Troubleshoots
One of the most complex planning tasks within an organization is problem solving. " Problem solving can be defined as the process of identifying a difference between the current state of affairs and the desired state and then taking action to reduce or eliminate the difference (Anderson, 2004)."
In order to successfully carry out this activity, the administrator in charge of solving the situation must be highly trained and prepared, in addition to having tools that facilitate and expedite this procedure. Solving problems is usually one of the best paid jobs in any industrial genre, however, it is not easy to find the cause or causes that cause lack of control, so the time factor becomes a variable of great weight that must be taken into account., due to the large monetary losses that could be generated.
When the company is about to solve a problem, the first thing to do is identify what type of problem it is, whether it is reasoning, difficulties or conflicts.
Classification of Problems
• Reasoning Problems: To solve this type of problem, the use of logic and reasoning is required, where most of the time it is necessary to apply mathematical tools to solve it.
• Difficulty Problems: This type of problem is characterized by having knowledge of the answer, however, there are usually oppositions or difficulties in executing it.
• “Problems of Conflicts: They are those that we have because of the opposition of the will of others, either because they do not understand us or because they oppose our projects with animosity (Espíndola, 2005)”.
Problem Solving Process
Once the type of problem has been detected, a thorough analysis is necessary, breaking down each of the seven steps in the troubleshooting process:
1. Define the Problem: A collection of information must be made about the different elements involved and the way in which they are related. In this step, the personnel in charge must define the limitations and restrictions that it has to solve the situation.
2. Identify Alternatives: Some creative ideas are developed that can solve the assumption, exploring all kinds of possibilities, no matter how unrealistic they may be.
3. Determine the Criteria: Select the criterion or criteria that will be used to evaluate the alternatives. It should be taken into account that regardless of the alternative that is chosen, it must meet the objective.
4. Evaluate the Alternatives: It consists of making an analysis of the alternatives that can be productive and achievable, since some are usually attractive, but putting them into practice can be impossible or counterproductive.
5. Choose an Alternative: Once all the possible alternatives have been evaluated, you should choose the one that is convenient. This decision can be difficult, however, there are certain tools that can facilitate the operation.
6. Implement the Decision: The implementation of the previously made decision requires resources and a person to direct how it will be implemented.
7. Evaluate the Results: An evaluation of the implemented decision is carried out, to determine if the change is fulfilling the proposed objectives, since if not, the entire problem solving process must be applied once again, until the objective is met.
On some occasions, by applying this process, the objective may be achieved, but it is necessary to determine how it was achieved, that is, to determine whether the decision was optimal or the decision was satisfactory. In the first case, it is said that the decision generated an optimal result, while in the second case the problem was solved, producing a minimum level of satisfaction.
Decision making
One of the fundamental elements to carry out the planning process is decision making. Choosing between one alternative or another is one of the most difficult tasks for any administrator, due to the complexity of the problems that usually occur within an organization, however, difficult problems do not always occur, but can also occur repeatedly and consequently, they tend to be easier.
Taking into account the above, there is a first classification of decisions, which can be:
• Non-Program Decisions: Non-program decisions or also non-routine calls are those that arise when a problem becomes too complex or when the administrator rarely faces them.
• Scheduled Decisions: Scheduled decisions are usually repetitive, that is, a similar problem has already existed before and is resolved according to a specific process previously established.
"A properly planned and structured organization reduces the number of unscheduled decisions possible through hundreds of policies to help managers react when faced with a particular problem (Dubrin, 2000)," however, most companies they lack a guide to make decisions, since in almost all cases, it is the owner of the institution who makes the decisions, preventing the staff from getting involved and learning to solve problems.
Decisions at Hierarchical Levels
Whenever decision-making at hierarchical levels is taken into account, it is defined that the higher the position, the decisions become more complicated and of greater weight. Decisions are also described from the business point of view, where they can be "Global, Functional, Departmental or Operational (MAPCAL, 1995)".
• Global Decisions: These are those decisions that are made and that impact the entire company, such as profitability, company positioning, general guidelines, etc.
• Functional Decisions: Those that refer to the great functions that exist in the company, such as production, sales, marketing, accounting and finance, etc.
• Departmental Decisions: These are related to the activities carried out in the various departments mentioned above, such as quality control, sales, delegations, etc.
• Operational Decisions: They are directly linked to the activities carried out daily by personnel at the company's operational level, such as machinery operators, vendors, drivers, secretaries, etc.
The Decision Process
The decision-making process must be a thoroughly studied method that allows the alternative to be successfully reached. Although it seems easy, few managers take the steps that are necessary and often fail, causing their companies to lose large amounts of money by taking the wrong alternative.
The decision-making methodology is previously described in the problem-solving process, however, for the decision-making process only the first five steps are taken into account, summarizing that the decision-making process is a part of the problem solving.
Main Techniques for Decision Making
Decision tree
“A decision tree is a possible representation of the decision processes involved in inductive classification tasks. Attributes are used to create partitions from sample sets; the tree nodes correspond to the names or identifiers of the attributes, while the branches of a node represent the possible values of the attribute associated with the node. The sheets are already classified sets of examples.
The tree construction strategy consists of selecting at all times the attribute that is potentially most useful for classification, understanding as such the one that promises to generate the best tree from this moment on (Moreno, 1994) ”.
Practice of the Five Why?
"One way to motivate good decision making under conditions of great uncertainty is to make people think more broadly and deeply about problems, rather than based on a superficial understanding and an initial response. In each problem, employees learn to ask "Why? not just once, but five times.
The first because it generally produces a superficial explanation of the problem and each subsequent because it examines in more depth the causes of the problem and the potential solutions (Daft, 2006) ”.
Brainstorming / Filtering
Brainstorming or Brainstorming is a tool that is used to generate ideas through a consensus between several individuals to deal with a specific issue or problem. The generation of ideas will help generate a series of alternatives that will serve to make a decision as a group to solve a problem. This process consists of a series of steps, where in addition to generating ideas, a filter must be made to choose the best of them, which will later become one, which will be applied to compose or improve a situation within a organization.
Stages of Brainstorming / Filtering
• Stage 1: Prepare for Brainstorming. It includes setting a session time limit, appointing a group moderator, and defining the rules for the activity.
• Stage 2: Selection of the Brainstorming Method. You can choose between random or sequential. In the first, the members will mention their ideas as they occur to them, and in the second, each member mentions their idea in turn.
• Stage 3: Generation of Ideas. Start the process of mentioning ideas in each of the participants to solve or improve a problem.
• Stage 4: Creation of Filters. Establishment of criteria or restrictions to evaluate alternatives, either to eliminate them or to include some others.
• Stage 5: Apply Filters. Filters are applied to each of the ideas mentioned by the participants, where alternatives that do not comply with the restrictions will be eliminated.
• Stage 6: End the Session. Analyze the ideas that have approved the filter and ensure that all team members agree with the proposed ideas.
Main Factors that Influence Decision Making
Environment Factors
• Information: The amount of information that is available, makes you have a greater degree of certainty or not to make a decision. If we have little information there will be greater risk and if you have a lot of information there will be less risk. To determine the amount of information, “we have to formulate and answer the following questions: What information is needed? Who needs it? Where do you need it? When do you need it? Why do you need it? In what form do you need it? How much does this information cost? (Mateo, 1999) ”.
• Time: “It is a factor that runs against the company and that negatively influences decision-making, since it can cause us to rush and not be consistent with the choice (Costumeno, 2007)”
Personal factors
• Experience: When the person who will be in charge of making the decision has a certain degree of experience, they tend to use resources more effectively and take better advantage of external factors to achieve objectives.
• Capacity: There are certain people who have greater capacity and ability to make decisions. One of the main reasons why they select a better alternative is because they know how to perfectly manage the company's resources and know how to work under pressure.
Conclusions
Finally, the way in which the two themes are related are summarized with a diagram, which shows that the decision-making process is a part of problem solving.
Problem solving and decision making are two topics that are widely related. Most authors agree that problem solving is a process that contains seven steps, where five of them are part of the decision-making process. Once the first five steps that represent decision-making are applied, it is necessary to add a couple more, which implement the decision made and evaluate results to finally repeat the process as many times as necessary, thus applying a method of continuous improvement.
Bibliography
Anderson, D. (2004). Quantitative methods for business. Mexico: Ed. Thomson.
Costumeno, G. (2007). Relations in the work environment. Spain: Ed. Auditorium.
Daft, R. (2006). Introduction to administration. Mexico: Ed. Thomson.
Dubrin, A. (2000). Administration Fundamentals. Mexico: Ed. Thomson.
Espíndola, J. (2005). Problem analysis and decision making. Mexico: Pearson Education.
MAPCAL. (nineteen ninety five). Effective Decision Making. Spain: Ed. Díaz de Santos.
Mateo, C. (1999). The Economy of the Information Factor. Spain: Ed. University of Castilla de la Mancha.
Moreno, A. (1994). Machine Learning. Spain: Ed. UPC.
