Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

Any professional who is, or will be, making important business decisions, including: department managers, directors, supervisors, project managers, IT project managers, project coordinators, project analysts, project leaders, senior project managers, team leaders, product managers, program managers, associate project managers, stakeholders, team members, and all other professionals.

Why intuitive decision-making is not effective

How thinking processes operate

Natural barriers to sound reasoning

Recognize bias and assumptions

Analytical techniques of critical thinkers

The structure, standards and ethics of critical thinking

Understand the inputs and implications of thought processes

Master your thought processes

Elements of reason

How to reason effectively

Problem analysis best practices

Understand problems from multiple perspectives

Decision making best practices

Techniques for developing structured reasoning

How to be creative when formulating solutions to problems

Analytical decision making techniques such as sequencing, sorting, time lines, flow diagrams and matrixes

The Problems with Instinctive Decision-Making

• Factors which influence our natural decision making
• Quality problems with intuitive decision making processes

What is Reasoned Decision-Making?

• What are the barriers to reasoning well?
• What are the qualities of reasoned decision processes?

The Natural Barriers to Sound Reasoning

• Emotional state
• Mental short cuts
• Patterning
• Bias and assumptions
• Mind set
• Need for explanations
• Narrow focus
• Stubbornness

An Introduction to Critical Thinking

• Are you a critical thinker?
• What is critical thinking?
• Why do we need critical thinking?
• Developing as a critical thinker
• Second order thinking

The Structure of Reasoning

• Purpose
• Point of view
• Assumptions
• Implications and consequences
• Data, facts and experience
• Inferences
• Concepts
• Questions

Standards of Critical Thinking

• Clarity
• Relevance
• Logic
• Accuracy
• Depth
• Significance
• Precision
• Breadth
• Fairness
• Ethics of critical thinkers

Problem Analysis - Best Practices

• Slow down
• Think critically
• Impose creativity
• Clarify purpose
• Focus on major factors
• Converge and diverge
• Structure the selection process
• End with an 10,000' overview

Imposing Creativity on the Choice of Solutions

• Slow down!
• Suspend judgment
• Imagine courageously
• Think beyond conventional wisdom
• Question everything and everyone
• Imagine backwards from the ideal
• Re-state the problem
• Dismantle the problem
• Practice convergence and divergence
• Evaluate the good, the bad and the surgery

Analytical Decision Making Techniques

• Sequencing
• Sorting
• Time lines
• Flow diagrams
• Matrixes
• Decision trees
• Ranking
• Probability
• Utility