The other day I was talking to a friend who is currently trying to solve a major technical problem of a product. From what he mentioned this problem had already been challenging others for some years. He did not know where to start due to the complexity of the task. I am no engineer but at my work I have had to solve complex problems too, so I mentioned my approach to him.

Until today I had never thought about the process I followed since it always appeared to me as an exercise of common sense and keeping an open mind.

An Open Mind

Whatever you try to solve, start out with an open mind. I mean by this to start out with the following assumptions:

• Everything can be improved but first it must be understood
• You are not the first one who has had this problem
• There may already be a different approach that can work
• You do not know everything
• Sometimes a good solution is better than a perfect solution
• There is no such thing as a dumb question

By keeping an open mind and not taking things for granted you are capable of three things: Continue reading →