Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Creative Problem Solving Infographic - Works with More than Just Product Development

I found this infographic on Mashable Business.  
from Mashable Business - by Ronald Brown
I kind of feel like we have TOO many process frameworks to choose from at times.  But I like this one. I like that its NOT specifically designed for eLearning developers.  Yet, I think it fits nicely into what we do.

For example, we talk a lot about the A in the ADDIE model, Analysis.  But nobody every really breaks that down into what analysis actually means.  I would argue in this model that steps ONE to SIX are ALL part of analysis...maybe starting to flow into design a little.

I LOVE 4 and 5.  I think disconnecting (4) is something I do naturally when it comes to projects.  And that sounds VERY counter-intuitive, I know.  A more analytical mind would call this "unproductive", when in fact it's when the best mental work begins to happen.  I can't prove it, but I've heard similar stories from other creatives.

Number 5 is priceless in it's definition.  "Wait for an idea to appear." BRILLIANT!  Some might argue that you need to MAKE things happens.  I'm not a big fan of forcing the natural creative process.  However, sometimes you have no choice and you need to be creative RIGHT NOW!  I get that.  And sometimes those constraints can influence a different kind of creativity.  But in general the BEST ideas I've had always festered in the back of my mind for a while, incubating, before something popped.  And that's number 5, RETRIEVE.  But I like "Waiting for something to pop" ;-)


3 comments:

Kelly Meeker said...

Great post and great infographic. I especially love your point about collecting data points and letting your unconscious mind process the information and recognize a pattern. I knew my intuition was good for something.

bschlenker said...

Isn't it interesting how project management systems don't take the chaotic nature of creativity into consideration? We try so hard to put everything into nice neat little rows and timelines, and creativity just doesn't happen that way. At least not in my experience. It's too hard for managers to be comfortable with "wait for an idea to appear" because they've never had it happen that way and they can't trust that it WILL happen.
On the flip side, however, certain constraints like time and resources, CAN "force" a different kind of creativity. Managers can count on SOMETHING being complete, but you can't necessarily count on the solution being the most creative...it's just DONE.
:)

Michael Abrams said...

This post challenges my thinking....so I really like it. I have used the general ADDIE model in my various roles of managing software engineers as well as learning designer/developers. ADDIE is a nice simple structure and easy to translate...I know, I know, preaching to the choir. However, I do love a framework that challenges my thinking like the one you listed.

As I mull this over, Im pondering two things. There are times when we are on a project and time/budget are very tight. Of course this means scope shrinks and creative possibilities do too. However, parallel to this is the ongoing exploration of proactively seeking better ways to learn. When noone has asked for it yet, but you are searching for it. I wonder if the model above works for those times when time is not pressed. Allowing for creative 'mulling' to occur and ideas to bloom. Just a thought. Thanks for sharing.