Eight Principles of Effective Problem Solving: Strategies for a World that will Demand Innovation

DAVID PARSONS has distilled eight principles of effective problem solving from a lifetime of successes and failures in a wide range of endeavors including computer simulation, project management, manufacturing, architecture, student pranks, and soccer coaching. His eight principles advance how we think about and control our problem solving efforts. Mr. Parsons examines the barriers to effective problem solving and present over forty strategies for overcoming these barriers. He decries the failure of traditional education to foster effective problem solving in our students, challenging educators at all levels to embrace problem-based learning.PROBLEM SOLVERS: Parsons invites you to explore problems with an open mind, to unleash your curiosity, and to recognize the obstacles to getting thing done. His eight principles bring into focus the challenges faced by problem solvers in all walks of life. He gives specific strategies for taming these challenges.INNOVATORS: This book provides a roadmap for overcoming barriers to innovation that lurk at every stage of the problem solving cycle.TEACHERS: Part IX of this book provides practical recommendations for integrating strategies for effective problem solving into a problem-based learning curriculum.STUDENTS: The ideas in this book provide a bridge between academic disciplines and the realities of getting things done in the real world.PARENTS: Mr. Parsons's guidelines for preparing children to be effective problem solvers is an indispensable guide for parents as they consider options for the education of their sons and daughters.ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mr. Parsons is a graduate of Harvard College (1963) and the Harvard Graduate School of Design (1967) where he held an IBM Fellowship. He was a project manager at Building Systems Development, an architectural firm specializing in innovative building technologies and processes. He taught architecture and construction management at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. He then consulted in project management, including development of the planning framework for the very complex rebuilding of Milwaukee's waste treatment system. In the 1980's, Mr. Parsons designed, built and managed several hi-tech manufacturing facilities where he developed an interest in computer simulation of manufacturing processes. In 1994 he joined the firm of Simulation Dynamics, Inc., where he built computer models for communications, manufacturing, logistic supply chains, nuclear waste disposal, and assembly of rockets.