Deriving what’s considered a problem to what’s considered a mess is an important distinction to make in the problem solving process of modeling. Exactly what is a problem and just what is considered a mess? Well according to the text, a problem is a well-defined situation that is capable of resolution; whereas a mess is a morass of unsettling symptoms, causes, data, pressures, shortfalls, and opportunities. Because problems don’t come to us fully defined with obvious answers, identifying a problem in a mess will take much creativity to come up with not just any solution but the best solution. The approach in problem-solving will depend on the problem that’s before you. During the problem solving process, one should try to distinguish well-structured from ill-structured problems. In well-structured problems, the objectives of the analysis are clear, the assumptions that must be made are obvious, all the necessary data are readily available and the logical structure behind the analysis is well understood. Ill-structured problems are just the opposite. The objective, assumptions, data, and structure of the problem are all unclear. At any stage in the problem solving process, there are two styles of thinking: divergent and convergent. Divergent thinking stresses generating ideas which involves thinking in different directions or searching for a variety of answers to questions that may have many right answers. Convergent thinking is directed toward achieving a goal, a single solution, answer, or result. It involves trying to find the one best answer. In convergent thinking, the emphasis shifts from idea generation to evaluation.
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