3 problem-solving skills I learned as a maintenance engineer that you can use right now
Don’t worry. These skills are not very technical in nature, but are mostly psychological. If you are able to use even one regularly, then you’ll become a more confident problem solver.
Be solution-agnostic
If the goal is to hit a nail into a wall right now, what tool do you need? If your answer is a hammer, then you are only partially right. If you do have a hammer, then you’re okay. But what if you don’t, and there are no hammers available nearby?
You may come up with a suitable alternative like a wrench, a brick or a barbell plate. Chances are the “tool” you end up choosing wasn’t designed to hit nails into walls, but it can get the job done. So, you really didn’t need a hammer in the first place. What you needed was “something hard enough to hit a nail into a wall”.
Do you really need a book? Or “something to write this note on”? You get the idea.
The difference between the best problem solvers and the rest is that they aren’t married to the common solution. They are able to quickly determine the necessary characteristics of the solution and find something that fits the bill.
Question your assumptions
If you’re frustrated because something is not working the way it’s supposed to, then chances are there is a blind spot in your thinking.
There have been many times in the face of a crisis, I’ve seen engineers rush to employ the most intricate theory, devise the most elaborate solutions and fume when it doesn’t solve the problem.
Only when they are stumped and pressure is mounting, do they call for the help of their most experienced technicians.
And one of the “superpowers” that these technicians have is that they don’t neglect to ask the most basic questions.
“Is this nut tightened?”
“Is the fan rotating in the right direction?”
“Is the line blocked?”
Questions which all boil down to one thing: “Is this thing working as I expect it to?”
Often times, big problems have really small solutions. Sometimes, all you have to do is take a step back and question everything that you assume is working fine.
Know your stuff
When it comes to problem-solving there is no substitute for understanding. Not knowledge, but understanding. You can know and memorize that 2 + 2 = 4, but if you don’t understand the principle of addition then you’ll be stumped when presented with a problem that is 3 + 5.
In everything you do, strive to understand the principles. That way, you don’t get stumped when the few proposed solutions in the manual don’t work. The deeper your understanding of the principles, the more nimble you will be in the face of adversity.
