Introduction to Problem Solving Method
Have a Problem?
*
We have something better than a solution; we have a
Problem-Solving Method
That you can use to solve your problem!
Problem solving is
an important skill for engineering education and professional practice. Therefore, I have prepared a brief
introduction to problem solving, which will enable you to perform well in your
studies and hopefully, encourage you to dig deeper into learning materials.
Here are the
lessons, which consist of a short introduction to the topic and coverage of
each of the six steps in the McMaster Problem Solving method. A sample engineering problem is introduced
and solved as part of the coverage of the six steps.
|
Lesson Number |
Title |
Link to
e-lesson |
|
1 |
Introduction –
Why is Problem Solving Important to me? |
|
|
2 |
Step 1 – Engage,
manage your emotions |
|
|
3 |
Step 2 – Define,
set goals and boundaries |
|
|
4 |
Step 3 –
Explore, build your understanding |
|
|
5 |
Step 4 – Plan,
Diagnose the system & find the problem |
|
|
6 |
Step 5 – Implement,
Solve the identified problem |
|
|
7 |
Step 6 –
Evaluate, monitor to ensure solution |
|
Captioning
If you need live
captioning of these lessons, you can activate live captioning on your
browser. See the following for instructions.
Google Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/10538231?hl=en
Live captioning is
also available on many mobile phones.
Learn how to activate on your phone.
References
References are
given in each of the lessons. Additional
references for further study are given in the following.
Fogler, Scott and
Steven LeBlanc, Strategies for Creative Problem Solving Third Edition, Prentice
Hall, Upper Saddle River, 2013
Woods, Donald,
Successful Trouble Shooting for Process Engineers, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH, 2006
* Figure designed by macrovector / Freepik