A problem solving method using context types

Many shortfalls in problem solving can with hindsight be attributed to applying the wrong approach for the specific problem and its situation or context. Having identified a problem it can then be both a challenge to determine strategies that will succeed in its solution and also to communicate the value of what is proposed to gain acceptance of the way forward. We encourage a “systems approach”, but how do we determine the particular approach to take for problems as diverse as the next airplane concept compared with improving the UK National Health Service? The challenge addressed in this paper is to select an approach based upon both an understanding of the problem context and an identification of the severity of the problem in terms of the risk it poses to the problem solver. This paper proposes a method based on “Context types” characterized by four-quadrant matrices. It allows the assignment of qualitative risk to a problem which in turn allows the user to tailor a problem solving approach accordingly. Some Context types are derived from existing concepts of systems thinking, but others are devised in order to provide a more comprehensive analysis of complex problems.