Learning and Development Intervention on

Problem Solving
and
Decision Making

Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau (SWIDB)

Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau

Identify challenges in social

service delivery at local level
Identify the right problem and choose
possible solutions using PSDM process
and tools

Session
Objectives
Amazing
Maze!
1. You are 2 LGUs.
2. Each LGU is given
PhP2 million to
deliver SWD
PROGRAMS.
3. The grid represents
your environment.
4. Your objective is to
navigate an 8X8 grid
1. There is only one
correct and safe path.
2. Find the correct path.
3. Make sure all
members of your team
make it to the other
side.
 Challenge

4. At some point in the

journey, change can
happen.
5. Your time to execute
will not be extended.
 Special Rules
• TIME: 5 minutes to plan and 15
minutes to execute the plan.
– You can buy additional 5 minutes of planning for
100,000. But this will lessen your time to execute
to 15 minutes.
• No talking during execution.
– TALKING FINE: PhP 100,000.
• Only one member crosses at a
time.
 Special Rules

• No skipping of
squares. You must x x

walk on squares
that are beside x

each other.
x
 THE MARSHALL

• If you step on the right square,

marshal will say YES.

• If you step on the wrong square,

marshal will say NO.
 THAT’S ALL?

• If you step on the wrong square

AGAIN: AVOIDABLE MISTAKE.
– FINE: P100,000.

• Do not leave marks on the trail. Do

not make notes about the maze.
 THAT’S ALL?

• If you step on the wrong square

AGAIN: AVOIDABLE MISTAKE.
– FINE: P100,000.

• Do not leave marks on the trail. Do

not make notes about the maze.
What is PROBLEM SOLVING ?

What is the PROCESS in

problem solving?

What are the TOOLS to

problem solving?
What is a Problem?

A perceived gap between the existing state and

a desired state, or a deviation from a norm,
standard, or status quo.
“Problem solving” defined

Occurs when one does not know how to proceed

from a given state to a desired goal state.

It is part of the larger problem process

that includes problem finding
and problem shaping.
“Problem solving” defined
Problem solving forms part of thinking.
It is the higher order cognitive process that
requires the modulation and control of
more routine or fundamental skills.
The PROCESS of “problem solving”
 Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau

Range of Problems

• Competing priorities, competing

commitments
• Delays in program implementation
• Process that is not working
• I don’t have the time to do all of these
Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau

Range of Problems
• Not clear about how to start
• Coordination across units and
levels in the LGU
• Many complaints about the
program
• Defining what the problem is
Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau

Range of Problems
• New programs to implement.
• Instructions or communication
to staff was not followed even if
I thought I was clear
• Accelerating understanding of a
new problem
 Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau

Standard Problem Solving ensure

to end recurring problems.
WHY a structured problem
solving process ?
• Remove time lost in debate
• Identify weak points in process
• Discover systematic causes
• Explain with reasons why an incident occurred
• Gives a factual representation of the incident
• Compare what actually happened against what
should have happened, at any point during the
incident
Tool 1: Starbursting Tool

Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau (SWIDB)

SOLVE
 Every endeavour
starts with a question.
WHEN YOU THINK OF YOUR
STAKEHOLDERS AND THE
SERVICES YOU HAVE TO DELIVER,
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 3
CHALLENGES AS LSWDO?
Identify only one
issue/challenge/
problem
 Criteria for Prioritizing
Problems
1. Within control of the team
2. Financial payback
3. Resources required (for example; money and
people)
4. Customer pain caused by the problem
5. Urgency of problem
6. Team interest or buy-in
7. Effect on other systems
8. Management interest or support
9. Difficulty of solving
10. Time required to solve
1. Take a large sheet of paper, draw a large six
pointed star.
2. In the middle, write your idea/challenge that
you want to understand better.
3. Write the word WHO,WHAT, WHERE,WHEN,
WHY HOW at the tip of each star.
4. Brainstorm QUESTIONS starting with each of
these words.
5. Don’t try to answer any of the questions as
you go along.
 Who?

How? Where?
ISSUE/
CHALLENGE
Why? When?

What?
Let’s do
something
like this…..
•Go back to the questions.
•Draw another line to try to answer
the questions.
•If you don’t know the answer to
these questions(use a different
colored pen or highlight it!
If you do not ask the right questions, you do not get the right
answers. A question asked in the right way often points to its own
answer. Asking question is the A-B-C of diagnosis. Only the inquiring
minds solves problem.

Edward Hodnett
Problem
Statement
Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau (SWIDB)
Let’s watch this!
short description of the issues that need to be
addressed by a problem solving team and should be
presented to them (or created by them) before they try
to solve a problem.
 The Problem Statement

Not a “lack of solution”

statement
The Problem Statement

Should include the following:

• A brief description and the metric used to

describe the problem;
• Where the problem is occurring by process name
and location;
• Time frame over which the problem has been
occurring;
• Size or magnitude of the problem
• Vision - what does the world look like if we solve
the problem?
 Defining the Problem
KEY QUESTIONS
What is the problem?
Why does it exist?
Who is causing it?
When did it first occur/become significant?

Where and to what extent it is occurring?

How does the problem may be solved?What does the

world look like if we solve/ did not solve the problem?
PROBLEM STATEMENT

Lack of Workforce
BETTER PROBLEM STATEMENT

• Ninety (90%) of LSWD offices of San Jose have

limited workforce since devolution up to present.
The non-creation of appropriate positions by the
LGU result to exhaustion of workforce and
resources, unsustainable implementation of
PPA’s, and non functionality of LSWDOs which will
affect the movement of clients level of functioning
and will redound to increase incidence of social
problems.