I was reminded of a very important little book by George Pólya, a Hungarian mathematician who devised a set of heuristics for problem solving. Most people who have studied math at the university level will have encountered this book. I came across it as I was working on my own heuristics to explain problem solving to university students who worked for me.
Pólya is focused on mathematical problems but his method strongly overlapped with mine and leaving out the maths-specific content it is entirely applicable to any engineering problem.
He offers four steps:
1. Understand the Problem
2. Devise a Plan
3. Carry out the Plan
4. Review/Extend
For each step, he offers techniques. Even the Wikipedia article has enough detail to the useful. Obviously his book is even more so.
I learned that people often simply don't know how to go about solving a problem. Having a system is very helpful. Most successful engineers will automatically use some form or the Pólya system, so you will probably recognize your own methods, and maybe learn some new ones.
What heuristics have you found useful in problem solving? What tricks do you use when things bog down and progress isn't being made?
Pólya is focused on mathematical problems but his method strongly overlapped with mine and leaving out the maths-specific content it is entirely applicable to any engineering problem.
He offers four steps:
1. Understand the Problem
2. Devise a Plan
3. Carry out the Plan
4. Review/Extend
For each step, he offers techniques. Even the Wikipedia article has enough detail to the useful. Obviously his book is even more so.
I learned that people often simply don't know how to go about solving a problem. Having a system is very helpful. Most successful engineers will automatically use some form or the Pólya system, so you will probably recognize your own methods, and maybe learn some new ones.
What heuristics have you found useful in problem solving? What tricks do you use when things bog down and progress isn't being made?