I recently posted a tweet
When #testing should we be problem finders or problem solvers? Problem finders appears to think more creatively is this aligned to ET?This started a few discussions with people tweeting that surely it is best as a tester to be both and that they see their role as being a problem finder and a problem solver. Some took it that being a problem solver is better since you are looked on more positively.
Francesco @TesterSerendipOther that they see themselves primary as problem solvers
@steveo1967 @mpkhosla@JariLaakso @tonybruce77 hence better at finding bugs. Plus you are perceived as one with a positive mindset
Tony Bruce @tonybruce77I then made the following tweet:
@steveo1967 I'm a problem solver, I approach the problem differently#testing
John Stevenson @steveo1967My tweets came about after reading some books and articles on the following subjects
@mpkhosla @JariLaakso @TesterSerendip being in a problem finding mode may be better for a tester when testing since you may be > creative
- Design thinking
- Divergent thinking
- Creating Opportunities
This led to me researching the concept that our mind-set within the field of testing appears to mainly be focused on problem solving and that our default state when testing is be in a 'problem solving' mode. Very little focus or attention seems to have been placed on using our creative skills and entering a mind-set of being a problem finder. The more I researched into this the more I felt that in some testing situations especially when doing testing practically we are missing opportunities to think more creativity and we are limiting ourselves when we approach testing with the mind-set of trying to solve problems rather than find problems.
One piece of information I related to was from *James Bach or Michael Bolton in how we should approach session based test management. When in a session we should be looking for problems, creating new tests and noting things of interest which could be bugs. We should focus on the opportunities and come back to find out if it is a bug/issue (problem solving exercise) after the session as finished. The principle of this is if you stop to try and solve the problem you could lose track and focus and your creative thinking will become disrupted. Einstein is quoted as saying the following:
“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”Which IMO matches the thoughts I have on the issue of problem finding and solving. Yes we need both but they require different thinking.
This is the key point I was trying to make with my statement whilst we are testing in the context of actually being in a session our mind set should be on problem finding. Having a mind-set focused on problem finding according to some articles has been proven to be more creative.
“Anyone who is technically proficient can solve a problem that is already formulated: but it takes true originality to formulate a problem in the first place (Einstein and Infeld, 1938).”
“…persons who are likely to innovate tend to have personality traits that favour breaking rules and early experiences that make them want to do so. Divergent thinking, problem finding, and all the other factors that psychologists have studied are relevant in this context.”
http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/11443_01_Henry_Ch01.pdf
“Csikszentmihalyi and Getzels (1971) found that originality was high related to problem finding and discovery oirientation”
“Getzels believed that creativity investigators should turn their attention to and examine problem finding in addition to problem solving”
“Many creative individuals have pointed out in their work that the formulation of a problem is more important than its solution and that real advances in science and in art tend to come when new questions are asked or old problems are viewed from a new angle . . . yet when measuring thinking processes, psychologists usually rely on problem solution, rather than problem formulation, as an index of creativity. . . They thus fail to deal with one of the most interesting characteristics of the creative process' namely, the ability to define the nature of the problem”
“We believe that this neglect of problem finding is a deficiency that is observable in the discourse on problem solving within technology education.”
What I am not saying is that we do not need to be problem solvers; this is part of our role. I think the subject matter of this article is similar back to a previous article I have written on which mood we should be in to test software and which gives us more benefit.
In some situations it may be better to be in a problem solving mind set and in others it may be better to be in a problem finding mind set. Both have their merits. What I feel I am trying to get across that if you need to create ideas and be innovative you need to have a mind-set that is looking at being a problem finder rather than a problem solver. However if have a solution to a problem you may want to flip this around. Then with a problem finding mind-set examine the solution for problems.
To conclude I will repeat what was said earlier by Einstein and Infield
“Anyone who is technically proficient can solve a problem that is already formulated: but it takes true originality to formulate a problem in the first place (Einstein and Infeld, 1938).”I feel if there is one thing that people take away from this article it is that statement.
Further reading
- Out of our minds – Ken Robinson
- Perspectives in Creativity - By Irving A. Taylor, Jacob W.. Getzels
- Wisdom: Its Nature, Origins, and Development – Robert Sternberg
- Perspective: Problem Finding and the Multidisciplinary Mind - Linda Austin
- The Creative Vision: A Longitudinal Study of Problem Finding in - J. W. Getzels, M. Csikszentmihalyi
- What's Holding You Back?: 8 Critical Choices for Women's Success - By Linda Austin, M.D
* If anyone can direct me to a reference where this came from and it was not just a conversation I have had then please let me know.
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