In the systems engineering world we talk extensively about models. For those discussions, we adopt the aspects of the conventional definition of the word “model.” Although the specific wording of the definitions may vary, models are “representations” of existing or proposed realities. Many representations technically meet the definitions of models. …

There is a misconception among many people – including many technical people – that technical people are not “creative.” This is not only wrong but detrimental because any problem-solving involves creativity. To the extent that technical problem solvers buy into the idea that they are not (cannot be) creative, they …

“The righter you do the wrong thing, the wronger you get.” Russell Ackoff In an interview with Phyllis Haynes on the Studio 1 Network, Russell Ackoff, Professor Emeritus in Management Science from the Wharton School, discussed one of the central problems in problem solving: addressing the right problem. This issue …

Einstein once observed, “If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” In the world of problem solving it is hard to overstate the importance of understanding the problem to be solved. Our natural tendency is …