problem-solving

In the previous blog I described how the numbers of the Enneagram are the sequence in which humans would naturally solve problems.  As an engineering manager, when I was challenged to address some large structural problems like the type I described in the first blog of this series, I looked to the Enneagram to provide [...]

In the previous blog, I provided you with a link to a blog about a problem-solving tool that I am describing in detail on the SD Forum Engineering Leadership SIG (ELSIG) blog site: http://sdforumelsig.blogspot.com/search?q=matt+schlegel
And, while you will find the steps of that problem-solving approach in the ELSIG blog, I include them here for your reference:
 
 
1. [...]

I am writing a book. I plan to finish writing this book by the end of March 2010, and  plan to publish it by the end of March 2011. Those are my big goals.  The book is about solving problems, and not just any problem, but solving a specific class of problems. It is the [...]

Horror Story No. 3:
Buried Alive in a Project Graveyard

What to do when the answer is 6 ft under:

After two years of problem solving with nothing to show for it, my Manager finally handed me a new project.  “What I need is a breakthrough, and it’s your job to make it happen.” 
The Horror: As I [...]

This week, in anticipation of Halloween, I asked several of my project management friends to give me their PM Horror Stories.  Of course the names and faces have been masked to protect the innocent.  But hold on to your Trick-or-Treat bags as there are some truly scary lessons to be learned as we move into: [...]

One question I get at least once a week is, “Why are you so involved in project management? You’re not a project manager!”
For some reason, people think of project management as a discrete occupation. You have a software upgrade? You need a new oil drilling platform? Call a project manager! [...]

The second tray of my toolbox has two compartments, one for key components of various project management methodologies/ approaches, and one for facilitation exercises.  The number of variables per project ensures that every project will be unique: a standard methodology does nothing to change this, though most do their best to control them (control change? [...]

Five Whys provides a structured yet simple approach to solving problems as they occur during a project and can provide a framework for a team to work through complex problems. It is a simple process at its core. 

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