A session on Problem Solving was held for Doctoral Students of Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies on 19th November, 2022. The resource person was Dr. Umesh Dutta (Director, MRIIC) who has vast experience in training research scholars in turning their ideas into viable products.
He emphasized on correctly identifying and defining the problem as the fundamental building blocks of Problem Solving. Identifying the problem should include observing real world challenges and Defining the problem should then follow it up with clearly indicating the key metrics associated with the problem from multiple perspectives.
The ultimate objective of solving a problem was to create an entity that is:
- Viable
- Desirable
- Feasible
Viability was explained as the ability of the solution to work towards solving the problem and continue performing the task it was designed for. Desirability consisted of the solution’s ability to actually connect with the need and solve it. Feasibility was expressed as the solution being pragmatic and financially conducive.
The students were then informed about the most fundamental approach in any problem solving and design thinking challenge which is the Double Diamond Process which includes:
- Discover
- Define
- Develop
- Deliver
All the above pointers were explained in detail and followed up with a practical example to solve a problem statement given about a hypothetical enterprise ‘Discount Mart’. A novel approach of looking at problem statements from the data point of view in an increasingly digitizing world was shared with the students.
A Software for Data Visualization called Tableau was also introduced additionally to help in visualizing the data associated with problems so that targeted solutions could be developed with efficiency and be supported by detailed analyses. The students were grateful for the learning opportunity and showed aptitude for handling problem solving creatively in their domain.