developing their ideas and begin clustering them together. By using concepts such as Yes and…, more is more and postponing judgement, you can create the ideal conditions for brainstorming with ease.

Idea & Concept Development #hyperisland #innovation #idea generation Ideation and Concept Development is a process for groups to work creatively and collaboratively to generate creative ideas. It’s a general approach that can be adapted and customized to suit many different scenarios. It includes basic principles for idea generation and several steps for groups to work with. It also includes steps for idea selection and development.

Problem-solving techniques for developing and refining solutions

The success of any problem-solving process can be measured by the solutions it produces. After you’ve defined the issue, explored existing ideas, and ideated, it’s time to develop and refine your ideas in order to bring them closer to a solution that actually solves the problem.

Use these problem-solving techniques when you want to help your team think through their ideas and refine them as part of your problem solving process.

Improved Solutions

After a team has successfully identified a problem and come up with a few solutions, it can be tempting to call the work of the problem-solving process complete. That said, the first solution is not necessarily the best, and by including a further review and reflection activity into your problem-solving model, you can ensure your group reaches the best possible result.

One of a number of problem-solving games from Thiagi Group, Improved Solutions helps you go the extra mile and develop suggested solutions with close consideration and peer review. By supporting the discussion of several problems at once and by shifting team roles throughout, this problem-solving technique is a dynamic way of finding the best solution.

Improved Solutions #creativity #thiagi #problem solving #action #team You can improve any solution by objectively reviewing its strengths and weaknesses and making suitable adjustments. In this creativity framegame, you improve the solutions to several problems. To maintain objective detachment, you deal with a different problem during each of six rounds and assume different roles (problem owner, consultant, basher, booster, enhancer, and evaluator) during each round. At the conclusion of the activity, each player ends up with two solutions to her problem.

Four Step Sketch

Creative thinking and visual ideation does not need to be confined to the opening stages of your problem-solving strategies. Exercises that include sketching and prototyping on paper can be effective at the solution finding and development stage of the process, and can be great for keeping a team engaged.

By going from simple notes to a crazy 8s round that involves rapidly sketching 8 variations on their ideas before then producing a final solution sketch, the group is able to iterate quickly and visually. Problem-solving techniques like Four-Step Sketch are great if you have a group of different thinkers and want to change things up from a more textual or discussion-based approach.

Four-Step Sketch #design sprint #innovation #idea generation #remote-friendly The four-step sketch is an exercise that helps people to create well-formed concepts through a structured process that includes: Review key information Start design work on paper, Consider multiple variations , Create a detailed solution . This exercise is preceded by a set of other activities allowing the group to clarify the challenge they want to solve. See how the Four Step Sketch exercise fits into a Design Sprint

Ensuring that everyone in a group is able to contribute to a discussion is vital during any problem solving process. Not only does this ensure all bases are covered, but its then easier to get buy-in and accountability when people have been able to contribute to the process.

1-2-4-All is a tried and tested facilitation technique where participants are asked to first brainstorm on a topic on their own. Next, they discuss and share ideas in a pair before moving into a small group. Those groups are then asked to present the best idea from their discussion to the rest of the team.

This method can be used in many different contexts effectively, though I find it particularly shines in the idea development stage of the process. Giving each participant time to concretize their ideas and develop them in progressively larger groups can create a great space for both innovation and psychological safety.

1-2-4-All #idea generation #liberating structures #issue analysis With this facilitation technique you can immediately include everyone regardless of how large the group is. You can generate better ideas and more of them faster than ever before. You can tap the know-how and imagination that is distributed widely in places not known in advance. Open, generative conversation unfolds. Ideas and solutions are sifted in rapid fashion. Most importantly, participants own the ideas, so follow-up and implementation is simplified. No buy-in strategies needed! Simple and elegant!

15% Solutions

Some problems are simpler than others and with the right problem-solving activities, you can empower people to take immediate actions that can help create organizational change.

Part of the liberating structures toolkit, 15% solutions is a problem-solving technique that focuses on finding and implementing solutions quickly. A process of iterating and making small changes quickly can help generate momentum and an appetite for solving complex problems.

Problem-solving strategies can live and die on whether people are onboard. Getting some quick wins is a great way of getting people behind the process.

It can be extremely empowering for a team to realize that problem-solving techniques can be deployed quickly and easily and delineate between things they can positively impact and those things they cannot change.

15% Solutions #action #liberating structures #remote-friendly You can reveal the actions, however small, that everyone can do immediately. At a minimum, these will create momentum, and that may make a BIG difference. 15% Solutions show that there is no reason to wait around, feel powerless, or fearful. They help people pick it up a level. They get individuals and the group to focus on what is within their discretion instead of what they cannot change. With a very simple question, you can flip the conversation to what can be done and find solutions to big problems that are often distributed widely in places not known in advance. Shifting a few grains of sand may trigger a landslide and change the whole landscape.

Problem-solving techniques for making decisions and planning

After your group is happy with the possible solutions you’ve developed, now comes the time to choose which to implement. There’s more than one way to make a decision and the best option is often dependant on the needs and set-up of your group.

Sometimes, it’s the case that you’ll want to vote as a group on what is likely to be the most impactful solution. Other times, it might be down to a decision maker or major stakeholder to make the final decision. Whatever your process, here’s some techniques you can use to help you make a decision during your problem solving process.

How-Now-Wow Matrix

The problem-solving process is often creative, as complex problems usually require a change of thinking and creative response in order to find the best solutions. While it’s common for the first stages to encourage creative thinking, groups can often gravitate to familiar solutions when it comes to the end of the process.

When selecting solutions, you don’t want to lose your creative energy! The How-Now-Wow Matrix from Gamestorming is a great problem-solving activity that enables a group to stay creative and think out of the box when it comes to selecting the right solution for a given problem.

Problem-solving techniques that encourage creative thinking and the ideation and selection of new solutions can be the most effective in organisational change. Give the How-Now-Wow Matrix a go, and not just for how pleasant it is to say out loud.

How-Now-Wow Matrix #gamestorming #idea generation #remote-friendly When people want to develop new ideas, they most often think out of the box in the brainstorming or divergent phase. However, when it comes to convergence, people often end up picking ideas that are most familiar to them. This is called a ‘creative paradox’ or a ‘creadox’. The How-Now-Wow matrix is an idea selection tool that breaks the creadox by forcing people to weigh each idea on 2 parameters.

Impact and Effort Matrix

All problem-solving techniques hope to not only find solutions to a given problem or challenge but to find the best solution. When it comes to finding a solution, groups are invited to put on their decision-making hats and really think about how a proposed idea would work in practice.

The Impact and Effort Matrix is one of the problem-solving techniques that fall into this camp, empowering participants to first generate ideas and then categorize them into a 2×2 matrix based on impact and effort.

Activities that invite critical thinking while remaining simple are invaluable. Use the Impact and Effort Matrix to move from ideation and towards evaluating potential solutions before then committing to them.

Impact and Effort Matrix #gamestorming #decision making #action #remote-friendly In this decision-making exercise, possible actions are mapped based on two factors: effort required to implement and potential impact. Categorizing ideas along these lines is a useful technique in decision making, as it obliges contributors to balance and evaluate suggested actions before committing to them.

If you’ve followed each of the problem-solving steps with your group successfully, you should move towards the end of your process with heaps of possible solutions developed with a specific problem in mind. But how do you help a group go from ideation to putting a solution into action?

Dotmocracy – or Dot Voting -is a tried and tested method of helping a team in the problem-solving process make decisions and put actions in place with a degree of oversight and consensus.

One of the problem-solving techniques that should be in every facilitator’s toolbox, Dot Voting is fast and effective and can help identify the most popular and best solutions and help bring a group to a decision effectively.

Dotmocracy #action #decision making #group prioritization #hyperisland #remote-friendly Dotmocracy is a simple method for group prioritization or decision-making. It is not an activity on its own, but a method to use in processes where prioritization or decision-making is the aim. The method supports a group to quickly see which options are most popular or relevant. The options or ideas are written on post-its and stuck up on a wall for the whole group to see. Each person votes for the options they think are the strongest, and that information is used to inform a decision.

Straddling the gap between decision making and planning, MoSCoW is a simple and effective method that allows a group team to easily prioritize a set of possible options.

Use this method in a problem solving process by collecting and summarizing all your possible solutions and then categorize them into 4 sections: “Must have”, “Should have”, “Could have”, or “Would like but won‘t get”.

This method is particularly useful when its less about choosing one possible solution and more about prioritorizing which to do first and which may not fit in the scope of your project. In my experience, complex challenges often require multiple small fixes, and this method can be a great way to move from a pile of things you’d all like to do to a structured plan.

MoSCoW #define intentions #create #design #action #remote-friendly MoSCoW is a method that allows the team to prioritize the different features that they will work on. Features are then categorized into “Must have”, “Should have”, “Could have”, or “Would like but won‘t get”. To be used at the beginning of a timeslot (for example during Sprint planning) and when planning is needed.

When it comes to managing the rollout of a solution, clarity and accountability are key factors in ensuring the success of the project. The RAACI chart is a simple but effective model for setting roles and responsibilities as part of a planning session.

Start by listing each person involved in the project and put them into the following groups in order to make it clear who is responsible for what during the rollout of your solution.

Responsibility (Which person and/or team will be taking action?)
Authority (At what “point” must the responsible person check in before going further?)
Accountability (Who must the responsible person check in with?)
Consultation (Who must be consulted by the responsible person before decisions are made?)
Information (Who must be informed of decisions, once made?)

Ensure this information is easily accessible and use it to inform who does what and who is looped into discussions and kept up to date.

RAACI #roles and responsibility #teamwork #project management Clarifying roles and responsibilities, levels of autonomy/latitude in decision making, and levels of engagement among diverse stakeholders.

Problem-solving warm-up activities

All facilitators know that warm-ups and icebreakers are useful for any workshop or group process. Problem-solving workshops are no different.

Use these problem-solving techniques to warm up a group and prepare them for the rest of the process. Activating your group by tapping into some of the top problem-solving skills can be one of the best ways to see great outcomes from your session.

Check-in / Check-out

Solid processes are planned from beginning to end, and the best facilitators know that setting the tone and establishing a safe, open environment can be integral to a successful problem-solving process. Check-in / Check-out is a great way to begin and/or bookend a problem-solving workshop. Checking in to a session emphasizes that everyone will be seen, heard, and expected to contribute.

If you are running a series of meetings, setting a consistent pattern of checking in and checking out can really help your team get into a groove. We recommend this opening-closing activity for small to medium-sized groups though it can work with large groups if they’re disciplined!

Check-in / Check-out #team #opening #closing #hyperisland #remote-friendly Either checking-in or checking-out is a simple way for a team to open or close a process, symbolically and in a collaborative way. Checking-in/out invites each member in a group to be present, seen and heard, and to express a reflection or a feeling. Checking-in emphasizes presence, focus and group commitment; checking-out emphasizes reflection and symbolic closure.

Doodling Together

Thinking creatively and not being afraid to make suggestions are important problem-solving skills for any group or team, and warming up by encouraging these behaviors is a great way to start.

Doodling Together is one of our favorite creative ice breaker games – it’s quick, effective, and fun and can make all following problem-solving steps easier by encouraging a group to collaborate visually. By passing cards and adding additional items as they go, the workshop group gets into a groove of co-creation and idea development that is crucial to finding solutions to problems.

Doodling Together #collaboration #creativity #teamwork #fun #team #visual methods #energiser #icebreaker #remote-friendly Create wild, weird and often funny postcards together & establish a group’s creative confidence.

Show and Tell

You might remember some version of Show and Tell from being a kid in school and it’s a great problem-solving activity to kick off a session.

Asking participants to prepare a little something before a workshop by bringing an object for show and tell can help them warm up before the session has even begun! Games that include a physical object can also help encourage early engagement before moving onto more big-picture thinking.

By asking your participants to tell stories about why they chose to bring a particular item to the group, you can help teams see things from new perspectives and see both differences and similarities in the way they approach a topic. Great groundwork for approaching a problem-solving process as a team!

Show and Tell #gamestorming #action #opening #meeting facilitation Show and Tell taps into the power of metaphors to reveal players’ underlying assumptions and associations around a topic The aim of the game is to get a deeper understanding of stakeholders’ perspectives on anything—a new project, an organizational restructuring, a shift in the company’s vision or team dynamic.

Constellations

Who doesn’t love stars? Constellations is a great warm-up activity for any workshop as it gets people up off their feet, energized, and ready to engage in new ways with established topics. It’s also great for showing existing beliefs, biases, and patterns that can come into play as part of your session.

Using warm-up games that help build trust and connection while also allowing for non-verbal responses can be great for easing people into the problem-solving process and encouraging engagement from everyone in the group. Constellations is great in large spaces that allow for movement and is definitely a practical exercise to allow the group to see patterns that are otherwise invisible.

Constellations #trust #connection #opening #coaching #patterns #system Individuals express their response to a statement or idea by standing closer or further from a central object. Used with teams to reveal system, hidden patterns, perspectives.

Draw a Tree

Problem-solving games that help raise group awareness through a central, unifying metaphor can be effective ways to warm-up a group in any problem-solving model.

Draw a Tree is a simple warm-up activity you can use in any group and which can provide a quick jolt of energy. Start by asking your participants to draw a tree in just 45 seconds – they can choose whether it will be abstract or realistic.

Once the timer is up, ask the group how many people included the roots of the tree and use this as a means to discuss how we can ignore important parts of any system simply because they are not visible.

All problem-solving strategies are made more effective by thinking of problems critically and by exposing things that may not normally come to light. Warm-up games like Draw a Tree are great in that they quickly demonstrate some key problem-solving skills in an accessible and effective way.

Draw a Tree #thiagi #opening #perspectives #remote-friendly With this game you can raise awarness about being more mindful, and aware of the environment we live in.

Closing activities for a problem-solving process

Each step of the problem-solving workshop benefits from an intelligent deployment of activities, games, and techniques. Bringing your session to an effective close helps ensure that solutions are followed through on and that you also celebrate what has been achieved.

Here are some problem-solving activities you can use to effectively close a workshop or meeting and ensure the great work you’ve done can continue afterward.

One Breath Feedback

Maintaining attention and focus during the closing stages of a problem-solving workshop can be tricky and so being concise when giving feedback can be important. It’s easy to incur “death by feedback” should some team members go on for too long sharing their perspectives in a quick feedback round.

One Breath Feedback is a great closing activity for workshops. You give everyone an opportunity to provide feedback on what they’ve done but only in the space of a single breath. This keeps feedback short and to the point and means that everyone is encouraged to provide the most important piece of feedback to them.

One breath feedback #closing #feedback #action This is a feedback round in just one breath that excels in maintaining attention: each participants is able to speak during just one breath … for most people that’s around 20 to 25 seconds … unless of course you’ve been a deep sea diver in which case you’ll be able to do it for longer.

Who What When Matrix

Matrices feature as part of many effective problem-solving strategies and with good reason. They are easily recognizable, simple to use, and generate results.

The Who What When Matrix is a great tool to use when closing your problem-solving session by attributing a who, what and when to the actions and solutions you have decided upon. The resulting matrix is a simple, easy-to-follow way of ensuring your team can move forward.

Great solutions can’t be enacted without action and ownership. Your problem-solving process should include a stage for allocating tasks to individuals or teams and creating a realistic timeframe for those solutions to be implemented or checked out. Use this method to keep the solution implementation process clear and simple for all involved.

Who/What/When Matrix #gamestorming #action #project planning With Who/What/When matrix, you can connect people with clear actions they have defined and have committed to.

Response cards

Group discussion can comprise the bulk of most problem-solving activities and by the end of the process, you might find that your team is talked out!

Providing a means for your team to give feedback with short written notes can ensure everyone is head and can contribute without the need to stand up and talk. Depending on the needs of the group, giving an alternative can help ensure everyone can contribute to your problem-solving model in the way that makes the most sense for them.

Response Cards is a great way to close a workshop if you are looking for a gentle warm-down and want to get some swift discussion around some of the feedback that is raised.

Response Cards #debriefing #closing #structured sharing #questions and answers #thiagi #action It can be hard to involve everyone during a closing of a session. Some might stay in the background or get unheard because of louder participants. However, with the use of Response Cards, everyone will be involved in providing feedback or clarify questions at the end of a session.

Tips for effective problem solving

Problem-solving activities are only one part of the puzzle. While a great method can help unlock your team’s ability to solve problems, without a thoughtful approach and strong facilitation the solutions may not be fit for purpose.

Let’s take a look at some problem-solving tips you can apply to any process to help it be a success!

Clearly define the problem

Jumping straight to solutions can be tempting, though without first clearly articulating a problem, the solution might not be the right one. Many of the problem-solving activities below include sections where the problem is explored and clearly defined before moving on.

This is a vital part of the problem-solving process and taking the time to fully define an issue can save time and effort later. A clear definition helps identify irrelevant information and it also ensures that your team sets off on the right track.

Don’t jump to conclusions

It’s easy for groups to exhibit cognitive bias or have preconceived ideas about both problems and potential solutions. Be sure to back up any problem statements or potential solutions with facts, research, and adequate forethought.

The best techniques ask participants to be methodical and challenge preconceived notions. Make sure you give the group enough time and space to collect relevant information and consider the problem in a new way. By approaching the process with a clear, rational mindset, you’ll often find that better solutions are more forthcoming.

Try different approaches

Problems come in all shapes and sizes and so too should the methods you use to solve them. If you find that one approach isn’t yielding results and your team isn’t finding different solutions, try mixing it up. You’ll be surprised at how using a new creative activity can unblock your team and generate great solutions.

Don’t take it personally

Depending on the nature of your team or organizational problems, it’s easy for conversations to get heated. While it’s good for participants to be engaged in the discussions, ensure that emotions don’t run too high and that blame isn’t thrown around while finding solutions.

You’re all in it together, and even if your team or area is seeing problems, that isn’t necessarily a disparagement of you personally. Using facilitation skills to manage group dynamics is one effective method of helping conversations be more constructive.

Get the right people in the room

Your problem-solving method is often only as effective as the group using it. Getting the right people on the job and managing the number of people present is important too!

If the group is too small, you may not get enough different perspectives to effectively solve a problem. If the group is too large, you can go round and round during the ideation stages.

Creating the right group makeup is also important in ensuring you have the necessary expertise and skillset to both identify and follow up on potential solutions. Carefully consider who to include at each stage to help ensure your problem-solving method is followed and positioned for success.

Create psychologically safe spaces for discussion

Identifying a problem accurately also requires that all members of a group are able to contribute their views in an open and safe manner.

It can be tough for people to stand up and contribute if the problems or challenges are emotive or personal in nature. Try and create a psychologically safe space for these kinds of discussions and where possible, create regular opportunities for challenges to be brought up organically.

Document everything

The best solutions can take refinement, iteration, and reflection to come out. Get into a habit of documenting your process in order to keep all the learnings from the session and to allow ideas to mature and develop. Many of the methods below involve the creation of documents or shared resources. Be sure to keep and share these so everyone can benefit from the work done!

Bring a facilitator

Facilitation is all about making group processes easier. With a subject as potentially emotive and important as problem-solving, having an impartial third party in the form of a facilitator can make all the difference in finding great solutions and keeping the process moving. Consider bringing a facilitator to your problem-solving session to get better results and generate meaningful solutions!

Develop your problem-solving skills

It takes time and practice to be an effective problem solver. While some roles or participants might more naturally gravitate towards problem-solving, it can take development and planning to help everyone create better solutions.

You might develop a training program, run a problem-solving workshop or simply ask your team to practice using the techniques below. Check out our post on problem-solving skills to see how you and your group can develop the right mental process and be more resilient to issues too!

Design a great agenda

Workshops are a great format for solving problems. With the right approach, you can focus a group and help them find the solutions to their own problems. But designing a process can be time-consuming and finding the right activities can be difficult.

Check out our workshop planning guide to level-up your agenda design and start running more effective workshops. Need inspiration? Check out templates designed by expert facilitators to help you kickstart your process!

Save time and effort creating an effective problem solving process

A structured problem solving process is a surefire way of solving tough problems, discovering creative solutions and driving organizational change. But how can you design for successful outcomes?

With SessionLab, it’s easy to design engaging workshops that deliver results. Drag, drop and reorder blocks to build your agenda. When you make changes or update your agenda, your session timing adjusts automatically , saving you time on manual adjustments.

Collaborating with stakeholders or clients? Share your agenda with a single click and collaborate in real-time. No more sending documents back and forth over email.

Explore how to use SessionLab to design effective problem solving workshops or watch this five minute video to see the planner in action!

Over to you

The problem-solving process can often be as complicated and multifaceted as the problems they are set-up to solve. With the right problem-solving techniques and a mix of exercises designed to guide discussion and generate purposeful ideas, we hope we’ve given you the tools to find the best solutions as simply and easily as possible.

Is there a problem-solving technique that you are missing here? Do you have a favorite activity or method you use when facilitating? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!

thank you very much for these excellent techniques

Certainly wonderful article, very detailed. Shared!

Your list of techniques for problem solving can be helpfully extended by adding TRIZ to the list of techniques. TRIZ has 40 problem solving techniques derived from methods inventros and patent holders used to get new patents. About 10-12 are general approaches. many organization sponsor classes in TRIZ that are used to solve business problems or general organiztational problems. You can take a look at TRIZ and dwonload a free internet booklet to see if you feel it shound be included per your selection process.

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How To Make Decisions With 4 Quadrants

The Team at Apptio
April 29, 2014

We have to take smart decisions on a permanent basis, and quality decision-making can be downright hard. Especially if it relates to an important thing, that we’ve been preoccupied with for quite some time. A thing that’s always on our back-burner, or on our radar, depending on who prefers what. The very fact of being preoccupied might blur our thinking, and we lack clarity in evaluating options. Everything looks messed up, and with all the input coming from various sources (the most common two of them being other stakeholders and clients) the ultimate decision-maker might feel disoriented. How to make sense of it all?

Here’s the case where we might encounter some challenging choices: Getting Started experience in a software product. Do we need to lay all we have on the line to let our customers have a much easier start with it? There’s a simple technique that can help decide. What it requires is only a piece of paper and a little bit of your laser-focused time. This technique involves the Cartesian plane, as with x-y axis and the 4 quadrants. The problem at hand needs to be dissected coolly with the 4 following questions (counterclockwise starting from the upper right):

1. What happens if this doesn’t happen? Things will remain as they are, and for this quadrant we need to collect the pros of this thing not happening. What will we keep, or gain, if Getting Started experience stays as is?

2. What happens if this happens? Things will change; zoom in on the pros of this thing happening. Which positive outcomes will having a better Getting Started experience bring us?

3. What won’t happen if this happens? Now we switch to the downsides of this thing happening. The 3 and 4th quadrant operate within the negative, as they’re located below the Y-axis, in the minus zone. Remember, this decision-making technique refers to Cartesian quadrants, that’s why it’s tied to the 3-4 quadrants as in the negative, and 1-2 quadrants as in the positive. So, with Getting Started experience improved, what is it that we will lose or miss?

4. What won’t happen if this doesn’t happen? What is it that we will lose or miss if the Getting Started experience stays as is? Be careful about this last quadrant. The negatives of this thing not happening. Our brain can be lured into sliding along the same track as with answering the 1st quadrant question, because this 4th question is put as a double negation. And your answers could be very similar to the 1st quadrant answer.

Why is this technique so good? The 4 quadrants help get clear about the consequences of each possible decision, and consider it from 4 different angles. This technique primarily tackles our unwitting self-sabotaging pattern to dwell on just one question: what happens if this happens?

What’s important with this technique is to actually use a piece of paper to write things down. Our mind will get confused holding many alternative viewpoints. So, this should either be a piece of paper or a digital note.

This approach should work particularly well for strategic decisions that drill down to the ultimate solo decision-maker. Sometimes, however, we need to create a multi-dimensional decision-making canvas. For example, when we are prioritizing backlog or choosing which major feature to implement next in a product, it would make sense to develop a model with several variables, and go from there.

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A problem-solving model that actually solves problems

by Lindsy Carpenter | Aug 15, 2017 | Insights | 0 comments

Editor’s note: Those who have participated in our Certified Manager of Housing or Certified Manager of Senior Housing programs are familiar with NCHM’s Four Quadrant Model — a simple yet effective tool for identifying and solving operational problems. When a recent participant asked us for permission to translate the model into Cantonese for her Chinese-American staff, we were intrigued. Below, Lindsy Carpenter, Chief Operating Officer for the YWCA San Francisco & Marin, tells her story.

I’m here to tell you a story about something that worked – and in a time when there’s more to be done than time to do it, finding things that work is like finding a golden ticket. I was a skeptic, and then a convert, and that’s why I’m sharing my story with you now.

When I was first presented with NCHM’s Four Quadrant Model at the Certified Manager of Senior Housing training, my gut cried out, “Another non-profit model! More navel-gazing!” Having been in the nonprofit world for a while, I know how consultants love their models and how hard it is to get those models to translate into something a team would actually find useful. They make for a great presentation to your Board of Directors, but it can be a different story when you try to use it “on the ground.” To top it off, the staff on my team come from different cultural backgrounds and have varying linguistic capabilities, which led me to wonder if NCHM’s model could cut across culture and language. Was this model for real?

I had a healthy amount of skepticism when we started our classroom exercise at CMSH, but man was I wrong. It was a great experience practicing the model with my classmates and discovering how much potential this tool had. I brought it to my onsite apartments team a few months later. We were trying to improve our annual unit inspection process, which involved everyone in some way — and which no one liked. I walked the team through the model and got us started on Quadrant One: measuring existing results. Everyone had LOTS to say about what wasn’t working, and it was a mini-bonding experience to just vent collectively. Then, we moved on to Quadrant Two: identifying underlying causes. It was especially helpful to distinguish between causes we brought upon ourselves versus causes that had to do with non-staff; it helped us think about the problem differently. Next, we moved on to Quadrant Three: establishing achievable, measurable goals for the future. It took more time to agree on this, but allowed us to have an honest discussion about what we needed versus what was nice to have, and to find places where we could compromise or help each other think about things in a different way. Finally, in Quadrant Four, we talked about what it would take to get it all done. We turned that into a checklist of next steps, and we were all so proud of ourselves at the end of the exercise because it felt realistic, like something that would actually solve the most important problems.

I am happy to report that we continue to make progress toward our goal of improving the annual unit inspection process. Despite my initial skepticism, the Four Quadrant Model has proven to be that rarest of things: a problem-solving model that actually solves problems!

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7 Powerful Root Cause Analysis Tools and Techniques

By Sebastian Traeger

Updated: April 21, 2024

Reading Time: 5 minutes

1. The Ishikawa Fishbone Diagram (IFD)

2. pareto chart, 4. failure mode and effects analysis (fmea), 5. proact® rca method, 6. affinity diagram, 7. fault tree analysis (fta).

With over two decades in business – spanning strategy consulting, tech startups and executive leadership – I am committed to helping your organization thrive. At Reliability, we’re on a mission to help enhance strategic decision-making and operational excellence through the power of Root Cause Analysis, and I hope this article will be helpful! Our goal is to help you better understand these root cause analysis techniques by offering insights and practical tips based on years of experience. Whether you’re new to doing RCAs or a seasoned pro, we trust this will be useful in your journey towards working hard and working smart.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) shines as a pivotal process that helps organizations identify the underlying reasons for problems, failures, and inefficiencies. The goal is simple: find the cause, fix it, and prevent it from happening again. But the process can be complex, and that’s where various RCA techniques come into play.

Let’s dive into seven widely utilized RCA techniques and explore how they can empower your team’s problem-solving efforts.

Named after Japanese quality control statistician Kaoru Ishikawa, the Fishbone Diagram is a visual tool designed for group discussions. It helps teams track back to the potential root causes of a problem by sorting and relating them in a structured way. The diagram resembles a fishbone, with the problem at the head and the causes branching off the spine like bones. This visualization aids in categorizing potential causes and studying their complex interrelationships.

The Pareto Chart, rooted in the Pareto Principle, is a visual tool that helps teams identify the most significant factors in a set of data. In most situations, 80% of problems can be traced back to about 20% of causes. By arranging bar heights from tallest to shortest, teams can prioritize the most significant factors and focus their improvement efforts where they can have the most impact.

Pareto Chart - Quality Improvement - East London NHS Foundation Trust : Quality Improvement – East London NHS Foundation Trust

The 5 Whys method is the epitome of simplicity in getting to the bottom of a problem. By repeatedly asking ‘why’ (typically five times), you can delve beneath the surface-level symptoms of a problem to unearth the root cause. This iterative interrogation is most effective when answers are grounded in factual evidence.

When prevention is better than cure, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) steps in. This systematic, proactive method helps teams identify where and how a process might fail. By predicting and examining potential process breakdowns and their impacts, teams can rectify issues before they turn into failures. FMEA is a three-step process that involves identifying potential failures, analyzing their effects, and prioritizing them based on severity, occurrence, and detection ratings.

The PROACT ® RCA technique is a robust process designed to drive significant business results. Notably used to identify and analyze ‘chronic failures,’ which can otherwise be overlooked, this method is defined by its name:

PReserving Evidence and Acquiring Data: Initial evidence collection step based on the 5-P’s – Parts, Position, People, Paper, and Paradigms.

Order Your Analysis Team and Assign Resources: Assembling an unbiased team to analyze a specific failure.

Analyze the Event: Reconstructing the event using a logic tree to identify Physical, Human, and Latent Root Causes.

Communicate Findings and Recommendations: Developing and implementing solutions to prevent root cause recurrence.

Track and Measure Impact for Bottom Line Results: Tracking the success of implemented recommendations and correlating the RCA’s effectiveness with ROI.

PROACT® RCA excels in mitigating risk, optimizing cost, and boosting performance, making it a valuable addition to any RCA toolkit.

The Affinity Diagram is a powerful tool for dealing with large amounts of data. It organizes a broad range of information into groups based on their natural relationships, creating a clear, visual representation of complex situations. It’s particularly beneficial for condensing feedback from brainstorming sessions into manageable categories, fostering a better understanding of the broader picture.

Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is a top-down, deductive failure analysis that explores the causes of faults or problems. It involves graphically mapping multiple causal chains to track back to possible root causes, using a tree-like diagram. FTA is particularly useful in high-risk industries, such as aerospace and nuclear power, where preventing failure is crucial.

Each RCA technique provides a unique approach for viewing and understanding problems, helping you pinpoint the root cause more effectively. The key is to understand when and how to use each tool, which can significantly enhance your team’s problem-solving capabilities.

Power up your RCA analysis with our EasyRCA and revolutionize your problem-solving process. Start Your Free Trial.


Ishikawa Fishbone Diagram	Visual representation of complex relationships	When there are many possible causes to a problem
Pareto Chart	Prioritizes problem areas based on impact	When trying to identify the most significant causes
5 Whys	Simple, iterative problem-solving technique	When the problem is straightforward and the solution is not immediately apparent
FMEA	Proactive, preventative approach	When addressing complex processes that could lead to serious consequences if failed
PROACT® RCA Method	Comprehensive, result-driven approach	When dealing with chronic, recurrent failures
Affinity Diagram	Groups large data into manageable categories	When trying to find patterns and connections in large amounts of data
Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)	Visual mapping of causal chains	When working in high-risk industries where prevention is crucial

In conclusion, the techniques presented offer a diverse set of tools to help organizations address problems and inefficiencies effectively. From visual representations like the Ishikawa Fishbone Diagram and Pareto Chart to more proactive approaches such as the 5 Whys and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), each technique provides a unique perspective on identifying and mitigating root causes.

The PROACT® RCA Method stands out for its comprehensive process, particularly suited for chronic failures. Additionally, the Affinity Diagram and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) contribute valuable insights by organizing data and exploring causal chains, respectively. Leveraging these techniques strategically enhances a team’s problem-solving capabilities, enabling them to make informed decisions and drive continuous improvement.

I hope you found these 7 techniques insightful and actionable! Stay tuned for more thought-provoking articles as we continue to share our knowledge. Success is rooted in a thorough understanding and consistent application, and we hope this article was a step in unlocking the full potential of Root Cause Analysis for your organization. Reliability runs initiatives such as an online learning center focused on the proprietary PROACT® RCA methodology and EasyRCA.com software. For additional resources, visit our Reliability Resources .

Root Cause Analysis /

PRIORITIZATION MATRIX

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey, Self-Help Guru

The prioritization matrix is my go-to tool! I use it on just about everything, including my to-do list, major initiatives, projects , and potential investments. It is such a simple, yet effective tool. If everyone in an organization focused their efforts on projects and initiatives that were high impact and low cost (i.e., No Brainers), the organization would create enormous amounts of value in a short amount of time.

What is a prioritization matrix?

Every strategic leader should use a prioritization matrix to evaluate the best use of the scarce resources of their organization. On a prioritization matrix, the vertical axis typically represents the impact, benefit, or value of a project or initiative, which can encompass the market potential of new products , cost savings of systems, sales lifts of different marketing initiatives, etc. The horizontal axis typically represents the cost or effort to make the project or an initiative a reality. And, while sometimes you’ll want to quantify the impact and cost, more often than not a prioritization matrix doesn’t have quantified figures, but instead the relative impact and costs of a portfolio of options or initiatives.

Why is the prioritization matrix important?

In decision-making, it is useful to compare the relative impact and costs of different potential initiatives. While a cost-benefit analysis can be done, putting a set of options on a prioritization matrix allows a group of people to quickly debate the relative positioning of the benefits and costs of different options. In my experience, utilizing prioritization matrices makes it quicker and easier to align people.

How do you assign impact?

You can determine absolute or relative impact, value, or benefit. Absolute costs can come from a cost-benefit analysis, reports, experiments, estimation, etc. Relative costs should be assigned utilizing brainstorming , debate, or the Delphi method.

How do you assign cost/effort?

The cost axis can represent cost, effort, capital, ease of implementation, people, timing, or other types of costs. Once again, you can assign levels of effort on an absolute or relative basis. If you have actual data and analysis, then use the data to plot the options. You should determine relative costs through brainstorming and debate.

The four quadrants

Here are some key thoughts on the four quadrants of the prioritization matrix.

No Brainers – higher impact, lower cost

Prioritize the “no brainers” or low-hanging fruit projects and initiatives first. They provide a lot of impact and don’t take much cost or effort to execute. In most situations, if you look enough, you will find a lot of low-hanging fruit that will allow you to create significant value in a short amount of time.

Big bets – higher impact, higher costs

Big bets are those looming initiatives that you know the organization has to tackle, but the effort will be substantial. Large systems integrations, new product lines, and new channel development are the types of projects that are big bets. You want to balance your portfolio of initiatives with primarily no-brainers and some big bets.

Maybes – lower impact, lower cost

We all know the maybes. They are those potential projects that always get pushed off for some higher priority. You should scrutinize and evaluate “maybes” to see if there are ways to increase the value of maybes to push them into the no-brainer quadrant.

Forget about it – Higher cost, lower impact

These potential projects, if green-lighted can damage an organization by forcing the organization to expend a lot of effort on something that won’t bear much value. The opportunity cost of focusing on these projects versus a lot of no-brainer projects can be substantial.

Benefits of Using a Prioritization Matrix

Clarity and Focus : Helps in identifying and focusing on high-impact, low-effort tasks that can drive significant value.
Resource Allocation : Ensures optimal use of resources by prioritizing projects that offer the most benefit for the least cost.
Enhanced Decision-Making : Facilitates better decision-making by visually representing the impact and cost of various initiatives.
Alignment and Buy-In : Promotes alignment and buy-in from stakeholders by providing a clear, visual tool to discuss and agree on priorities.

Implementing the Prioritization Matrix in Your Organization

Gather Your Team : Involve key stakeholders in the brainstorming and debate process to ensure diverse perspectives and buy-in.
Identify Initiatives : List all potential projects, initiatives, and tasks to be evaluated.
Assign Values : Use brainstorming, debate, and available data to assign relative or absolute values for impact and cost.
Plot on the Matrix : Position each initiative on the prioritization matrix based on its assigned values.
Review and Adjust : Regularly review and adjust the matrix as new information becomes available or organizational priorities change.

By incorporating the prioritization matrix into your strategic planning process, you can enhance your organization’s ability to focus on what truly matters, optimize resource allocation, and achieve greater success.

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prioritization

Asked by Vishwadeep Khatri , April 22, 2022

2x2 Matrix (also known as a Four Blocker or Magic Quadrant) is a very common prioritization tool for decision making. The alternatives are plotted against a set of 2 criteria which sit on the 2 axis of this matrix. There are many variations to 2x2 Matrix - Eisenhower Matrix, MoSCoW, Control-Impact, Effort-Impact etc.

An application-oriented question on the topic along with responses can be seen below. The best answer was provided by Mohamed Asif on 26th Apr 2022.

Applause for all the respondents - Anshul Vaidya, Tamilarasan, Dharanesh Mysore, Mohamed Asif, Manish Manjhi.

Vishwadeep Khatri

Q 465. Explain 2X2 matrices that are used for prioritizing action items. Which of these happens to be your favorite and why?

Note for website visitors - Two questions are asked every week on this platform. One on Tuesday and the other on Friday.

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The best answer is always shown at the top among responses and the author finds honorable mention in our Business Excellence dictionary at https://www.benchmarksixsigma.com/forum/business-excellence-dictionary-glossary/ along with the related term

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Mohamed Asif Abdul Hameed

Prioritization Matrix is an essential and useful tool which assists in breaking down tasks and activities when there is too much in the plate. This facilitates decision making and help leaders to consider those activities which are most relevant, urgent, important and required for project and process sustenance.

There are many variants of 2x2 Prioritization Matrix.

Frequently used few are listed below.

RVCE Matrix (Risk, Value, Cost and Effort)
Eisenhower Matrix (Urgent, Important)
MoSCoW - Value Based Prioritization Techniques (Must Have, Should Have, Could Have, Won't Have)
WSJF (Value and Effort)
Kano (Performance, Must-be, Attractive, Indifferent)

RVCE Matrix:

Decision Criteria: Risk, Value, Cost and Effort

Decision/Outcome: Consider, Avoid, Investigate and Prioritize

Eisenhower Matrix:

Decision Criteria: Important or not, Urgent or not

Decision/Outcome: Do, Decide, Delegate, Delete

Eisen.jpg.addd57a5947a5d9cd808a3ca35deabc0.jpg

MoSCoW: Prioritization based on Value/Features

Decision: Must have, Should have, Will not have, Could have

Decision Criteria: Value and Effort - High and Low

Decision/Outcome: Do now, Do Later, Do Next, Don't Do

1923921082_WSJF2.png.9134830a4e9473722f615661945cc971.png

Decision Criteria: Satisfaction and Functionality

Other applications/variants of prioritization models includes that of:

Lean Prioritization, where the effort is compared with ROI/Degree of Impact to consider the outcomes as Low Priority, Just Do it, Reconsider and Complex but worthwhile.
Value and Risk
Value and Effort
Value and Complexity
Allows to analyze and compare results
It removes bias
Allows to objectively rank the priorities
Determines most critical focus area
Keeps progress of the project
Better Time management

Depending upon the type of project and consideration we can select any of the above mentioned models to Focus on the right project and better manage our time. My personal favorite model is Eisenhower Matrix , which is kind of, has the combination of essence from all the prioritization models available.

Dharanesh Mysore

Prioritization (2x2) matrices clearly define what should be focused on to accomplish more and achieve maximum productivity. This may involve organizing a group of activities that need to be finished as well as their ranking according to different factors (Impact and Criticality etc.).

There are 2 common ways of defining prioritization:

What should be completed first when you have a lot of activities to complete?
When you prioritize them to make sure you have time for everything?

A prioritization matrix tool is for task sorting that appears in the form of a table with some criteria of tasks value and demand. All the criteria make up several groups of tasks to do, that, in their turn, receive an objective picture of which group of tasks should be performed initially, which group has to be completed in the second place and which tasks do not have to be done at all.

Prioritization matrix types:

As we mentioned, prioritization matrix is one of the tools that help project teams/business with tasks ranking and categorization. Let’s concentrate on 7 different types of prioritization and their benefits for business.

1) Eisenhower’s prioritizing matrix

Eisenhower’s matrix gets its name from a thirty-fourth American president who knew how to prioritize things well. This matrix typically consists of 4 squares for the following:

Square 1 contains the basically important and the most crucial tasks and issues. They should be completed immediately.
Square 2 includes a set of very significant but not so crucial tasks. Based on this square, there is the main workflow for each employee with current responsibilities and planned tasks.
Square 3 presents crucial but not very significant activities. This part may look like a bunch of disturbances that should be considered carefully before their direct implementation.
Square 4 involves the tasks of the lowest priority both for their urgency and significance

Many experts respect this prioritization matrix for its simplicity and utilization flexibility, so it is actively used in work planning , business strategy development and other high-level management processes.

image.png.933f5ef5cf05756c7038731797e9fbd2.png

2) Value and Effort prioritization matrix

This is very simple structure matrix allows experts to work their tasks in a more comfortable and systematic way. It has a classic view of four squares, each sqaure determines the value of the group of tasks and the approximate amount of effort for the task implementation. Let’s have a look at the Value and Effort prioritization matrix:

· Square 1 – Quick wins : This group of tasks is different by its high significance for the entire workflow, and the tasks do not actually require a lot of efforts.

· Square 2 – Big Bets/Major Projects : These tasks are quite valued and can bring the company to the success. However, they frequently need more efforts and time to be done.

· Square 3 – Maybes /Fill –Ins: These activities are easy to be completed without many efforts but they hardly have a big importance for the business processes.

· Square 4 – Time Sinks /Thankless tasks: This to-do list contains the activities with low priority with minimal efforts. Hence, it is recommended not to pay attention to these tasks during the day.

image.png.8f5587767095b8da5110556f6fd794c7.png

3) Value and Risk prioritization matrix

Value & Risk prioritization matrix is easy-to-understand and to prioritize the tasks. This matrix helps experts divide the tasks into four categories by their value for the workflow and also recognize the real risk of a particular task. It should be noted that the value of each action/task/activity is determined individually by experts, but there are three different criteria for the risk scoring, as follows:

· Schedule risk is the risk can be determined by the time the task starts

· Cost risk is rather high amount of the task cost that exceeds the business possibilities

· Functionality risk is lack of technological possibility to do the task

4) Value and Complexity prioritization matrix

Value & Complexity matrix of activities prioritization gives experts many exciting options: to divide all tasks/activities into the groups by their direct business value and complexity to be implemented. In the low level there are the tasks/activities with their minimal urgency and complexity. Similarly, high sections of the matrix there are tasks/activities with their maximum value and the most complicated level of implementation.

This prioritization matrix makes up that what should be done in order to achieve the best results in business processes.

image.png.48d964eac8be61a0d2d1ee42bd4fba77.png

5) MoSCoW prioritization model

The actual name of this prioritization should consist of four letters, MSCW but two additional ‘O’s gives the name a certain zest and international charm. Let’s take a look at this method – it has four main groups for the tasks, as follows:

· M (Must have this): It is a group of enforceable tasks/activities that should be executed immediately and they are tend to be out of the question.

· S (Should have this if at all possible): It is a set of tasks/activities that are very significant to be done but they actually do not have strict time lines. These tasks/activities usually require a lot of time and efforts but nobody rushes the experts to do it faster.

· C (Could have this if it does not affect anything else): It contains the tasks/activities that may be done in case of a full synchronization with the technological and logical structure of the project. Alternatives, these tasks should allow flexible methods to execute them, else they will not be implemented at all.

· W (Will not have this time but would like in the future): It presents a list of some tasks/activities or ideas that would be good to be implemented during the next stages of the current or future projects. These tasks are supposed to be significant but they should wait for their turn.

This prioritization method is perfect while working on backlogs, release planning and creating the technology roadmaps .

image.png.90bc32902b4dd8af686534a94ac14867.png

6) Kano model

Kano model is based on different levels of users/customers satisfaction with a product or service features and behavior requires conducting surveys and user or customer interviews before prioritizing. There are various ways to implement the Kano model.

· Must-be features a customer or user considers the product is functional only if their required features are included

· One-dimensional features are not “must-have” for work, but they seem necessary to customers or users

· Attractive features are meant to add extra satisfaction. They are unexpected but nice-to-have

· Indifferent features have the least likely impact on customers or users satisfaction and essentially have no value

· Reverse features are most annoying. Usually they have a negative effect on customer or users satisfaction

image.png.f52f430297bd612e57106d6f9738d9d3.png

7) Opportunity scoring

The Opportunity scoring or opportunity analysis model is the prioritization technique that uses two graphs to measure and rank opportunities: Satisfaction and Importance until the feedback shared by clients or users are turned into desired outcomes.

After completing the list of ideal outcomes, the service provider will be able to survey their clients, asking them the questions:

Is a particular feature that important and How?
How satisfied are the customers or solutions with the solution?

Then the service providers have to plot their answers on the chart, which will give the opportunity to see the features that matter the most to the customers or clients. These sort of items will be listed for the next sprint.

image.png.f6c673b447505518160103ffd3d26fe3.png

Favorite matrix would be:

Value and Effort prioritization matrix because (1) it is easy to conduct, (2) great tool for identifying quick wins and low hanging fruit opportunities, (3) no detailed calculations are required, (4) promotes shared understanding between the team and stakeholders and (5) helps us to take faster decisions on ideas or opportunities or solution prioritization.

Also, it helps to identify the below:

Which task is most important for business?
Which task can yield more benefits?
Which task fit best with my company/process visions or goals?

AnshulVaidya

2X2 prioritization matrix is assignment of priority on the basis of two qualifying criterions. The data values representing high and lows state of two decision criteria are represented along each axis. The priority for an activity is decided on the location of activity in four resultant quadrants. The sequence of implementation is finalized, as per information clues generated by activity location in “ four blocker or magic quadrant ”.

2X2 prioritization matrices have been plotted using following set of decision pairs:

1. Urgency and Importance.

2. Value vs Risk.

3. Value vs Effort.

4. Customer Satisfaction vs level of satisfaction

Eisenhower Matrix

The earliest 2X2 prioritization matrix used in decision making, is Eisenhower Matrix or Urgency and Importance matrix introduced by former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower .

In Eisenhower Matrix, the activities under consideration are listed into four quadrants, on basis of two selection parameters—

a. Urgency assigned values as “urgent” or “not urgent” and

b. Importance assigned values as “important” and “not important”

The activities under consideration are then labelled as:

“Do Now”- urgent and important activities,

“Do Next”- not urgent and important activities,

“Delegate”- urgent and unimportant activities,

“Don’t DO” -not urgent and unimportant activities.

Eisenhower Matrix Urgency & Importance Matrix

Value vs Risk 2X2 prioritization matrix

Value vs Risk 2X2 prioritization matrix uses Value and Risk as qualifying parameters on two axes of plot. The instances of high and low magnitude of value and risk inherent in project/new offering are sub-plotted into following four quadrants:

a. High value, low risk.

b. Low value, low risk.

c. High value, high risk

d. low value, high risk.

A new project or new offering product or service, is evaluated on value generation potential and inherent risk. A project owner would be more interested in avoiding high risk category tasks, that require more investment of money, resource abundance and service provider time.

Value and Risk Matrix

Project manager and Business owner may want to focus last on low-value and high-risk activities, after they develop adequate capabilities to address operational challenges.

Value vs Effort 2X2 prioritization matrix

Value vs Effort 2X2 prioritization matrix uses Value and Effort as selection parameter.

The teams are asked to provide estimate of revenue potential and, also share estimate of time required to build new product or service offering i.e., time to build.

The resultant outcomes are listed into four quadrants as:

a. High value & high effort or Big Bets —the activities that are tend to assure higher value, however have a significant cost attached .

b. High value & low effort or Quick Wins —the activities that provides better rewards with little effort.

c. Low value & low effort or Maybes—Fill ins —the activities that add small value at little cost, however is considered non-essential to maximizing a product’s value.

d. & Low value & high effort or Time Sinks —the activities that can be difficult, and generate little return value after too much investment of money, time and effort.

Value vs Effort Matrix

Kano model is a theoretical model on “ product development and customer satisfaction “developed by Professor Noriaki Kano in 1980’s. Two selection variables “customer satisfaction” categorized as "customer satisfaction" and "customer dissatisfaction" & “level of satisfaction” categorized as “fully satisfied” and “not fully satisfied”.

The data variables are plotted on chart axis, to represent five categories of customer satisfaction used to prioritizing features on a product roadmap .

1. Must-be Quality - minimum level sophistications product or service must sustain to enter commercial market.

2. One-dimensional Quality - the product and service attributes that result in satisfaction when fulfilled and dissatisfaction when not fulfilled.

3. Attractive Quality - the product and service attributes that provide satisfaction when achieved fully, however do-not generate dissatisfaction, if left fulfilled.

4. Indifferent Quality - the product and service attributes that are neither good nor bad, and absence of these attributes does not lead to either customer satisfaction or customer dissatisfaction.

5. Reverse Quality - the product and service attributes that cause a high degree of achievement, resulting in dissatisfaction. The reverse quality function is indicative that not all customers are alike .

Preference for Value vs Effort 2X2 prioritization matrix

1. Value vs Effort is a better 2X2 prioritization matrix , since selection parameter values Value & Effort, hold more authentic preposition in product roadmap, than any other format of 2X2 prioritization matrix . A team of domain expert assemble together, to provide a best input value on revenue potential and time to build. It is prudential to check for the cost and profitability estimates, before deciding about financial lineage and leverage for new offering. This saves much investment of money, resources and time from getting wasted into futile ventures.

tamilarasan83

The 2x2 Matrix is a decision support technique tool where the team plots options on a two-by-two matrix. Matrix is helps team to determine which tasks to focus on, and in which order. This matrix also as a 4 blocker or magic quadrant, the matrix diagram is a simple square divided into 4 equal quadrants. Each axis represents a decision criterion, such as Impact or effort. Each axis is divided into two sections (example: high impact and low effort, high impact and high effort, low impact and low effort and high impact and low effort).

Typically classify each box as follows:

1. Quick wins (high impact, low effort)

2. Major (high impact, high effort)

3. Fill-ins (low impact, low effort)

4. Thankless tasks (low impact, high effort)

2X2 Action priority matrix will look like the one shown below.

image.png.c5a6775ef5b3ce019daf289761bddf2f.png

2X2 Matrix even just determining where to place each idea into the matrix will lead to new insights and clarity. Sometimes, this process is even more important than the final solution.

The 2×2 Matrix is a helpful way to plot common understandings or agreements on a particular subject in order to make a decision.

Benefits of using a prioritization matrix

In this principle, the benefits of a prioritization matrix are straightforward. This matrix is support of structured decision-making, they make it easy to:

1. Break down and prioritize complex issues when there are multiple factors influencing the decision

2. Clearly rank your priorities

3. Determine very crucial focus areas

4. Establish a basis for discussion about what is important.

This Matrix is prioritizing business tasks and is a basic yet reliable process for making sure dealing with to-do list in the most efficient manner possible.

SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis is one of the best examples of the 2×2 Matrix. SWOT Analysis is useful in determining the abilities and disadvantages of a Product / business from an internal and external perspective.

Manish Manjhi

The 2*2 matrix or impact effort matrix is an advanced tool for root cause analysis (RCA), which can help you take action once the root cause is identified. In order to decide which of many suggested solutions should be implemented, the impact effort matrix was developed. It answers the question of which solutions seem to produce the most benefit with the least effort.

In this method, a priority matrix grid with four quadrants is drawn. The vertical axis is labelled "importance" and the horizontal axis is labelled "effort." Each quadrant of this grid can be read using the below logic:

High Value/ Low Effort – These are projects that are “low-hanging fruit”. This should be focused first since it will help to create buy-in with the stakeholders and thus will indirectly help in implementing other suggestions.

High Value/ High Effort – These projects are considered by the team to be high-effort and are worth pursuing. In order to obtain funding and resources, they may need to be advocated for over a longer period of time.

Low Value/ Low Effort – “Harmless weeds” should be considered, but not at the expense of “low hanging fruit”.

Low Value/ High Effort – This is the team's version of "rotten tomatoes" and should be avoided

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For me low hanging fruit (High Value & Low Effort) is a favourite since as an implementation consultant, it is very important for me to align client team with our solutions & make champions out of them instead of making them roadblocks.

All the answers above seem very good. It is not easy to decide the winner for this one. Dharanesh and Mohamed Asif stand out as the best two responses.

Mohamed Asif brought up the RVCE method among other useful matrices.
Dharanesh has highlighted Opportunity Scoring which is a powerful approach. Had Dharanesh explained this method more clearly, he would have been the winner.

Mohamed Asif is the winner as he has listed relevant methods with good explanation/examples.

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Occup Ther Int
v.2022; 2022

Effect of Occupation Performance Coaching with Four-Quadrant Model of Facilitated Learning on Children with Specific Learning Disorder

Amin ghaffari.

1 Rehabilitation Research Center, Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran

Mehdi Alizadeh Zarei

Mehdi rassafiani.

2 School of Allied Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Albury, Australia

Hamid Sharif Nia

3 Department of Nursing, Amol Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

Associated Data

All data used to support the results of this study are included in the article.

Children with a specific learning disability (SLD) have deficits in everyday occupations along with executive function in addition to academic issues.

The present study is aimed at investigating the effectiveness of Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC) and the Four - Quadrant Model of Facilitated Learning (4QM) interventions on the participation in occupational performance and executive function skills in children with SLD.

This study was a single-case experimental design (multiple baselines) in which six children with SLD were randomly assigned to three groups. In the baseline phase, three groups of children underwent repeated executive function assessments using the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) in the multiple baselines. In the intervention phase, all six mothers of children with SLD individually received OPC and 4QM interventions once a week for 14 sessions of 60 minutes and during this period, children were evaluated six more times for executive function skills according to SCWT and WCST. In addition, The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) at the beginning and the end of the baseline phase and the end of the intervention phase were completed by mothers of children with SLD.

More than 50% PND of the SCWT and WCST in the visual analysis graph's information along with significant changes in COPM scores and large effect size of BRIEF subscales (Cohen's d ≥ 0.8) in pre- and postintervention showed the effectiveness of OPC and 4QM on the participation in occupational performance and executive function skills in children with SLD.

The results of the study support the effectiveness of OPC and 4QM interventions on children with SLD. However, research with more participants and experimental methods can provide further evidence.

1. Introduction

Specific learning disability (SLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is typically diagnosed by low academic achievement and characterized by persistent impairment in reading, writing, and/or math in early school-aged children [ 1 ]. The prevalence of SLD in school-age children is reported 5-15% and is two to three times more common in boys than in girls [ 1 ]. Even though children with SLD encounter various problems with participation in the activities of daily living, only academic difficulties have received a lot of attention [ 2 – 4 ].

By changing the concept in the diagnosis of learning disability based on DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), the focus has shifted from pathology and causality to occupational performance and daily life activities, and the severity of specific learning disabilities is measured according to the child's participation in the occupational performance areas such as self-care (e.g., buttoning up clothes, shoe tying, and climbing up or down the stairs), productivity (e.g., doing homework, legible writing, and organize personal space), and leisure (e.g., painting, playing with peers and reading a book) [ 1 ].

Based on the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF-4 th edition), “participation in occupations is a vital part of human development and life experience, by which it acquires skills and competencies and finds meaning and purpose in life” [ 5 ]. In other words, enhancing children's occupational performance which creates a sense of accomplishment and pleasure during childhood helps to encourage positive development into adulthood [ 6 – 8 ]. Therefore, it is important to facilitate the participation of children with SLD in the activities of daily life as the main goal for health professionals and rehabilitation services.

Executive functions refer to a set of cognitive processes, including initiation, planning, decision-making, organization, reasoning, and self-regulation that previous studies in children with SLD have reported defects in executive function skills [ 9 – 12 ]. Children with executive dysfunction may have deficits in managing occupations with dynamic task demands and multiple steps, such as social participation and instrumental activities of daily living, which can lead to restrictions in their life roles [ 13 , 14 ]. Since executive function skills orchestrate various routine and nonroutine activities of daily living [ 15 – 17 ], therefore, strengthening executive function skills in children with SLD seems necessary to learn new tasks and improve participation in activities of daily living.

According to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health-Child and Youth (ICF-CY) as a biopsychosocial framework, SLD affect occupational performance and the child's participation in daily life activities [ 18 ]. On the other hand, the child's health and well-being are related to the dynamic interaction between body functions/structures (such as executive function skills), activity/participation (such as BADL and IADL) and contextual factors (personal and environmental) [ 19 ]. Therefore, by facilitating the child's participation in everyday occupations, in addition to improving executive function skills, the child's independence in occupational performance increases and ultimately reflects better health.

Previous research on children with difficulties shows that the most effective services emphasize the role of the family in treatment [ 20 , 21 ]. On the other hand, recent qualitative studies on families of children with SLD have stated that improving mothers' learning needs facilitates the teaching of new skills and the solution of problems related to their child's occupational performance [ 22 , 23 ]. Therefore, empowering mothers of children with SLD, in addition to alleviating the burden and saving time and energy to manage their children compared to their siblings, improves the child's responsibility and participation in daily activities by teaching and learning necessary skills such as executive function skills.

One of the occupation-based, family-centered, and solution-focused interventions is Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC), which empowers mothers to manage their child's barriers to occupational performance by using meaningful and purposeful activities [ 24 ]. OPC consists of three main enabling domains including (i) emotional support, (ii) information exchange, and (iii) a structured process [ 25 ]. Emotional support involves listening to parents' information and interpretation of the child's occupational performance. During information exchange, a discussion between the mothers and the therapist is done using collaborative performance analysis (CPA) to guide the mother to explore what is currently happening and what they would like to happen and identify bridges and barriers to success and their need to plan and take actions to attain occupational performance goals. In the structured problem-solving process, selected goals related to occupational performance that was chosen by the mother and reflect her concerns for her child begin to explore options between the therapist and the mother. Then, the actions are planned and the results of the actions are checked together [ 26 ]. This collaborative approach to problem-solving intends to promote a sense of control and motivate goal achievement using meaningful and purposeful activities [ 27 , 28 ]. In this way, OPC promotes parental confidence in the ability to teach necessary executive function skills to her or his child, which is important for taking action to overcome barriers in occupational performance [ 29 ].

Based on learning theories, systematic facilitator support is needed to teach children new skills to achieve occupational performance goals [ 30 ]. In other words, when a child starts the learning process command style (teaching key elements directly to the child along with the way of reacting to task demands) and ends with self-teaching (motivates the child to take into account the challenges to perform the activity through decision-making processes), progress is made toward independence and autonomy in everyday occupation [ 31 ]. Thus, selecting effective and systematic teaching-learning strategies seems necessary based on the body functions of children (e.g., executive function skills), mothers' awareness of learning level, and changing needs of children with SLD during the acquisition of new skills to improve taking part in activities daily living.

The Four-Quadrant Model of Facilitated Learning (4QM) is one of the models of learning facilitation in the teaching-learning approach, which was first proposed by occupational therapist Greber et al. [ 32 ]. The 4QM provides the various physical and cognitive learning strategies useful in leading children to perform occupational tasks independently [ 33 ]. 4QM uses the integration of two continua: (i) directness of the strategy (first direct and then indirect) and (ii) clustering of the initiation source (first, the mother as a facilitator and then the child as a learner) prompt to group learning strategies based on the child's needs. Also, executive function skills such as initiation, proficiency in adaptable thinking, planning, self-monitoring, self-control, termination, time management, and organization, have been used in the quadrants of this model [ 34 ]. These strategies are direct and initiated by the mother in quadrant 1. In this quadrant, the characteristics of the task are specified and/or the performance requirements are identified. Other indirect strategies, yet still parent-initiated, fall into quadrant 2 and are useful in encouraging decision-making by the child. Quadrant 3 encourages the child to recall key points through the use of overt self-prompts, and finally, a range of self-regulatory cognitive and metacognitive strategies that are not obvious to observe underpins autonomy in the goals of occupational performance used in quadrant 4 [ 32 ].

The OPC approach is potentially effective in improving children's occupational performance by empowering the mothers [ 28 , 29 , 35 ]. On the other hand, with the addition of the 4QM as a reinforcement tool, the OPC can enhance mothers' learning needs and facilitate the teaching necessary skills by mothers to their children with SLD to achieve autonomy and independence in activities of daily life [ 35 , 36 ].

As far as the authors know, the most recent studies on the participation of children with SLD have examined and identified barriers and facilitators of participation in the everyday occupation of these children [ 4 , 37 ], and so far, no study has been conducted to facilitate the occupational performance of children with SLD.

Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating the effectiveness of OPC and 4QM interventions on occupational performance and executive function skills as a key prerequisite for goal-directed behaviors and supporting purposeful and meaningful activities in the daily life of children with SLD.

2.1. Study Design

A multiple baseline single-case experimental design was employed to achieve the selected goals of the current study. This study had two phases including baseline and intervention within which assessment of participation in occupational performance and executive function skills was repeated in both phases.

2.2. Participants

Six mothers of children with SLD from special learning problems center No. 1 affiliated to Exceptional Education in Tehran participated in this study. They were randomly divided into three groups. The inclusion criteria for children were (a) ages 7–11 years; (b) diagnosis of SLD by the special learning problems center psychologist approved by the Ministry of Education at the time of registration based on the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5; APA, 2013); (c) having no visual or hearing problems; (d) having at least an intelligence quotient higher than 70 based on the Persian version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth Edition (WISC-IV); and (e) lack of comorbid psychiatric disorder, as measured by the Persian version of Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) and referring to the psychiatrist if there were significant symptoms in CSI-4 [ 38 ].

In the case of mothers, the inclusion criteria were age between 25 and 50 years and being literate. Mothers were excluded if they were responsible for providing care to another disabled person, had more than one child with a disability, or had severe depression according to the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) [ 39 ].

2.3. Measurements

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) was used to measure the intellectual ability of the children in this study [ 40 ]. WISC-IV evaluates the combination of verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. The sum of these four subscales provides the overall level of intelligence or Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ). The Persian version of this intelligence scale has acceptable validity and reliability in Iranian students aged 6 to 16 years [ 41 ] and can be used to accurately measure children with specific learning disorders [ 42 ].

The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was used to determine the therapeutic goals and effectiveness of the intervention on the participation of children in occupational performance [ 43 ]. This scale is a semistructured interview that helps mothers to identify goals in the areas of occupational performance (self-care, productivity, and leisure) that their children have difficulty performing. The participating mother was asked to rate her performance and satisfaction with the selected goals related to her child's activities of daily living on a 10-point score (ranging from 1 = not satisfied to 10=satisfied) [ 44 ]. Two-point change or more indicates a clinically significant change. Content validity of the Persian version of the COPM was 80.95 ± 0.222 [ 45 ].

The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) was used to assess the behavior and metacognitive function of the child in the natural context, such as home or school [ 46 ]. This questionnaire is designed for children aged 5 to 18 years and has been used in a wide range of disorders such as learning disabilities. It consists of 86 items that are divided into 8 separate subscales. The total score of these subscales is named the Global Executive Composite (GEC) which is obtained from the sum of the scores of the two broad scales (behavior regulation index and metacognition index): behavior regulation index (BRI), including inhibition, shifting, and emotional control, and metacognition index (MCI), which includes working memory, initiation, plan/organize organization of materials, and monitoring. The test-retest coefficients in the GEC, BRI, and MCI scales were 0.80, 0.81, and 0.83, respectively [ 47 ]. In examining the internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha coefficient for GEC was 0.86 in the Persian version. The Pearson correlation coefficients for GEC, BRI, and MCI were 0.88, 0.83, and 0.84, respectively [ 48 ].

The Computerized Stroop Color-Word Test (SCWT) [ 49 ] was developed to measure executive function skills such as cognitive flexibility, attention, automation, response inhibition, self-control, and semantic memory. In this neuropsychological test, it takes two seconds to display each stimulus on the computer screen, with a presentation interval of 800 ms between the two stimuli. The stimuli are words with 2 dimensions that include the form of the word and the color of the ink. The answers could be congruent (congruity between the meaning of the word and the color of the ink) or incongruent (differences between the meaning of the word and the color of the ink). The interference score which is considered in this study is calculated as the sum of the Stroop effect (difference between the mean reaction time to incongruent and congruent trials) and Stroop error (difference in the mean number of incongruent and congruent responses). A lower interference score indicates better executive function skills. The Persian version of SCWT software developed by Ravan Tajhiz Sina Company was used in the present study. The internal consistency of reaction times in the three stages was 0.6, 0.83, and 0.97, respectively. Furthermore, internal consistency for error numbers in three stages was also 0.55, 0.78, and 0.79, respectively [ 50 , 51 ].

The computerized version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) [ 52 ] was used to measure executive function skills such as mental flexibility, abstract behavior, set-shifting, and sustained attention. This test includes images in various shapes (circle, triangle, cross, and/or star-shaped), numbers (1 to 4), and colors (green, blue, red, and/or yellow). Perspective error score was considered in the current study, and a higher score indicates poorer executive function skills. This error is observed when the respondent continues to classify the cards based on the previous principle despite the change of principle by the experimenter or to classify the cards based on a false suspicion and insists on his incorrect answer despite receiving false feedback [ 53 , 54 ]. This study used version 64 of WCST software developed by Ravan Tajhiz Sina Company. The test-retest reliability of the WCST among the Iranian population was 0.85 [ 55 ].

2.4. Procedure

According to the inclusion criteria, five boys and one girl were selected from those who were referred to the special learning problems center No. 1 affiliated to Exceptional Education in Tehran. Before entry into the study, all children were tested with the Persian version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) to measure their intellectual ability by a special learning problems center psychologist. Then, mothers were interviewed using the COPM to select three goals related to children's participation in occupational performance. Each goal was also rated according to the two sections of satisfaction and performance by the mothers. Furthermore, mothers complete the BRIEF test as an initial assessment.

After completing the outcome measures, six mothers with their children who participated in this study were randomly divided into three groups, and the children were subjected to repeated assessments in two phases including baseline and intervention [ 56 ]. In the baseline phase, children underwent repeated executive function assessments using the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The first group was evaluated for four weeks (12 sessions), the second group for three weeks (9 sessions), and the third group for two weeks (6 sessions), and the results were recorded [ 57 , 58 ]. In the intervention phase, all mothers individually received Occupation Performance Coaching and the Four-Quadrant Model of Facilitated Learning Interventions. During this period, they were tested six times for executive function according to SCWT and WCST. At the end of the intervention period, mothers score the performance and satisfaction of selected goals in COPM. In addition, mothers complete the BRIEF test as a secondary assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, and the results were recorded.

2.5. OPC and 4QM Program

OPC and 4QM interventions based on the original OPC protocols [ 24 , 59 ] consisted of a total of fourteen 60-minute sessions (10 sessions for OPC and 4 sessions for 4QM), which were provided once a week with the first author, who had ten years of experience in pediatric clinical works.

First, necessary explanations about the effectiveness and importance of OPC and 4QM interventions for participation in occupational performance in SLD children were given to the mothers. To make sure of the adherence and compliance to treatment, the evaluation form of the mothers about their ability to implement the programs of each session and the important issues and suggestions during the implementation was completed. Mothers were not required to leave other interventions such as psychology or their child's school tutorials; however, they should have avoided engaging in other occupational therapy interventions.

All participating mothers received a booklet (including printed forms of OPC and 4QM) designed for this study based on previous experience, with information on OPC and additional suggestions on how to implement the 4QM approach along with OPC and guided discovery to support children's participation in occupational performance.

In the first and second sessions, the details of the interventions were introduced separately and in combination with each other, and the mothers were reminded of the three goals related to the children's occupational performance selected by each mother. In the third and fourth sessions, the problem-solving process began for the first goal by completing the booklet of the OPC (problem-solving process) and 4QM (teaching-learning strategies based on the four-quadrant format) given to the mothers. In this session, the mother was asked to carry out two different actions at least along with teaching-learning strategies of 4QM about the desired goal during the next session. In the fifth and sixth sessions, the first goal was reviewed and the problem-solving process on the second and third goals (one or two for each goal) began. After analyzing each goal using collaborative performance analysis in the OPC approach, 4QM was used for the plan action of that goal. In the seventh to twelfth sessions, progress was reviewed across the three goals. In the thirteenth and fourteenth sessions, the selected goals were reviewed and the necessary points for the end of the intervention sessions were discussed.

OPC approach protocol . The content of 10 sessions of OPC was based on the enabling principles including three domains: emotional support, information exchange, and structure the process.

In the emotional support domain, listening to parents' information and interpretation of the child was performed. Key facilitating actions in this domain were motivators for change, learning needs in implementing change, and previous success in enabling performance, expressing empathy, assisting parents in reframing their perceptions of the child, enabling performance and guiding parents' reflections and choices of action, and encouraging persistence and future independent problem-solving. In the information exchange domain, discussion took place between the parents and the therapist regarding (a) collaborative performance analysis, (b) understanding typical development, (c) impairments and related challenges in children with SLD, (d) teaching and learning strategies, (e) finding and accessing community resources, and (f) implementation of guided discovery in different settings. Goal setting was done by considering exploring available options in the child (motivation, knowledge, and ability), task (steps of task, sequence of steps, and standard expected), and environment (physical and social) sections.

In this part, by discovering the barriers to accomplishing each goal independently and client-centered in the child, environment, and task sections, essential and required executive function skills in the child section were taught by integrating with the task and environment sections to support their children's participation in occupational performance. Also, action planning, figuring out how to carry out the plan, and checking performance and generalization in the structure the process domain were done [ 25 , 27 , 28 ].

4QM protocol . Four sessions of teaching-learning strategies based on 4QM were set in four quadrants during the OPC sessions to achieve the goals that were identified.

In quadrant 1 (task specification), the characteristics and requirements of the task are identified. Strategies are initiated by the facilitator (mother) directly and included explicit instruction/explanation (such as when a mother says to her child: “push your arm through the sleeve”), demonstration (occurs when the mother shows the child how to perform the task), physical patterning (manipulate the child through the entire movement), and lower-order questions (e.g., “what do you do next?”). Attention control and working memory are executive function skills in this quadrant. In quadrant 2 (decision-making), the learner (child) was supported in task performance by encouraging him or her to engage in decision-making processes. Indirect strategies are initiated by the facilitator (mother) and included higher-order questions (e.g., “what might be the problem here?”), feedback (e.g., “Uh-oh, I think there's a problem”), physical prompts (intermittent strategies to ensure motor accuracy using tactile and kinesthetic prompts), nonverbal prompts (e.g., a mother might direct eye gaze at key objects involved in task), and think-aloud modeling (e.g., a mother might comment: “That doesn't seem right. What went wrong there? Maybe if I concentrate on keeping my hand a bit steadier.”). Problem-solving, judgment, reasoning, and decision-making are executive function skills in this quadrant. Quadrant 3 (key points) focused on identifying the steps of the activity and learner- (child) driven processes and highlights direct strategies such as priming (when the child verbally rehearses what he or she will say to the taxi driver while getting out of the taxi), mnemonics (such as acronyms, nonsense phrases, and the use of link words), verbal self-instruction (e.g., a child saying to himself or herself: “I hold it like this and tip it in like that”), visual cues (such as picture cues, computer-generated visual prompts, or mind maps), and kinesthetic self-prompting (strategies enhance the child's attention to a specific action or body part during acquisition skill) that a learner might overtly use to enable his or her performance by focusing on key points. In addition, executive function skills in this quadrant include planning and organizing. Quadrant 4 (autonomy) represents autonomous performance by the learner (child) through indirect strategies such as mental imagery (closing eyes and visualizing doing the task), self-instruction (the use of inner speech to direct the child's actions), self-questioning (the use of inner speech to direct the child's actions), self-monitoring (critiques performance and assesses the need for modification), problem-solving (includes different cognitive processes that are employed to plan, judge, and reason), and automaticity (spontaneous ability to perform a task autonomously). Also, executive function skills in this quadrant include adaptable thinking, self-monitoring, and self-control [ 32 – 34 , 60 ].

2.6. Data Analysis

The effectiveness of the interventions was determined based on the change in the performance and the satisfaction scores of the children with COPM. A change in score of 2 or more in COPM results indicates a clinically significant change [ 61 ].

One of the best methods for data analysis in a single case study is the visual analysis of graph information. For this purpose, first, the data obtained from repeated assessments of executive function skills (SCWT and WCST) in two phases of baseline and intervention were plotted on a graph. In the next step, a line was drawn that exceeds the maximum amount of data in the baseline period and extends in the intervention period. Then, using the statistics of nonoverlap data, it shows the changes in the different phases of the study. Interpretation of the effectiveness of the treatment was performed based on the Percentage of Nonoverlapping Data (PND) according to the following instruction: more than 90% PND means the treatment was very effective; if PND is between 70% and 90%, it means the treatment was effective; if PND is between 50% and 70%, there is ambiguity in the effectiveness of treatment; and PND is less than 50% means that the treatment was ineffective [ 56 ].

Also, in order to investigate the effectiveness of the interventions on BRIEF test subscales (BRI, MI, and GEC), the percentage of changes was used in the intervals between the beginning of the baseline phase (baseline A) with the end of the baseline phase (baseline B) and the end of the baseline phase (baseline B) with the end of the intervention phase. Also, the effect size was obtained using Cohen's d effect through R software, version 3.5.0. This parameter is calculated as the difference of the means of two phases (baseline A and B+baseline B and intervention) divided by the weighted pooled standard deviations of these phases, and Cohen's d = 0.2-0.3, 0.5, and ≥0.8 represent small, medium, and large effect sizes, respectively [ 62 ].

3.1. Participants

Six mothers with their children who met the inclusion criteria were selected. All six children are school-aged children aged 8 to 10.5 years who have been diagnosed with SLD. Children 1 and 3 in group one, children 2 and 5 in group two, and children 4 and 6 in group three were randomly assigned. The mean intelligence quotient (IQ) of all children according to WISC-IV was 89.16 (SD = 6.64). Detailed characteristics of the participating mothers with their children are presented in Table 1 .

Participants' demographic variables at baseline.

Children	Group	Gender	Age (year)	Level of education	Intelligence quotient (full scale)	Mother's age (year)	Mother's education	Mother's job
Child 1	1	Male	8.50	Second	90.00	40.00	Associate	Housewife
Child 2	2	Male	9.50	Third	90.00	44.00	Bachelor	Employee
Child 3	1	Female	10.50	Fourth	90.00	43.00	Bachelor	Housewife
Child 4	3	Male	8	Second	100.00	38.00	Associate	Employee
Child 5	2	Male	8	Second	80.00	41.00	Bachelor	Housewife
Child 6	3	Male	8	Second	85.00	39.00	Associate	Housewife

3.2. Changes in Performance and Satisfaction of Selected Goals

Table 2 shows the selected goals of the mothers of children with SLD in order of importance, as well as the changes in the rating of the children to the chosen goals in the two sections of performance and satisfaction according to COPM.

List of the three goals of each child and rating of children in performance and satisfaction according to the COPM.

Children	3 selected goals in order of importance	Performance			Satisfaction
Children	3 selected goals in order of importance	Baseline A	Baseline B	Intervention	Baseline A	Baseline B	Intervention
Child 1	Cleaning rooms and personal spaces	1	2	10	1	2	10
	Preparing school bag	1	2	10	1	2	10
	Participate in board games	1	2	8	1	2	7
Child 2	Optimal use of TV and mobile	2	3	10	1	2	10
	Do homework	1	3	6	1	3	7
	Cleaning rooms and personal spaces	1	2	10	1	2	10
Child 3	Participate in cultural and artistic activities	1	1	9	2	2	10
	Activity in social institutions	1	2	9	1	3	8
	Attend extracurricular classes	2	4	9	1	3	9
Child 4	Wearing and taking off shoes	1	1	10	2	2	10
	Do homework	1	3	6	1	2	6
	Bathing independently	1	2	10	2	2	10
Child 5	Preparing school bag	2	2	10	2	3	10
	Performing imaginary games	1	3	8	1	2	8
	Participate in board games	2	3	8	2	2	8
Child 6	Select, wear, and take off clothes	2	3	10	1	2	10
	Play with picky toys like Lego	1	2	8	2	3	8
	Do homework	1	2	7	1	2	8

Since in the COPM, a change of two points or more indicates a clinically significant change [ 44 , 61 ], all mothers demonstrated a definitive improvement in both performance and satisfaction for six children at the end of the intervention period. While comparing scores in the baseline period, they did not show a significant difference between the beginning of the baseline phase (baseline A) and its end (baseline B).

3.3. Changes in Executive Function Skills

Executive function changes following SCWT . This study used the interference score as a dependent variable because it informs on the ability of the child to measure mental flexibility, interference, and response inhibition and allows for the analysis of changes in scores. A lower score reflects improved cognitive flexibility and response inhibition. Interference scores in all children in the baseline period changed slightly, and the lines are almost horizontal, indicating stability in the baseline phase before the intervention phase in all children. However, in the intervention phase, the chart shows an upward trend, and the slope and level of the data indicate an improvement in executive functions. PND related to the interference score of SCWT was “effective” (PND = 83.33%) in four of the children (numbers 1, 3, 5, and 6) and “ambiguity in the effectiveness of treatment/medium effectiveness” (PND = 66.67%) in two of the children (numbers 2 and 4). The PND line drawing also confirms the visual analysis of the data ( Figure 1 ).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is OTI2022-4654204.001.jpg

Scores for the executive function according to SCWT.

Executive function changes following WCST . Perspective error score measures set maintenance skills and the ability to flexibly modify incorrect strategies and inhibit incorrect responses. The lower scores of this dependent variable indicate better executive function. PND related to perspective error of WCST was “very effective” (PND = 100%) in three of the children (numbers 2, 3, and 4) and “effective” (PND = 83.33%) in the other three children (numbers 1, 5, and 6). According to the PND line, all six children presented with a score of perspective error during the intervention phase, confirming that the decrease in the score of perspective error was statistically significant ( Figure 2 ).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is OTI2022-4654204.002.jpg

Scores for the executive function according to WCST.

Executive function changes following BRIEF . The results of BRIEF which includes the behavioral regulation Index (BRI), metacognition index (MI), and Global Executive Composite (GEC) showed that all children improved their executive function after the intervention program.

Between baseline phases (baselines A and B), Cohen's d values in BRI, MI, and GEC subscales were calculated to be 0.27, 0.38, and 0.33, respectively, so the effect size of the two base phases in all BRIEF subscales was small (Cohen's d = 0.2-0.3).

After the interventions, Cohen's d values in BRI, MI, and GEC subscales between baseline B and intervention phases were calculated to be 1.40, 1.47, and 1.21, respectively, so the effect size of the end of baseline and intervention phases in all BRIEF subscales was large. (Cohen's d ≥ 0.8).

In addition, percentage changes in the subscale BRIEF scores of each child in the beginning and end phases of the baseline (baselines A and B) and the end of the intervention phase are given in Table 3 .

Executive function changes following BRIEF.

Children	Baseline A (beginning)			Baseline B (end)			Percentage change (%) (baseline A and B)			Cohen's effect size			Intervention			Percentage change (%) (baseline B and intervention)			Cohen's effect size
Children	BRI	MI	GEC	BRI	MI	GEC	BRI	MI	GEC	BRI	MI	GEC	BRI	MI	GEC	BRI	MI	GEC	BRI	MI	GEC
Child 1	54.00	97.00	151.00	52.00	93.00	145.00	-3.70	-4.12	-3.97	0.27	0.38	0.33	45.00	83.00	128.00	-13.46	-10.75	-11.72	1.40	1.47	1.21
Child 2	57.00	100.00	157.00	55.00	96.00	151.00	-3.50	-4	-3.82				43.00	76.00	119.00	-21.81	-20.83	-21.19
Child 3	53.00	94.00	147.00	50.00	89.00	139.00	-5.66	-5.31	-5.44				42.00	75.00	117.00	-16	-15.73	-15.82
Child 4	75.00	118.00	193.00	72.00	113.00	185.00	-4	-4.23	-4.14				60.00	100.00	160.00	-16.66	-11.50	-13.51
Child 5	48.00	85.00	133.00	46.00	81.00	127.00	-4.16	-4.70	-4.51				36.00	63.00	99.00	-21.73	-22.22	-22.04
Child 6	60.00	100.00	160.00	57.00	97.00	154.00	-5	-3	-3.75				50.00	83.00	133.00	-12.28	-14.43	-13.63

Abbreviations: BRI: behavioral regulation index; MI: metacognition index; GEC: Global Executive Composite.

4. Discussion

This study investigated the effects of OPC and 4QM interventions on occupational performance of selected goals and executive function skills for children with SLD. As indicated by mothers' rating in performance and satisfaction based on COPM, all children have shown significant improvement by increasing two or more points on the selected goals. Furthermore, the results of SCWT and WCST showed stability in the baseline phase, before the intervention phase for each child. All children demonstrated a slope in executive function skills during the intervention phase with a tendency toward improvement. Also, percentage changes and Cohen's d value in the BRIEF test subscales showed that the effect size changed from a small effect in the baseline period to a large effect at the end of the intervention period.

The results of the performance and satisfaction scores based on COPM are consistent with the studies by Ahmadi Kahjoogh et al. and Jamali et al., which showed the engagement of mothers in the process of problem-solving related to their children's occupational performance based on the OPC approach [ 26 , 63 ]. In addition to increasing mothers' motivation and learning needs, they play an active role in achieving their children's goals and may be an important part of the effectiveness of interventions. The development of specific skills required for occupational performance in our study was done using 4QM which confirms the study of Sohlberg et al. about the effectiveness of the systematic instruction approach [ 36 ]. Furthermore, our results also support Juntorn et al.'s study which indicated that systematic prompts of 4QM were used to improve the ability of mothers to recall information about how to sequence steps needed for their child's goals [ 35 ]. Occupational therapists believe that for health and well-being as the core of the ICF-CY, there must be a balance in the occupational performance areas such as self-care, productivity, and leisure [ 64 ]. Thus, we think that using measurements that can analyze everyday occupations in detail may be more beneficial for rehabilitation goals. In this sense, COPM, which helps to assess mothers' perceptions of their child with SLD, can be a guide for creating family-centered interventions using OPC as a problem-solving approach and 4QM as a learning facilitator tool.

At the baseline stage, the children's executive function skills on SCWT and WCST did not change significantly (PND was less than 50%), and this indicates that the time variable or learning effect did not affect repeated administration of SCWT and WCST in three different periods of baseline for these children.

Unlike the baseline phase, at the end of the intervention phase, PND related to SCWT (interference score) and WCST (perspective error) was more than 50% which may be an indicator of the effectiveness of OPC and 4QM interventions on the executive function skills. Our results are similar to findings from studies indicating that there is a significant correlation between executive function skills and occupational performance areas [ 14 , 65 , 66 ]. Therefore, using a top-down approach, the child was helped to perform daily life activities independently and improved executive function skills such as cognitive flexibility, attention, response inhibition, automation, semantic memory, and self-control based on the SCWT and WCST components. Occupational therapists may help mothers of children with SLD resolve problems in their child's occupational performance and provide occupation-based interventions to improve executive function skills through engaging them in meaningful and purposeful activities.

The findings of BRIEF as a parent-report instrument suggested that children's executive function skills in everyday life and various activities had a significant improvement after receiving OPC and 4QM interventions through their mothers [ 46 ]. The significant changes in executive function skills found by this method indicated that the changes in executive function skills can be generalized and transferred to different life situations. In the light of these statements, the OPC and 4QM interventions used in this study likely had the characteristics of generalization of skill, which can lead to improving mothers' perspectives of their children's executive function skills in everyday situations. In addition, one of the parts of the problem-solving process in OPC is a generalization and the fourth quadrant of the 4QM also includes problem-solving and thinking strategies; therefore, it seems that the child achieves autonomy in one goal by generalization to other contexts. This seems to be in agreement with the findings of Juntorn et al. and Jamali et al. [ 35 , 63 ].

Finally, participation in everyday activities is an important aspect of the occupational performance of children with SLD. The OPC approach seems to be an efficient approach to be used as a family-centered, occupation-based, and solution-focused intervention to promote participation in everyday activities. Adding 4QM to OPC, in addition to strengthening mothers' awareness of their learning needs and self-efficacy, may help them better understand their child's level of learning and strive to achieve their occupational performance goals. In summary, considering the effects of participation in occupational performance on executive functions, it appears important to know the relationship between everyday occupations and executive function skills, especially when planning occupational therapy interventions.

4.1. Limitations and Suggestions

This study was conducted employing a single-case experimental design and has limited generalizations. It is suggested that in future studies, the effectiveness of the OPC and 4QM interventions in larger sample size and using a control group that only received OPC is examined. This would help to increase the level of evidence and, therefore, the level of generalizability of the results to other similar groups and in other settings such as home, school, and community. The conditions of the studied participants should be examined for longer periods after the intervention to understand the level of stability of the results, level of generalization, and transfers of the learned skills to new tasks and other activities of daily living.

5. Conclusion

The single-case design study investigated the effects of OPC and 4QM interventions on participation in occupational performance and executive function skills of children with SLD. The results of this study indicated that OPC and 4QM interventions were beneficial to enhancing scores of performance and satisfaction with identified goals by mothers for the participation of their children along with executive function abilities.

Acknowledgments

The authors are sincerely grateful to teachers in the Learning Disorder Center No. 1 Related to Exceptional Education located in Tehran City. They also thank all the participating patients for their sincere cooperation. This work was supported by the Iran University of Medical Sciences (grant number: IR.IUMS.REC.1400.060).

Data Availability

Ethical approval.

This project was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Iran University of Medical Sciences (IR.IUMS.REC.1400.060).

This project was completed as part of Amin Ghaffari's PhD thesis in occupational therapy.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Authors' Contributions

All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

The Four Quadrants for Introductions and as a Tool for Problem Solving and Self-Reflection

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The Four Quadrants for Introductions and as a Tool for Problem Solving and Self-Reflection

The 4 Quadrants approach starts with everyone drawing lines on a piece of paper to create 4 quadrants. No shock there. Then, the convenor asks participants to DRAW responses to 4 posed questions (I’ll get to those in a moment). No words; drawings only. Participants are given 10 minutes to prepare their drawings. And then, each attendee has two minutes to share their drawings.

Now, the questions for which the answers are drawn (as in actual drawing) can be varied and they can be adapted to the audience. At the event I attended (and my drawings are above) we were asked: (1) What do you hope to get out of this convening? (2) What do you bring to this convening? (3) What was a defining moment in your professional or personal life? and (4) What was a moment of great pride in your professional or personal life?

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Karen Gross

Higher education expert.

Karen is an educator and an author. Prior to becoming a college president, she was a tenured law professor for two plus decades. Her academic areas of expertise include trauma, toxic stress, consumer finance, overindebtedness and asset building in low income communities. She currently serves as Senior Counsel at Finn Partners Company. From 2011 to 2013, She served (part and full time) as Senior Policy Advisor to the US Department of Education in Washington, DC. She was the Department's representative on the interagency task force charged with redesigning the transition assistance program for returning service members and their families. From 2006 to 2014, she was President of Southern Vermont College, a small, private, affordable, four-year college located in Bennington, VT. In Spring 2016, she was a visiting faculty member at Bennington College in VT. She also teaches part-time st Molly Stark Elementary School, also in Vt. She is also an Affiliate of the Penn Center for MSIs. She is the author of adult and children’s books, the most recent of which are titled Breakaway Learners (adult) and Lucy’s Dragon Quest. Karen holds a bachelor degree in English and Spanish from Smith College and Juris Doctor degree (JD) in Law from Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law.

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For New Ideas, Think Inside (This) Box

June 25, 2024 • 7 min read.

In this Nano Tool for Leaders, Penn's David Resnick offers guidance on using helpful constraints to unlock new solutions to old problems.

3d rendering of a bright lightbulb coming out of a box

Nano Tools for Leaders® — a collaboration between Wharton Executive Education and Wharton’s Center for Leadership and Change Management — are fast, effective tools that you can learn and start using in less than 15 minutes, with the potential to significantly impact your success and the engagement and productivity of the people you lead.

Harness constraints and analogies to unlock new solutions to old problems.

Traditional brainstorming, as coined by Alex Osborne in the 1950s, asks participants to consider any and all ideas that might solve a problem. While blue-sky, no-limits thinking has several benefits, the drawback is that leaders often, paradoxically, get stuck. They encounter challenges like the “curse of the blank page,” not knowing where to start because they can start anywhere. They may also face the “ Einstellung effect ,” a phenomenon whereby the easy recollection of familiar solutions can block their ability to think of new ones.

This has led some to (erroneously) believe that generating solutions is best left to people who are naturally creative. The good news is that there are tools that can help one become much better at generating new ideas. The even better news is that using these tools does not involve extensive training or attending workshops. In fact, one tool developed at Penn Medicine’s Center for Health Care Transformation and Innovation is a simple card game , and the “secret sauce” it teaches is how to leverage constraints and analogies. The Accelerators in Innovation game has teams of players use accelerator cards to create new kinds of solutions with questions such as “How would you solve postpartum depression if you operated like IKEA?” and “How might you tackle long emergency room wait times if you were Warren Buffet?” The solutions are then applied to problems presented on challenge cards while trying to avoid monkey wrenches from their opponents. After rapid-fire pitches, the judge determines each round’s winner.

Action Steps

1. make sure you are solving a problem..

Don’t solve for how to implement a solution. A classic example involved a design team brought in to figure out how to increase access to incubators. The issue is that the solution was already baked in (increase access to incubators). The team spent some time reframing the problem to focus on the true issue: ensuring that newborns are kept at a safe temperature, especially when delivery occurs in places with little or no access to electricity. Reframing to focus on the actual problem opened the team to entirely different solutions.

2. Leverage analogies.

Having to pull ideas out of thin air can be difficult and stressful. Analogies force us to consider other options or perspectives we may never have thought of, or thought of and dismissed. They cause us to ask ourselves “What is good about this other solution and how might it be applied to solving the problem I’m facing?” Examples include:

Think about successful companies and how their strengths could be applied to your problem. For example, IKEA is phenomenal at clearly explaining to people with limited background knowledge and literacy how to do something. So how might IKEA go about explaining post-op care to knee replacement patients?

Similarly, try using personas. Mary Poppins is renowned for making an unpleasant experience a delightful one. Mr. Rogers is known for his commitment to leveraging the kindness of neighbors. Darth Vader’s approach to getting things done is a ruthless level punishment for those who fail. Regardless of whom you choose, you can use the strengths or philosophies of these characters to inspire ideas. How might Mary Poppins improve adherence to physical therapy regimens? How might Darth Vader?

3. Leverage constraints.

Constraints are, unintuitively, another great way to force new thinking. Some options are:

How might you solve a problem if you were forced to delete a crucial (but perhaps onerous or costly) step of the process? Great examples are “How might tollbooths collect fees without a human there to do it?” (FastPass) or “How might people get their rental car if there was no line to wait in?” (Hertz Gold).

Design for extremes

How might you solve the problem if you had to solve for extreme use cases or extreme targets? For example, what would it take to screen 100 percent of eligible patients for colon cancer? How might you reduce civilian traffic fatalities to zero?

Real-world issues

Apply real-world constraints that have thrown a monkey wrench in your plans for past ideas. For example, how might you create a new marketing campaign that must be successful for consumers who do not speak English? How might you build a new product to launch on time even if multiple team members take a sabbatical or parental leave?

Focus on solving for how to make your solution delightful to users. This isn’t about making something silly or fun. It’s about surprising your users in a manner that unexpectedly accomplishes something for them.

4. Push for volume.

An additional benefit to Penn Medicine’s Accelerators card game is that it encourages multiple rounds to hear multiple ideas. When thinking of solutions, push for volume in your initial rounds. You’ll soon “use up” the ideas that come to mind easily and be forced to consider more creative or audacious alternatives.

5. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Another key component of generating ideas while playing a game is that it allows for laughter and a sense of play. This mindset can foster creativity and an atmosphere of psychological safety for sharing ideas.

How One Leader Uses It

Rebecca Trotta, PhD, director of the Center for Nursing Excellence at Penn, leveraged this tool in developing a new program to support older adults after hospitalization. Her challenge was to build a service that could provide intensive at-home support. Despite an existing evidence-based protocol, there was concern that patient acceptance of this support would be low. Many folks are simply exhausted after being in the hospital and don’t want someone in their home. Using the constraint of solving for “delight,” Trotta and her team came up with the idea of delivering home meals to these patients and their caregivers.

While it might appear as a frivolous and seemingly useless expense, it turned out that after spending days (and sometimes weeks) in the hospital, patients came home to fridges that were empty or full of spoiled food. Providing them with a meal ensured they had adequate nutrition. More importantly, though, the meals showed a sense of caring and thoughtfulness that went well beyond patients’ expectations. It built a strong sense of trust that paid dividends in drastically increasing the acceptance of home services compared to baseline.

Contributor to this Nano Tool

David Resnick, MPH, MSEd, Senior Innovation Manager at Penn Medicine’s Center for Health Care Transformation and Innovation. Accelerators in Health Care card game co-created with Michael Begley, MA, Senior Experience Consultant at EPAM Systems, and Visiting Professor and Assistant Program Director of Masters of UX at Thomas Jefferson University.

Knowledge in Action: Related Executive Education Programs

Effective Decision Making: Thinking Critically and Rationally
The Neuroscience of Business: Innovations in Leadership and Strategic Decisions
Mastering Innovation: Strategy, Process, and Tools
Business Model Innovation in the Age of AI

Additional Resources

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Do We Need Language to Think?

A group of neuroscientists argue that our words are primarily for communicating, not for reasoning.

Two computer images of brains with various parts of each highlighted in red, orange and yellow.

By Carl Zimmer

For thousands of years, philosophers have argued about the purpose of language. Plato believed it was essential for thinking. Thought “is a silent inner conversation of the soul with itself,” he wrote.

Many modern scholars have advanced similar views. Starting in the 1960s, Noam Chomsky, a linguist at M.I.T., argued that we use language for reasoning and other forms of thought. “If there is a severe deficit of language, there will be severe deficit of thought,” he wrote .

As an undergraduate, Evelina Fedorenko took Dr. Chomsky’s class and heard him describe his theory. “I really liked the idea,” she recalled. But she was puzzled by the lack of evidence. “A lot of things he was saying were just stated as if they were facts — the truth,” she said.

Dr. Fedorenko went on to become a cognitive neuroscientist at M.I.T., using brain scanning to investigate how the brain produces language. And after 15 years, her research has led her to a startling conclusion: We don’t need language to think.

“When you start evaluating it, you just don’t find support for this role of language in thinking,” she said.

When Dr. Fedorenko began this work in 2009, studies had found that the same brain regions required for language were also active when people reasoned or carried out arithmetic.

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