You can’t solve a problem unless you can get to the cause—and sometimes there’s more than one. In this course, learn techniques for identifying the root cause of a problem, generating options, and selecting the best solution. Chris Croft takes you through several methods for identifying what’s actually causing a problem, including looking at the whole system when a problem is actually a symptom of a larger issue. He also explains how to generate potential solutions using mind maps and decision trees, how to boost your creativity to help you come up with more insightful options, and how to use both logic and your intuition to select the right solution to your problem.

Topics include:

• Identifying the real problem
• Generating possible solutions
• Brainstorming
• Boosting your creativity
• Using your intuition and logic
• Selecting the best solution
• Considering implementation

• Introduction
• 1. Identify the real problem
• 2. Generate Possible Solutions
• 3. Selecting the Best Solution
• Conclusion

Lecturer turned thought leader Chris Croft has trained 80,000 people in project management and leadership.

Chris has also provided instruction on time management and negotiation, and has trained two million people on Lynda.com and LinkedIn Learning. He comes from an operations background, having earned an engineering degree from Cambridge, qualified as a chartered engineer, and worked as a senior manager in manufacturing for 10 years. He earned an MBA and worked as a university lecturer at Bournemouth University Business School for four years before starting his own training company in 1992. Since then, he has been in constant demand as a speaker, and his free email tips are sent to over 20,000 people.

His website, www.chriscroft.co.uk, offers a free email tip of the month, a wide-ranging and unusual blog, and free instant guides. Chris has also created numerous free iPhone and Android apps, notably his Jobs To Do app and his Daily Happiness Tips app.

His book Time Management is available from Amazon and most bookshops. He has eleven other “instant guide mini-books” at www.lulu.com and on Amazon Kindle Store, and recently published The Big Book of Happiness for the Kindle, as well as the rather eccentric Management Vegetables.