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lifehacker.com: Anyone who's ever lived through a Facebook update knows that sometimes projects move forward even if people don't want them. While you're working on yours, stop periodically to ask if what you're working on solves a problem people have.
12 comments:
Tyler Jacobson
said...
I think this is an important question that PM's, SM's, TD's and everyone in our industry should be asking themselves and the people around us. We are often coming up with new solutions and answers to problems without looking at the actual problem that needs to be solved. Before we go off on a tangent of solving problems and making solutions we need to really evaluate what the problem is that we are out to solve. By solving the bigger issue before delving into the smaller ones we are hopefully able to make things smoother in our process and really focus on what counts with issues and problems. We need to work more at taking the time to focus on what needs to happen instead of what is is currently happening.
I notice that a lot of times people are more concerned with using the coolest latest technology then with doing things the smart way. This is something that can cause a lot of problems in trying to solve problems while working on a show. This then causes the problem of workers spending more time on their crazy technology then on the bigger picture of getting a show up. I agree with Tyler that this is something our industry does not always use and really should put more of an emphasis on. In most situations if you try to solve the small problems before the overall problems it can just make things worse.
This article brings up very good points. People don't often think about fixing things to make them better, they come up with something totally different to make. There are so many different things in this world that keep being invented. There are also a lot things that have problems and need to be fixed. Many people tend to push problems to the side instead of finding a solution. There are always problems that come up when putting on a production. If people take a step back and look at the actual problem at hand, things could run smoother.
With the app development team, Nymbus, that ive been working with. Most of the questions that I have been answering are of the form: What do people in the industry actually want to see in front of them. And often, the answers to those questions dont line up with what the original thought was, or what people wanted to work on. So yes, I agree that that question needs to be asked, and at least attempted to be answered.
On the other hand though, there have been more times than not when I will wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, and design the whole thing in my head. Occasionally its just a cool idea. In that case, if I were to ask, what problem am i solving, I would answer: "I am solving the problem of not having one of these things" Isnt that enough?
At the core, most of our job is problem solving. Designers, technicians, and managers all share, or should share, the basic skills of problem solving: Observation, Prioritization, Critical Thinking, to name a few. The "six sigma" method of project management describes these skills perhaps more aptly as these six steps to apply to a project or problem: Recognize, Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. This article essentially addresses the first, Recognize. It is a key quality of good problem solvers to be able to recognize a problem that is truly worth their efforts and to prioritize that problem above others. While I'm sure it works for App development, I have to disagree with the author that using "the things people around you complain about" is a good metric by which to identify problems worthy of your efforts. People complain a lot, and often for no good reason at all. Allowing oneself to become embroiled in other people's dissatisfaction can be a distraction that clouds our capacity to see through the haze of ennui to the real issues behind it. I believe a good problem solver, as is also true with a good carpenter, is above all a great practitioner of "knowing when it matters." It's a long-term skill to develop, and one that pays huge dividends in retrieving wasted time.
I wish this article was longer, because I agree with the writer wholeheartedly and would have been interested to read strategies or advice on identifying the problems that need to be solved. Something that the article kind of dances around and does not clearly address is that it is important to prioritize the problems as well as identify them. Thinking of solutions that are not needed is definitely something that can be problematic in theatre. Putting on a production is essentially solving problems in many different, creative ways, and if members of the artistic team start conceiving “solutions” to non-existent problems, then it might impede on their ability to focus on the issues at hand that need to be solved in order to move forward. As stage and production managers, it is our job to steer collaborators into examining and identifying the issues that are important for them to solve.
Asking yourself "What problem am I solving?" is a great technique to motivate and cut away the excess fat of a project. Many elements may be unnecessary in a production, for example, and can be disposed of in order to more efficiently solve the problem.
Preparing for the tasks that must get done and thinking of the big picture is more effective (in my opinion) than focusing on every minute detail.
While I agree wholeheartedly with the article about solving problems at hand in the workplace, asking yourself "What is the problem I'm trying to solve?" seems a bit loaded in an educational setting. Yes, there is always a core problem to solve in any situation , but, in an educational setting, learning something new by applying it to a project is a great way to kill two birds with one stone. Maybe photoshop is not the quickest or easiest way to sketch a design for a green photoshop user, but it is a great skill to have and college is a great time to learn it. In other words, I won't always agree that finding the quickest and most direct solution to a problem is the best solution for a problem.
I often find myself doing too much work around things that aren't even problems. This article was enlightening and I really wish I had more to read. Reading tips and tricks to do this more effectively would be helpful in saving time in homework, paperwork, communications, meetings, and so many more areas of our job as managers in the theater industry. Often we are mediating happenings between other people that originally had nothing to do with us and it is up to us to figure out what the problem is and fix it instead of the surrounding hail storm of emotions and schrapnel that is created by the singular problem that has occurred.
Mostly I think this would be helpful in meetings to make sure that our time is being used properly and that nobody is harming the flow of communication by talking about surrounding issues that could be solved by correcting the single fault, as is often the case.
This is an important question that not only everybody in the industry should think about, but really working person (depending on the job they are doing). I agree with Olivia that sometimes people do get hung on cool new things, which is fine, unless they let it hinder their work. It's great to try out new technologies, but not at the expense of project being worked on. So, it is important to focus on the big picture and smaller details to solve the task at hand, but it's also good to just do things as long it doesn't hinder time-sensitive tasks.
I think this is a very important concept, especially in terms of negotiation and conflict. I personally think that is where this is most useful. When you reach a disagreement with someone figuring out what they actually want (not just what they are saying) is often the key to a good resolution. I also think as a designer, this is an important tool to have for working with people who cant see the vision that you have. They might say that they want to do something a certain way, or that they dont want to do something, but if you figure out what they actually want, you'll probably get a better product than just listening to them outright.
This is so relevant to every problem we try to solve in the theatre. I think back to overtime you hear someone freak out in a production meeting, or when you're trying to come up with a solution to the current snafu in a string of never ending grievances. And you have to ask yourself, what's really wrong? Is it just the fact that the paint treatment on the walls turned out looking like crap, or are we dealing with the fact that a designer is really insecure about what's going on with their design? Do you solve the small problem and just put a bandaid on the larger issue? It's important to identify what's going on, and really identify what's going on and see how you can actually fix the real issue. And in the long term how can you fix it for next time?
12 comments:
I think this is an important question that PM's, SM's, TD's and everyone in our industry should be asking themselves and the people around us. We are often coming up with new solutions and answers to problems without looking at the actual problem that needs to be solved. Before we go off on a tangent of solving problems and making solutions we need to really evaluate what the problem is that we are out to solve. By solving the bigger issue before delving into the smaller ones we are hopefully able to make things smoother in our process and really focus on what counts with issues and problems. We need to work more at taking the time to focus on what needs to happen instead of what is is currently happening.
I notice that a lot of times people are more concerned with using the coolest latest technology then with doing things the smart way. This is something that can cause a lot of problems in trying to solve problems while working on a show. This then causes the problem of workers spending more time on their crazy technology then on the bigger picture of getting a show up. I agree with Tyler that this is something our industry does not always use and really should put more of an emphasis on. In most situations if you try to solve the small problems before the overall problems it can just make things worse.
This article brings up very good points. People don't often think about fixing things to make them better, they come up with something totally different to make. There are so many different things in this world that keep being invented. There are also a lot things that have problems and need to be fixed. Many people tend to push problems to the side instead of finding a solution. There are always problems that come up when putting on a production. If people take a step back and look at the actual problem at hand, things could run smoother.
With the app development team, Nymbus, that ive been working with. Most of the questions that I have been answering are of the form: What do people in the industry actually want to see in front of them. And often, the answers to those questions dont line up with what the original thought was, or what people wanted to work on. So yes, I agree that that question needs to be asked, and at least attempted to be answered.
On the other hand though, there have been more times than not when I will wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, and design the whole thing in my head. Occasionally its just a cool idea. In that case, if I were to ask, what problem am i solving, I would answer: "I am solving the problem of not having one of these things" Isnt that enough?
At the core, most of our job is problem solving. Designers, technicians, and managers all share, or should share, the basic skills of problem solving: Observation, Prioritization, Critical Thinking, to name a few. The "six sigma" method of project management describes these skills perhaps more aptly as these six steps to apply to a project or problem: Recognize, Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. This article essentially addresses the first, Recognize. It is a key quality of good problem solvers to be able to recognize a problem that is truly worth their efforts and to prioritize that problem above others. While I'm sure it works for App development, I have to disagree with the author that using "the things people around you complain about" is a good metric by which to identify problems worthy of your efforts. People complain a lot, and often for no good reason at all. Allowing oneself to become embroiled in other people's dissatisfaction can be a distraction that clouds our capacity to see through the haze of ennui to the real issues behind it. I believe a good problem solver, as is also true with a good carpenter, is above all a great practitioner of "knowing when it matters." It's a long-term skill to develop, and one that pays huge dividends in retrieving wasted time.
I wish this article was longer, because I agree with the writer wholeheartedly and would have been interested to read strategies or advice on identifying the problems that need to be solved. Something that the article kind of dances around and does not clearly address is that it is important to prioritize the problems as well as identify them.
Thinking of solutions that are not needed is definitely something that can be problematic in theatre. Putting on a production is essentially solving problems in many different, creative ways, and if members of the artistic team start conceiving “solutions” to non-existent problems, then it might impede on their ability to focus on the issues at hand that need to be solved in order to move forward. As stage and production managers, it is our job to steer collaborators into examining and identifying the issues that are important for them to solve.
Asking yourself "What problem am I solving?" is a great technique to motivate and cut away the excess fat of a project. Many elements may be unnecessary in a production, for example, and can be disposed of in order to more efficiently solve the problem.
Preparing for the tasks that must get done and thinking of the big picture is more effective (in my opinion) than focusing on every minute detail.
While I agree wholeheartedly with the article about solving problems at hand in the workplace, asking yourself "What is the problem I'm trying to solve?" seems a bit loaded in an educational setting. Yes, there is always a core problem to solve in any situation , but, in an educational setting, learning something new by applying it to a project is a great way to kill two birds with one stone. Maybe photoshop is not the quickest or easiest way to sketch a design for a green photoshop user, but it is a great skill to have and college is a great time to learn it. In other words, I won't always agree that finding the quickest and most direct solution to a problem is the best solution for a problem.
I often find myself doing too much work around things that aren't even problems. This article was enlightening and I really wish I had more to read. Reading tips and tricks to do this more effectively would be helpful in saving time in homework, paperwork, communications, meetings, and so many more areas of our job as managers in the theater industry. Often we are mediating happenings between other people that originally had nothing to do with us and it is up to us to figure out what the problem is and fix it instead of the surrounding hail storm of emotions and schrapnel that is created by the singular problem that has occurred.
Mostly I think this would be helpful in meetings to make sure that our time is being used properly and that nobody is harming the flow of communication by talking about surrounding issues that could be solved by correcting the single fault, as is often the case.
This is an important question that not only everybody in the industry should think about, but really working person (depending on the job they are doing). I agree with Olivia that sometimes people do get hung on cool new things, which is fine, unless they let it hinder their work. It's great to try out new technologies, but not at the expense of project being worked on. So, it is important to focus on the big picture and smaller details to solve the task at hand, but it's also good to just do things as long it doesn't hinder time-sensitive tasks.
I think this is a very important concept, especially in terms of negotiation and conflict. I personally think that is where this is most useful. When you reach a disagreement with someone figuring out what they actually want (not just what they are saying) is often the key to a good resolution. I also think as a designer, this is an important tool to have for working with people who cant see the vision that you have. They might say that they want to do something a certain way, or that they dont want to do something, but if you figure out what they actually want, you'll probably get a better product than just listening to them outright.
This is so relevant to every problem we try to solve in the theatre. I think back to overtime you hear someone freak out in a production meeting, or when you're trying to come up with a solution to the current snafu in a string of never ending grievances. And you have to ask yourself, what's really wrong? Is it just the fact that the paint treatment on the walls turned out looking like crap, or are we dealing with the fact that a designer is really insecure about what's going on with their design? Do you solve the small problem and just put a bandaid on the larger issue? It's important to identify what's going on, and really identify what's going on and see how you can actually fix the real issue. And in the long term how can you fix it for next time?
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