Are Your Lights On?

Book excerpt: A Practical Guide for Everyone Involved in Product and Systems Development The fledgling problem solver invariably rushes in with solutions before taking time to define the problem being solved. Even experienced solvers, when subjected to social pressure, yield to this demand for haste. When they do, many solutions are found, but not necessarily to the problem at hand. Whether you are a novice or a veteran, this powerful little book will make you a more effective problem solver. Anyone involved in product and systems development will appreciate this practical illustrated guide, which was first published in 1982 and has since become a cult classic. Offering such insights as "A problem is a difference between things as desired and things as perceived, " and "In spite of appearances, people seldom know what they want until you give them what they ask for, " authors Don Gause and Jerry Weinberg provide an entertaining look at ways to improve one's thinking power. The book playfully instructs the reader first to identify the problem, second to determine the problem's owner, third to identify where the problem came from, and fourth to determine whether or not to solve it. Delightfully illustrated with 55 line drawings, the book conveys a message that will change the way you think about projects and problems.