Final answer:
Identifying symptoms and problems, noting the knowns and unknowns, and evaluating solution effectiveness are steps in problem-solving. In business, symptoms like declining sales can be traced to specific problems. Decision criteria such as improved sales must be met to consider a problem solved.
Step-by-step explanation:
When identifying main symptoms and mapping them to problems, and establishing decision criteria, you first need to understand the nature of the problem. Recognizing symptoms is a primary step, but diagnosing the root cause is essential for effective problem-solving. The decision criteria are the standards you'll use to evaluate the success of the solutions applied.
Problem-Solving Steps
Enumerate all the unknowns: Determine what information is missing that you need to solve the problem.
For example, in a business context, the symptoms might be declining sales, low customer satisfaction, high employee turnover, and increasing operational costs. These could map to problems such as an outdated product line, poor customer service, a toxic work culture, or inefficient processes.
Decision Criteria
Once you have solutions in place, you'll evaluate them against criteria such as increased sales, improved customer satisfaction surveys, reduced employee turnover rates, and lower operational costs. This evaluation should tell you whether or not you have effectively addressed the problems.
The essential part of this strategy is to remain organized and analytical, carefully mapping symptoms to their root causes, and preparing a clear set of decision criteria to measure success.