websites to improve problem solving skills

The 8 Best Coding Challenge Websites to Help You Level Up Your Skills in 2020

Despite the lowest unemployment rate in decades, analysts expect technology hiring to continue growing steadily into the 2020s.

That’s great news for recent computer science graduates and developers currently working in the field, but that doesn’t mean ambitious engineers can get complacent.

While there will likely be growth opportunities in the market overall, there are still significant changes happening all the time, and a sense of urgency to keep up with the latest trends.

Today, there are more types of technical roles than ever before, and a continued proliferation of new languages, frameworks, and technologies. Technical employees that want to get ahead should routinely test and refine their skills.

To that end, I’ve put together the following list of platforms where you can level up your skills for any number of roles, from data science to developer operations.

1. freeCodeCamp

Helpful links: Website | Forum | Challenges

Let's begin with freeCodeCamp, which is a great website for beginners who are just getting into coding. They offer all sorts of resources on learning syntax, practicing coding, building projects, and preparing for interviews.

They don’t have as many interactive coding challenges as other sites, but they do offer some fun challenges and interview prep for beginners learning JavaScript.

Novices who are just learning to code for the first time. It’s a great place to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in a fun, interactive way.

Pricing / Premium content

freeCodeCamp is completely free.

2. Coderbyte

Helpful links: Website | Blog | Dev.to | Free Challenges | Premium

My platform, Coderbyte, provides 300+ coding challenges you can solve in an online editor using 10 different programming languages. You can then access official solutions, over 1.5 million user solutions, and read articles on how to efficiently solve the challenges.

Coderbyte is recommended by the top coding bootcamps and companies because of its collection of interview prep challenges.

Coderbyte is perfect for people in the beginner-to-intermediate phase of their careers who are preparing for interviews. There is a library of harder challenges as well for those who like to solve coding problems for fun, but this isn’t primarily a site for competitive programmers.

There are a handful of free challenges on Coderbyte, and then there are hundreds of premium challenges and over 1 million user solutions that are available to members .

3. LeetCode

Helpful links: Website | Discussion | Free Challenges | Premium

LeetCode has a collection of some of the best algorithm challenges online today. The topics they cover require knowledge of data structures such as binary trees, heaps, linked lists, and so on, which is why their challenges are a bit more advanced than some other websites. But the challenges are great if used to prepare for a software engineering interview.

They also have a Mock Interview section that is specifically for job interview preparation. They also host their own coding contests , and they have a great discussion board where people talk about interview questions, jobs, compensation, and other topics related to engineering.

LeetCode is great for intermediate-to-advanced programmers. It might not be the best suited for brand new coders who don’t know how to write basic loops yet, but once you learn the fundamentals this is a great site to practice coding.

There are free challenges available on LeetCode, and they also have a premium subscription which gets you access to more challenges and other features of the platform.

Helpful links: Website | Blog | Challenges

This is the first time Edabit is appearing on our top sites list ( 2018 list , 2017 list )! It has grown in popularity over the last year, and developers seem to really enjoy the challenges. They offer a large collection of over 4,000 challenges that can be solved online in one of several languages.

The site currently only offers online interactive coding challenges — there aren’t any discussion boards, articles, user solutions, or mock interviews like other sites offer, but over time they might be adding some of these.

Edabit is great for beginners looking to practice their coding skills daily by solving bite-sized challenges. Once you reach the intermediate stage, other sites provide harder challenges and more content geared towards competitive programming and job interviews.

All the challenges on Edabit are free, and there is no premium pricing option.

5. Codewars

Helpful links: Website | Blog | Free Challenges | Premium

Codewars provides a large collection of coding challenges submitted and edited by their own community. You can solve the challenges directly online in their editor using 20+ programming languages. You can view a discussion for each challenge as well as user solutions. You can earn points and climb the rankings by solving their challenges.

Codewars is great for people in the beginner-to-intermediate phase. The challenges are created by the community so you get exposed to a lot of different types of coding challenges.

They offer all of their challenges created by the community for free, and their premium subscription gets you access to some cool features on their platform.

6. HackerRank

HackerRank has a large collection of coding challenges tailored towards algorithms and data structures, along with interview prep material, a discussion board for each challenge, and a list of top user solutions. They have challenges for other topics as well like functional programming, AI, Shell, SQL, and more.

HackerRank is great for intermediate-to-advanced programmers who have already picked up the basics of a language and are ready to solve more complicated problems. The challenges are written with mathematical notation and can sometimes be a little confusing, which is why it might not be so great for beginner developers.

All the challenges on HackerRank are free, and there is no premium pricing option.

7. TopCoder

TopCoder is one of the original platforms for competitive programming online. It provides a list of algorithmic challenges from past competitions that you can complete on your own directly online using their code editor.

Their popular Single Round Matches are offered a few times per month at a specific time where you compete against others to solve challenges. Here are some topics that their challenges may cover.

Aside from solving challenges for fun online, they offer sponsored competitions where you can win prizes for writing the best solution.

TopCoder is better suited for advanced programmers who are comfortable solving algorithm challenges dealing with advanced topics like graph search and number theory.

All the challenges on TopCoder are free, and there is no premium pricing option.

8. Codeforces

Helpful links: Website | Discussion | Challenges

Codeforces is now probably the top competitive programming website (a few years ago TopCoder was where most competitive programmers spent their time).

There are problems that you can solve online to practice, but there’s no online editor. Rather, you write your solution in your own editor and then upload it to their system which then tests your code against a suite of test cases.

They also frequently hold contests where the best competitive programmers take part in.

Advanced and competitive programmers who truly enjoy solving difficult algorithm challenges.

All the challenges on Codeforces are free, there is no premium pricing option.

CEO & Founder at Coderbyte.

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Learn to code for free. freeCodeCamp's open source curriculum has helped more than 40,000 people get jobs as developers. Get started

10 websites to practice coding problems: Our picks

Whether you're just starting out as a coder or want to advance your coding skills, tackling programming problems is part of the plan. 

Convenient, free, and even fun, coding problem websites challenge your abilities with individual exercises, friendly challenges, and insightful assessments.

Practicing your coding through these websites may increase your knowledge, build your skills, and prepare you for programming job interviews. 

Top websites for practicing your coding skills

Should a humanities major learn to code.

Can a humanities student learn coding? Absolutely. Coding is not strictly for STEM students — it can benefit you no matter your degree.

How hard is it to learn coding ? Starting from scratch can be difficult, but coding challenges designed to test and advance your skills may help. We rounded up 10 great websites for coding problems and listed them alphabetically for you. 

Each website offers a collection of resources for learning coding or advancing what you already know. 

1. CodeChef

CodeChef lets you choose among thousands of problems to practice skills like sorting, data structures, and dynamic programming. Problems are sortable by difficulty. Code Chef's practice problems allow you to answer in one of over 50 programming languages as you prepare for its internal or external monthly contests. 

CodeChef offers self-guided learning opportunities and mentoring programs alongside a community of coders, coding bootcamps, and tech certification programs. 

2. Coderbyte

Designed for coding practice and improvement, Coderbyte offers code challenges and courses aimed at helping you prepare for job interviews. 

Coderbyte had over three million solutions with challenges in more than 25 languages. Starter courses in algorithms, JavaScript, Ruby, and Python accompany interview kits and career resources. 

You can sign up for a free challenge and free trial. A monthly subscription to Coderbyte costs $35 and an annual subscription is $150. Both give you access to all of Coderbyte's resources. 

3. Codewars

Launched in 2012, Codewars provides practice kata, or small coding exercises, that you advance through as you build your skills. Codewars' kata are available in nearly 60 programming languages and in levels from beginner to advanced.

You can develop your own kata, engage with the Codewars community, and master one or multiple languages in the process. Feedback and creative learning facilitate creative thinking and innovation among Codewars' users. Codewars offers resources for educators and companies as well. 

4. CodinGame

With more than 25 supported languages, CodinGame provides challenge-based programming training through games, puzzles, and competitions. 

CodinGame's resources let you build your programming abilities, learn new concepts, and interact with fellow coders through easy, medium, hard, and very hard exercises.

CodeinGame's leaderboard and prizes earn you recognition from your peers and track your progress. Free live streams, blogs, and discussion forums for developers accompany sourcing, screening, and retention programs for recruiters. 

5. Geektastic

With human-reviewed technical assessments, Geektastic lets companies customize coding challenges for talent acquisition and engineering team training. If you have coding experience, you can join Geektastic's reviewer community to create and test those challenges — and get paid to review candidates' performance. 

Code challenges are offered in Java, Python, and PHP. Geektastic also offers skills assessments in Java, Javascript, and basic coding. Joining as a developer comes with no cost, while flexible pricing accommodates businesses of any size. 

6. HackerRank

HackerRank serves as a technical interview platform, but also provides coding practice to over 18 million users. Challenges offered by HackerRank cover topics including algorithms, Java, Python, Ruby, and data structures. 

HackerRank's challenges allow you to test your code, debug it, and win one of its sprint, company, language, or timed challenges. You can also earn certifications in specific skills or complete interview preparation kits. Pricing ranges from $25/month for interview content to $819/month team subscriptions.

7. LeetCode

LeetCode provides more than 2,250 practice problems to its programmer community. Individual challenges in topics like algorithms, database structures, and dynamic programming accompany entire study plans. 

LeetCode's programming skills study plan integrates three modules offered at easy, medium, or hard difficulty levels. LeetCode supports 14 programming languages and houses a playground tool to help you test, debug, and write code. 

Sign-up is free. LeetCode Premium offers access to additional tools and premium content for a monthly subscription of $35 or an annual fee of $159. 

8. Project Euler

Named for mathematician Leonhard Euler, Project Euler began in 2001. Recent and archival content is available for registered users at no cost. 

Project Euler offers computational programming problems combining mathematics with computer and programming skills. With 108 programming languages and more than one million users, Project Euler provides problems with varying difficulty.

Sphere Online Judge, or SPOJ , trains users to code and build efficient algorithms through more than 20,000 practice problems. Scoring categories for problems include challenges, tutorials, and riddles. Rankings and a status board accompany running contests that support more than 45 programming languages and compilers. 

SPOJ offers a flexible testing system to automatically assess user-submitted programs. Users can design their own contests or take part in an online course at all programming levels, but it is ideal for students.

10. TopCoder

TopCoder's community of designers, developers, data scientists, and competitive programmers build their skills, show their expertise, and earn money as they improve their coding abilities. TopCoder pays individuals for their work, sells it to corporate clients, and hosts competitions designed to highlight top coding talent worldwide.

Customers use TopCoder to hire freelancers on-demand, set challenges for the coding community, and find teams for projects.

This article was reviewed by Monali Mirel Chuatico

In 2019, Monali Mirel Chuatico graduated with her bachelor's in computer science, which gave her the foundation that she needed to excel in roles such as data engineer, front-end developer, UX designer, and computer science instructor.

Monali is currently a data engineer at Mission Lane. As a data analytics captain at a nonprofit called COOP Careers , Monali helps new grads and young professionals overcome underemployment by teaching them data analytics tools and mentoring them on their professional development journey.

Monali is passionate about implementing creative solutions, building community, advocating for mental health, empowering women, and educating youth. Monali's goal is to gain more experience in her field, expand her skill set, and do meaningful work that will positively impact the world.

Monali Mirel Chuatico is a paid member of the Red Ventures Education Integrity Network. 

Last reviewed April 21, 2022.

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Posted on Mar 21, 2023 • Updated on Jun 29, 2023 • Originally published at evergrowingdev.hashnode.dev

🥷 7 Coding Challenge Websites To Sharpen Your Skills

Awesome websites to put your coding skills to the test.

Practice, practice, practice .

The number one thing that is consistently preached to anyone learning how to code.

Practising your coding skills is essential for improving as a programmer, as watching tutorials can only take you so far.

But what better way to practice than to get yourself out of your comfort zone and put yourself to the test?

Introducing coding challenge websites .

Coding challenge websites are designed to have bite-sized coding problems for you to solve. These can be anything from simple algorithmic challenges to complex puzzles that test your ability to think critically and logically.

What’s more, there is usually an element of competition, where you can compete with others to gain points for the most challenging you can complete. It’s like playing a sport! 🏓

Many of the challenges you will face are also often used during the interview process for developer roles. So the more you get used to them, the better prepared for potential technical job interviews - it's a win-win!

I’ve put together a list of my favourite 7 coding challenge websites to sharpen your skills.

Let's take a look!

#1 - Codewars

Codewars is an online platform that helps developers hone their coding skills. It features various challenges, or “kata” , for users to complete. These katas range from beginner to advanced levels and cover a wide range of topics, such as algorithms, data structures, and more.

Codewars is an excellent way to improve your programming knowledge and skills. It encourages you to think critically and creatively and to practice problem-solving. It also allows you to connect with other coders and learn from them.

In addition, Codewars offers a ranking system called “kyu” that allows you to compare their progress with others. This can be great motivation for practising and allows you to measure your own progress.

Overall, Codewars is a great way to challenge yourself and learn new coding techniques from others.

#2 - LeetCode

LeetCode is a great website for anyone looking to sharpen their coding skills. It provides coding challenges that can help you improve your problem-solving skills and give you a deeper understanding of data structures and algorithms.

The challenges on LeetCode are organised into categories, so you can pick and choose which ones you want to work on. The difficulty of the challenges ranges from beginner to advanced, so there’s something for everyone.

The website also provides helpful tutorials and solutions to the challenges. This can be a great way to learn from other coders and understand how to approach a problem.

LeetCode is a great place to start if you’re looking for a fun and challenging way to brush up on your coding skills.

#3 - Coderbyte

Coderbyte offers a variety of code challenges and web development courses that can help you hone your skills in different areas.

One of the main features of Coderbyte is its collection of code challenges. These challenges are designed to test your knowledge and problem-solving abilities in different areas of programming, from algorithms to data structures and beyond. The challenges range in difficulty, so there's always something for you to work on.

In addition to its code challenges, Coderbyte also offers web development courses that cover a range of topics, from HTML and CSS to JavaScript and beyond. These courses are designed to help you learn new skills and improve your existing ones, and they can be a great way to prepare for upcoming job interviews or other coding projects.

Their interview kit is also incredibly useful but does require a subscription plan, however, it is well worth the investment.

#4 - Exercism

Exercism is an online platform for learning and practising coding. It helps you build your programming skills through coding exercises, mentorship, and community support.

Exercism offers a wide range of programming languages, from beginner-friendly languages like JavaScript and Ruby to more advanced languages like Haskell and Clojure. Each language is broken down into tracks, which are made up of exercises designed to help you progress in your understanding of the language.

Exercism also offers a mentorship program, where experienced developers can offer feedback and guidance to learners. This feature helps to ensure that you get the support you need as you progress through the course material.

Finally, Exercism also has an active community of developers who are always willing to offer help and advice. Through this community, you can ask questions, share ideas, and discuss your progress. This makes learning a more collaborative and enjoyable experience.

#5 - HackerEarth

HackerEarth is a comprehensive platform that provides a wide range of coding challenges and competitions to help coders improve their skills.

The website has an extensive collection of problems of varying difficulty levels that can help you improve your coding skills.

Moreover, the platform provides a wealth of resources such as tutorials, webinars, and other learning materials that can help you learn new coding concepts and techniques, and advance your skillset.

As a member of HackerEarth, you'll also have access to a vibrant community of coders who participate in various coding challenges and competitions. This community can be a valuable resource for you to connect with like-minded individuals and seek guidance on coding-related questions.

One of the most exciting features of HackerEarth is its rewards system. By completing coding challenges, you can earn points that can be used to purchase rewards such as books, courses, and even cash prizes.

#6 - CodeChef

CodeChef is a popular website that offers an extensive range of coding challenges and contests for users to participate in. With a variety of problems to solve and the ability to use any of the most popular programming languages, CodeChef is a great way to improve your coding skills.

One of the standout features of CodeChef is its learning section, which offers self-learning, mentored learning, and doubt support. This is particularly useful for beginners who are looking to learn how to solve problems in a systematic way.

While some courses are free, others require payment before you can start them.

Another great aspect of CodeChef is its user ranking system. This includes both global and country-wide rankings, which is an added aspect of fun for competing with others.

#7 - HackerRank

HackerRank is a popular coding practice website that offers a variety of features for both beginners and experienced coders.

One of the standout features of HackerRank is its user-friendly interface. The website is easy to navigate, even for first-time users, and has a polished look and feel.

HackerRank offers different portals for companies and developers. If you are learning to solve problems, then you will choose the For Developers section. This section provides access to a variety of coding challenges and exercises designed to help you improve your skills and knowledge in different areas of programming.

HackerRank is also an excellent place to learn specific programming languages or topics. You can choose to prepare yourself by topics, and even take their certification exam to stand out from the crowd.

Additionally, the website offers preparation kits to help you prepare for job interviews, and you can take part in programming contests to test your skills against others.

Once again, one of the best ways to practise your coding skills is through coding challenge websites. These websites set bite-sized coding problems for you to solve that can help you get out of your comfort zone and push your curiosity.

Not only do they help you improve your coding skills, but they also offer an element of competition, allowing you to compete with others and gain points for completing challenges.

Nothing like a bit of friendly competition to keep you motivated!

Finally, many of the challenges used on these websites are also used during the interview process for developer roles, making them an excellent resource for job seekers looking to sharpen their technical skills.

So why not challenge yourself today?

From your fellow ever-growing dev,

Cherlock Code

💙 If you liked this article...

I publish a weekly newsletter to a community of ever-growing developers, seeking to improve programming skills, increase productivity and share knowledge within the exciting sectors of Tech, AI and Web3.

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Top 23 Online Tools to Learn Coding and Improve Programming Skills

Knowledge of computer programming is a skill that can open many doors to starting a professional career in IT. Even if you’re not planning to acquire a technical position, the ability to solve complex problems and knowledge of at least one basic programming language are your intangible asset. 

The demand for coding specialists has grown tremendously in recent years, and it’s not that difficult to find online resources for improving coding skills and even learning programming from scratch. After some research, I compiled a list of 23 websites to learn and improve coding online.

Online Resources for Beginners and Pros

Remember that there isn’t a single online resource that is a one-stop solution to becoming a high-paid specialist. Some of the platforms are better for beginners to learn the basics of computer programming, while others are geared towards providing professional developers with in-depth knowledge of certain aspects of programming languages.

In this article, I divided all online resources into three groups:

• Many online platforms offer flexible and convenient ways to learn to code and improve programming skills through courses and tutorials . I picked a bundle of websites that mainly provide free study opportunities. While they all offer courses of various difficulties, they are the best option to get acquainted with programming for beginners. 
• Online platforms for coding challenges and competitions allow users to test and improve their coding skills, engage in problem-solving discussions with fellow programmers, prepare for job interviews and freshen up their knowledge of programming languages. Many such platforms serve as hubs where employers search for talented coders.
• Coding games present an easy way for beginners to put their freshly acquired skills to work while having fun. All of the games included in this list are suitable for users with zero coding skills or who have just started learning the basics of computer programming. I suggest checking them out for people who, until now, were intimidated by the complexity of coding. 

Online Courses and Tutorials

Here are the best online platforms offering highly professional coding courses for beginners.

freeCodeCamp

freeCodeCamp is a free online source with about 8,000 tutorials covering web design basics, data visualization, front-end development libraries, backend development, and more. The tutorials are supported with YouTube videos, exercises, and examples. freeCodeCamp is especially useful for beginners who start learning HTML, Python, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, C++, and PHP, as most of the learning process is carried out via online IDE tools.

Though it is not a one-step solution to earning a programmer job, it provides a solid basis for further development.

Educative.io

This website contains thousands of tutorials and courses covering all aspects of computer technologies, like programming, cloud computing, and AI. The Educative.io team argues that although video tutorials have become the norm lately, we read faster than we hear, and written tutorials are beneficial for learning technical material. Therefore, it is the only platform relying on written texts.

Educative.io provides many resources for professional developers while offering courses tailored to beginners who want to learn Python, Java, C++, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript from scratch. Hands-on examples and quizzes support each lesson to check whether users understand the material.

This platform is free for students, and some courses are free for all.

CodeGym is an interactive online Java programming course with over two million students. The best thing about the course is its practical focus. CodeGym contains more than 1200 programming tasks of different levels and complexity. Students start programming in a browser or professional development environment from the first lesson.

The intellectual system CodeGym or “Virtual Mentor” checks the solved task, evaluates the result in a matter of seconds, and, if necessary, gives hints on the presented solution.

However, that’s not just a collection of exercises but a course with a well-thought-out schedule. Students get a byte-size lecture first, then solve coding problems on that topic. When you’ve solved the problem, you’ve earned a certain number of points—you can spend to open the following lecture and so on, level by level. Thus, you will learn Core Java, and by the end of the course, you will have about 500 hours of programming practice.

This course is well suited for absolute beginners, switchers from other fields, or experts in different languages who decide to learn Java.

Envato Tuts+

Envato Tuts+ is an online free learning hub featuring more than 29,000 tutorials. Most are video tutorials covering a wide range of topics, from introduction to programming, basic languages, web development, and web design . 

This platform is a valuable source for WordPress beginners and professionals, with a whole section of courses devoted to WordPress basics, plugins, themes, and more.

W3Schools is a free educational website for learning coding launched in 1998, and it features 50+ courses, including tutorials in 18 programming languages. Each course contains chapters that include many “Do It Yourself” examples. 

By learning each chapter one by one, you get fundamental knowledge of the subject, starting from the very basics. Besides, the platform offers hundreds of exercises and quizzes for easy and fun assessment of your proficiency in various domains. 

Experienced programmers can replenish their knowledge base in their fields of expertise, while beginners will be fond of a well-structured learning journey offered by W3Schools. 

Udemy is different from many other educational platforms because it only features premium (paid) tutorials. Content creators can create courses on IT-related topics, upload them to the site, and charge whatever price they choose. Users can find classes to learn 25+ programming languages by professional tutors that are a mixture of videos, resources, and problems to solve.

The platform features over 1,000 courses on WordPress, including a super popular 10-hour WordPress for Beginners tutorial designed for users with no previous coding skills.

Users pay for the courses they like, while a Business subscription provides access to 16,000 tutorials and is popular for IT businesses who want to upgrade their employees’ coding skills.

Khan Academy

This non-profit website provides courses in math, science, arts & humanities, economics, and more. It also includes a robust selection of classes in computer science. With the courses like Intro to JS, HTML/CSS, and SQL, Khan Academy provides an excellent starting point for learning programming and web development. Teaching is done through written text, short videos, and practical exercises, and each course has 15 hours of content on average. The introductory courses are designed for 4th graders and up. 

Codeacademy is an online interactive library of free and paid courses that teach coding skills in the majority of popular programming languages. It offers thorough introductory courses in 15 languages, of which Java, JS, and Python are exceptionally good. According to course descriptions, 20 to 25 hours of courses will make you fluent in the selected language, but certainly, it’s not enough to make you job-ready.

Additionally, Codecademy features a user-friendly interface, a low-stress environment, and many free online tools, making it one of the most favorable sources for coding beginners.

Online Platforms with Coding Challenges and Competitions

The following tools are best for intermediate and advanced programmers.

Codewars is a free educational online platform run by programmers. It lets you improve your coding skills by completing small “kata” exercises. In Japanese, kata is a martial arts movement perfected by practice. By using such terminology, authors on Codewars hint that mastering programming languages requires the repetitive solution of simple tasks and testing coding skills.

Each kata created by the community members helps improve different skills in 29 main programming languages. Often, there is more than one right solution to the problem, and users can compare and discuss their techniques with the community after completing each kata.

Codewars challenges have different complexity levels, but they are best for those with a basic understanding of at least one programming language.

People use HackerRank to improve algorithm and coding skills. This platform features programming challenges in various coding domains and environments, including time-sensitive exercises designed to prepare developers for the interviews. HackerRank provides a ranking system for users that displays their achievements in solving coding problems in specific domains. 

This platform is geared toward improving the coding skills necessary for passing interviews and getting a software engineer job. The exercises cover eight programming languages: C, C++, Java, SQL, Shell Scripting, Ruby, and Python.

HackerRank provides a paid subscription for employers, allowing them to set up problem-solving competitions, post jobs, and reach out to potential candidates. It is free for programmers. 

LeetCode is an online coding platform with around 2,500 programming challenges. The challenges primarily focus on data structure and algorithms and are grouped into three categories by difficulty. Almost every task supports 18 main programming languages. LeetCode focuses on the efficiency of problem-solving methods, and authors of the exercises often provide detailed explanations of why certain solutions are better than others. 

Some of the tasks and features are available only for premium subscribers. But still, the plethora of free learning material is enough to learn data structures and algorithms and prepare for job interviews in the most efficient way.

Project Euler

Project Euler presents a series of computational problems requiring participants’ advanced numeracy and programming skills. The intended audience of the platform includes mathematicians with a strong interest in implementing computers for problem-solving. The users can use the language of their choice, and the most popular programming languages on Project Euler are Python, C, C++, C#, and Java.

Although the problems range in difficulty, they are not suitable for coding beginners or people lacking proficiency in number theory.

General Assembly Dash is an educational website focusing on teaching web development using HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. The students can write code using instructions and informative slideshows to complete five projects: Build a Personal Website, Build a Responsive Blog/Tumblr Theme, Build a Small Business Website, Build a CSS Robot, and Build a Madlibs game.

When users finish all projects, they will acquire 82 skills, such as implementing subscription forms on websites and creating animation with JavaScript. Overall, this free platform is intended for beginner coders who want to learn hands-on website-building basics.

CodingBat is a website offering free exercises to perfect coding skills in Java and Python. The short exercises provide programmers with experience in writing functions and are perfect for computer science students as built-in tests for practicing single concepts. Almost every test has more than one solution.

CodingBat allows teachers to create accounts to assign exercises to students, easily customize problem sets and follow their students’ progress.

This is a competitive coding platform popular among students and programmers. Codechef team organizes regular events, including three competitions per month with cash prizes, puzzles, and games. Apart from competing events, Codechef allows users to run and test codes in the in-browser window and solve 3000+ problems supported by 35 programming languages.

Codechef’s audience primarily consists of developers and programmers who want to test their knowledge of data structures and algorithms and learn in a competitive environment. The problems on the platform are designed for intermediate and advanced users. 

This competitive programming site offers thousands of Single Round Matches to compete against other graphic design and development programmers. Topcoder offers sponsored competitions where participants can win prizes, and employers often use this option for finding talented developers .

Topcoder’s extensive library of challenges complies with past competition tasks, and, most of the time, they are short and ideal for people with other work to do. 

Coding Games

These fun games help beginners memorize coding syntax and apply concepts they’ve learned.

This game aims to build a robot battle tank to defeat other tanks. Users have no direct control of the tank during the battle; instead, they design its AI using Java so the tanks react to threats on the battlefield. 

While it’s an excellent way to develop Java skills, the game teaches what artificial intelligence is and how it’s used.

CodeCombat stimulates players to use text-based coding in Python, JavaScript, and C++ programming languages to develop fantasy-inspired heroes and engage in battles on different game levels. It features an intuitive code engine that understands beginners’ typical mistakes and helps fix them. 

The game is free for everybody. Users can buy a paid subscription to access new levels, heroes, and gear.

Flexbox Defense

This is a tower defense game in which you use CSS flexbox code to position towers and destroy incoming enemies. Flexbox Defense consists of 12 levels, and players can learn new CSS flexbox properties on each level. Finally, they must apply accumulated knowledge to win the last wave of enemy tanks.

In this game, users must choose specified items from a set of objects on a table using CSS selectors. Beginner programmers will learn basic selectors at the start of the game and more advanced selectors to select a wide variety of DOM elements towards the final levels. 

CSS Diner is a piece of cake for experienced programmers, but it’s still a great tool to refresh CSS muscle memory. 

CodinGame is a platform hosting many space battles-styled games where players use coding skills to lead their armies against invaders. Users can choose one of 25 programming languages, including Java, JavaScript, and Python, and compete against bots or each other. 

While the platform offers beginner-level challenges, most of the puzzles are complex and require a considerable amount of effort and coding experience. Unfortunately, most of the games are available only to paid subscribers. 

Baba Is You

Baba Is You is a puzzle video game with cute indie graphics. It consists of 200 levels in which the Baba character must move objects on the screen to reach a specific goal. The game is not based on any particular programming language but requires a player to manipulate the “rules” – visually presented as blocks, similar to syntax rules in coding.

Warning! The game is addictive, while certain levels are ridiculously difficult. 

Edabit is a learning platform with close to coding 10,000 challenges with added simple game mechanics to make learning fun. Users can choose one of eight coding languages (C, C++, JavaScript, Java, Python, Ruby, Swift, and PHP). Most of the challenges are pretty simple and require players to memorize pieces of coding syntax to succeed. 

The number and range of online programming courses mean that you can find courses that teach the language of your interest.

Many online platforms offer programming courses and coding challenges for free. Most of the websites discussed above provide free options.

Yes. Udemy and Envato Tuts+ offer free courses on design development and WordPress.

Coding games demonstrate how programming concepts are applied in real-life applications.

Coding is intimidating if you don’t know where to start. I hope I presented enough evidence to convince you there’s an infinite number of helpful online resources for newbies and experienced programmers. 

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10 Coding Challenges, Tips, and Websites to Practice – 2023

Finding and hiring a strong software developer is one of the biggest challenges for many companies. Therefore many companies employ coding challenges as part of their interview process to determine if developers are up to the required standard for the job. 

Coding challenges are a great way to test the skills and abilities of a software developer. These challenges can be used in a job interview process , or simply as activities to help software developers improve their programming skills. 

As an aspiring software engineer looking for a job in the industry, you must be well-prepared to face coding challenges, which are a standard part of interview processes. In this article, we will cover 10 coding challenge tips that can help you crack the interview process. Before moving forward though, let's understand more about the coding challenge. 

What is a Coding Challenge?

A " coding challenge " is a programming assignment that tests the abilities of software engineers. Because coding is a must-have skill for a software developer, it is critical to test whether candidates can code effectively. It is basically the first phase before a technical interview . Even if you aren't looking for a job, there are a lot of programming challenges that you can take part in to improve your skills.

‍ Tip #1 Master a Language

The ideal approach is to focus on one programming language at a time. For example, if you are learning C++, learn it from scratch. Coding challenges can be filled with a variety of questionable code, and you should be capable of debugging a program without difficulty. 

This can only be accomplished by sharpening your technical skills in a specific programming language, to prepare, in this case, for a future C++ challenge. This approach will help you move quickly through more difficult problems and give you an advantage in the interview process.

‍ Tip #2 Understand Programming Paradigms

Programming paradigms are basically a method to solve similar problems or perform certain tasks using programming languages. With so many programming paradigms available, it would be beneficial to learn at least one. These programming paradigms include:

Imperative Programming Paradigm

The term "imperative" is derived from the Latin "Impero," which means "I command." You give the computer small tasks to complete, and it completes them one at a time and reports back.

The paradigm is made up of several statements, and the result is saved after they have all been executed. It requires you to write a set of instructions that tell the computer what to do step-by-step. 

{% code-block language="js" %} #include <stdio.h> int main() {     int sum = 0;     sum += 2;     sum += 4;     sum += 6;     sum += 8;     sum += 10;     sum += 12;     sum += 14;     sum += 16;     sum += 18;     sum += 20;      printf("The sum is: %d\n", sum); //prints-> The sum is 110 return 0; {% code-block-end %}

The order of the steps is critical in an imperative programming paradigm because a specific step will have different consequences depending on the current values of variables when it is executed.

There are different types of programming paradigms

Procedural Programming Paradigm

Procedural programming allows for the division of instructions into smaller procedures. The procedural paradigm approach shown below helps you find the sum of the first ten natural numbers to demonstrate:

{% code-block language="js" %} #include <stdio.h> int main() {     int sum = 0;     int i =0;     for(i=1;i<111;i++){         sum += i;     }     printf("The sum is: %d\n", sum); //prints-> The sum is 110     return 0; {% code-block-end %}

Object-Oriented Programming Paradigm

Because of its unique advantages, such as code modularity and the ability to directly associate real-world business problems in terms of code, OOP is the most popular programming paradigm with key features like Class, Encapsulation, Abstraction, Inheritance, and Polymorphism.

{% code-block language="js" %} public class Main { public static void main(String[] args) { Addition obj = new Addition(); obj.num = 20; int answer = obj.addValues(); System.out.println("The sum is = "+answer); //prints-> The sum is 110 } } class Addition {     int sum =0;     int num =0;     int addValues(){         for(int i=1; i<=num;i++){             sum += i;         }         return sum;     } } {% code-block-end %}

‍ ‍ Parallel Processing Programming Paradigm

Parallel processing is the division of program instructions among multiple processors. A parallel processing system divides up multiple processors to run a program in less time. Languages that support the parallel processing strategy include C/C++ and NESL. 

Declarative Programming Paradigm

The main distinction here is that the imperative paradigm tells you how to do something, whereas declarative paradigm tells you what to do. In this type of programming, the paradigm programmer defines what the program must accomplish without specifying how it must be implemented. In other words, the approach focuses on what needs to be accomplished rather than how to accomplish it. There are two types of declarative programming paradigms. 

Logic Programming Paradigm

The logic programming paradigm approaches problem-solving declaratively. It is founded on formal logic. The logic programming paradigm is made up of facts and clauses rather than instructions. It uses everything it knows to create a world where all of those facts and clauses are true. The emphasis in logical programming is on the problem and the knowledge base.

{% code-block language="js" %} sum of two number in prolog:   predicates   sumoftwonumber(integer, integer) clauses   sum(0, 0).    sum(n, r):-         n1=n-1,         sum(n1, r1),         r=r1+n {% code-block-end %}

This paradigm supports languages like Absys, Prolog, ALF, Ciao, and Alice.

The Functional Programming Paradigm

The functional programming paradigm has mathematical roots and is language agnostic. The execution of a series of mathematical functions is the fundamental principle of this paradigm. You put together a program of short functions. Every line of the code is contained within a function. The function's variables are all scoped. 

In the functional programming paradigm, functions do not modify any values outside their scope, and they are not affected by any values outside their scope. This paradigm supports languages like Racket, JavaScript, Haskell, Scala, Clojure, and OCaml. 

Database Programming Approach

This programming methodology is built around data and how it moves. Rather than hard-coding a series of steps, program statements are defined by data. A database program will beat the heart of any business information system, providing file creation, data entry, update, query, and reporting functions. Several programming languages have been developed primarily for database applications. As an example, consider SQL. It is used to filter, transform, aggregate (data such as computing statistics), or call other programs on structured data streams. As a result, it has a wide range of applications. 

{% code-block language="js" %} CREATE DATABASE databaseAddress; CREATE TABLE Addr (     PersonID int,     LastName varchar(200),     FirstName varchar(200),     Address varchar(200),     City varchar(200),     State varchar(200) ); {% code-block-end %}

Programming paradigms reduce programme complexity. When writing code, every programmer must use a paradigm based approach. 

Tip #3 Get to Know Data Structures

Data structures and algorithms are the heart of programming. Data structures act as the foundation for all programming languages. You can improve your programming logic for a programming language if you understand its data structure. You should start with the language's data structures if you want to learn how to work with it. 

The most common data structures include Heap, Graph, Tree, HashMap, Stack, Linked List, Array, and Queue . On the other hand, the most common algorithm types include two pointers, sorting, bit manipulation, string manipulation, dynamic programming, and backtracking. 

Some of these may appear difficult at first, but if you want to land an interview at one of the top tech firms, you should devote more time to what you find difficult and master each of these.

Tip #4 Time and Space Complexity

There are some problems that have more than one solution. So, it is essential to learn how to reach the best solution to solve a specific problem. When looking at an algorithm, you should consider time and space complexity. 

Time Complexity

The time complexity of an algorithm is a measure of how long it takes an algorithm to run as a function of the input length. It's worth noting that the time it takes to run is determined by the length of the input rather than the system’s actual execution time. 

To determine the time complexity of an algorithm, it is assumed that one operation takes a constant time C, and the total operations for an input length on N are then calculated. 

Consider the following scenario to understand the computation process better: Assume you are trying to figure out if a pair (X, Y) occurs in an array A of N elements with a sum of Z. The simplest approach is to look at each pair and see if it meets the provided criteria.

The pseudo-code is as follows:

{% code-block language="js" %} int a[n]; for(int i = 0;i < n;i++)   cin >> a[i] for(int i = 0;i < n;i++)   for(int j = 0;j < n;j++)     if(i!=j && a[i]+a[j] == z)        return true return false {% code-block-end %}

Space Complexity

An algorithm's space complexity measures how much space it takes to run as a function of the length of the input. Consider the following scenario: the problem of determining the frequency of array elements.

The pseudo-code is as follows: 

{% code-block language="js" %}  int freq[n]; int a[n]; for(int i = 0; i<n; i++) {    cin>>a[i];    freq[a[i]]++; } {% code-block-end %}

‍ Tip #5 Look at Other People’s Code

Reviewing other programmers' code helps you understand the format, design patterns,  styling, and naming conventions consistency throughout the code. For that, you can find and explore the online communities of programmers like Stash , GitHub , Codeacademy Forums , and Bitbucket .  

When you take part in code review platforms like GitHub and Stash, you need a pull request. This means the original programmer will add you as a reviewer, and when you finish your code review, the website will track all changes you make. You could also be conducting an internal code review at work, either in person or through a version control system that your company has implemented.

‍ Tip #6 Plan your Strategy to Deal with the Coding Challenge

Many learners often jump right into the project without a proper strategy and plan. This is one of the most common mistakes. Experienced developers make sure to have a strategy and a comprehensive project plan. In order to plan your strategy, you need to consider the following things.

Step 1: Choose a project that excites you

Always start by deciding what project you want to work on. There are numerous suggestions suitable for various ability levels available on the internet. Because you'll be investing a lot of time and effort into this project, make sure it's something that stimulates and pleases you. If you have a project concept that displays your uniqueness, don't be scared to overlook common project subjects!

Step 2: Find similar projects online

Look online for other people who have worked on similar tasks after you've come up with an idea. Many programmers post their work on the internet in order to get feedback and influence others. There are innumerable projects to examine, particularly in the open-source community.

You can upload your project after each phase to see what your peers have to say about how to improve it. The online community is eager to assist students such as you! It's not a bad idea to obtain a second opinion to see where you can improve.

Step 3: Choose the tools and your language. 

Another step is to choose the language and tools you'll use to develop your project. Choose a language to learn if you wish to learn more than one. If you're undecided about language, think about what kind of language would be most beneficial to the project. The following are the languages you can choose from.

• For Mobile apps: Object-C, JavaScript, Swift, and Java
• For Web apps: HTML/CSS, TypeScript, PHP, Ruby and JavaScript.
• For Big Data: Clojure, Scala, Python, and Java
• For Data Visualization: C#, R, Python, and Java
• Machine Learning and Analytics: Julia, Python, R, and Clojure
• Enterprise applications: ErLang, C++, C#, Java

To write your code, you will also need a text editor. The most popular text editors are Notepad++, Sublime Text, and Vim. Choose an editor with auto-complete tools, FTP integration, find and replace functions, folder management systems, and syntax highlighting. 

Step 4: Map the architecture of the project

You can make the architecture of your project with sticky notes, or digitally so you can move around the pieces without any hassle. After that, connect each feature with a line. After creating your flowchart, you now need to write different inputs. Follow each input through the program to see which points it contacts as it moves through it. Make a list of them. Create the features needed to handle an unsupported input if you locate one.

Step 5: Add pseudocode to your program

Pseudocode is a plain-language explanation of an algorithm's steps. In other words, your pseudocode is a step-by-step method for resolving the coding challenge. 

Step 6: Set deadlines to complete each step. 

Start with completing the most crucial features first, and then go step-by-step. 

‍ Tip #7 Don't Rush Things

There is a popular saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day," so don't expect to arrive at the solution immediately. If you rush, things will start falling apart, and you will get stuck. Make sure to understand the problem first and then start solving it step-by-step. If you don't understand the problem, you can't solve it. 

Many people start coding without having prior knowledge and understanding of it and often get stuck. So, in order to solve any coding problem, it is important to correctly understand exactly what it is first. 

When you understand the coding problem, write it down on a piece of paper and start solving it. Remember, code, syntax, and efficiency aren't important right now, so don't think about them just yet. If you think you can’t solve the problem, make sure to keep trying until you arrive at a solution. 

‍ Tip #8 Keep Practicing

“Practice makes improvement.” This phrase stands true in coding as well. The more code problems you solve, the more proficient you become. Make sure to start with simpler problems and work your way up to more complex ones. 

You can also go back to the problems you've already solved and tackle them in a new, or similar way. Remember that everything takes time, so don't be too hard on yourself if you can't solve a problem right away!

Bonus Coding Challenge Tips

‍ bonus tip #9 read discussions on blind.

‍ Blind is an app for anonymous communication between professionals around the world, including software developers. It's a community of almost 3 million experts that share industry-specific advice and their honest feedback about the companies they work at - their salaries, interview processes, promotions, and perks. Many of them work for FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Alphabet's Google) and other industry giants. Everything is anonymous, so if you're seeking professional advice regarding coding challenges, this app is a good source of information. You can even find information on the level of complexity, the time allocated, and the number of tasks - that other candidates are welcome to share.

A coding challenge helps employers to select the best candidates for the next stage of the interview process. Also called the 'zero stage' of the interview, a coding challenge is a quick and easy way to see if the candidate is the right fit from the start. The coding challenges will help evaluate both coding techniques (things you already know) and engineering capabilities (things you potentially are capable of). So go ahead and check the discussions on Blind.

‍ Bonus Tip #10 Read “Cracking the Coding Interview”

This book by Gayle Laakmann McDowell includes around 200 programming problems and solutions that can be useful during coding interviews. The book also includes soft skills question examples and "behind the scenes" insights into how top firms hire developers.

The book's author has extensive experience as a software engineer with tech behemoths such as Microsoft, Apple, and Google. She's also interviewed over 700 individuals for software engineer posts, so she knows what she's talking about.

Which are the Most Popular Programming Challenge Websites?

Writing code is also all about coming up with solutions. To be good at anything, you need to have enough practice to master the skill. 

Code challenge websites help you do that. Solving coding problems is a great way to improve your skills as you learn to code. 

Programming challenges and puzzles can help you improve your problem-solving skills, and learning how to better use a programming language will give you more chances to get better jobs.

The following are the most popular programming challenge websites that help you sharpen your coding skills. 

‍ HackerRank - For Beginners to Intermediate 

‍ HackerRank is one of the most popular websites to practice coding. When using HackerRank you should know that:

• Developers say programming challenges on HackerRank are generally better than on other platforms, which means they're more out of the ordinary.
• HackerRank has a great interface (but don't base your decision on UI only).
• HackerRank offers live competitions that can better simulate a 'real-life interview'.
• HackerRank is better for beginners and students that would like to master a new language.
• HackerRank allows developers to apply for open positions at companies using their score on HackerRank which can be easily accessed online.

If you can find the company you're applying for in the LeetCode Premium section, subscribe and practice there. If the company you're applying for is not as big as FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Alphabet's Google), then go with HackerRank coding challenges. Either way, focus on one platform at a time.

‍ LeetCode - For Intermediate to Advanced Coding

LeetCode's technical interview platform is a great place to start practicing with coding challenges to help you improve your skills before the real thing. Their platform offers approximately 200 challenges, in 14 programming languages. Besides its large number of challenges, we also like that after completing a challenge, you can view stats - such as how fast your code ran compared to other users. There's also a section of the website dedicated to resources that can help you mock interviews with tasks considering the specifics of individual companies. LeetCode's Premium version can be really helpful if you have the budget for it. For $35/month, you can unlock a section where you can review specific interview questions for companies like Facebook, Google, Apple, and Amazon. These questions were generously provided by a community of developers that have already landed their dream jobs and want to give back.

Top Hits from LeetCode Premium

There are also more benefits, apart from Premium Subscriptions, to practicing coding challenges with LeetCode: 

• Developers prefer LeetCode for their straightforward tasks followed by the theory (which is mostly lacking in HackerRank).
• Specific challenges, such as SQL, are better on LeetCode than, for instance, on HackerRank. LeetCode also offers more support for specific languages, such as Go or C.
• LeetCode lets you compare your solutions with the solutions of other challenge participants so you can find out how to optimize your code and reduce the memory it takes.

‍ FreeCodeCamp - For Intermediate to Advanced Coding

Since 2014, FreeCodeCamp says that over 40,000 of its graduates have obtained IT jobs at Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Spotify, and various other organizations. 

The curriculum at FreeCodeCamp includes ten areas of study, each of which takes roughly 300 hours to finish, for 3,000 hours of training. The organization also provides thousands of hours of educational content on its YouTube channel.

Graduates can use a robust alumni network; freeCodeCamp has over 115,000 alumni on LinkedIn. FreeCodeCamp also offers coding interview practice with thousands of hours of coding assignments.

‍ TopCoder - For Intermediate to Advanced Coding

TopCoder, one of the oldest websites for competitive coding challenges, is still very important and relevant in terms of giving you the best source of competitive coding.

TopCoder has weekly challenges and competitions in web design and algorithms, programming, SQL, algebra, and many other exciting ways to learn. Many different technologies are used to help with editing, and they've built one of the largest developer crowdsourcing groups in the world on the internet.

Coderbyte - Beginner to Intermediate Level 

Coderbyte offers over 200 coding problems to tackle in their online editor. Coderbyte provides a wide range of coding challenges for novice and intermediate-level coders, and it can significantly improve your coding skills. You can use ten different programming languages with Coderbyte, and they provide a choice of official challenge solutions as well as a large number of user solutions. Coderbyte also offers classes on web development, algorithms, data structures, and some preparation for coding boot camps.

Project Euler - Beginner to Intermediate Level  

ProjectEuler is perhaps the best source for coding problems in math and computer sciences. It focuses on more advanced knowledge, so it is vital that you have some math understanding and other skills.

Their challenges involve building a program to solve difficult arithmetic problems or equations. It helps in your creative thinking, learning, and advancement in the programming language. They provide weekly challenges even though they do not provide an online code editor.

CodeChef - For All Levels

This is an India-based competitive programming website that offers a virtual sea of challenges for beginning, intermediate, and even advanced coders.

CodeChef provides an online editor as well as collections of categorized tasks. It offers a large community of coders and programmers who participate in its forums and discussion boards, which is one of its greatest advantages. They create courses, conduct competitions, and, most importantly, assist you with your coding issues so that you may learn as effectively as possible.

If you want to prepare for coding challenges and are looking for the best and most effective ways to do so, Microverse might be for you. Microverse can assist you through its free, online Level Up experience which helps you to prepare for coding challenges.  Apply now to get started with Microverse today!

Ariel Camus

Ariel is the founder & CEO of Microverse, an online school for software engineers. Read more about Microverse and how it can help you.

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How to improve your problem solving skills and build effective problem solving strategies

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Effective problem solving is all about using the right process and following a plan tailored to the issue at hand. Recognizing your team or organization has an issue isn’t enough to come up with effective problem solving strategies. 

To truly understand a problem and develop appropriate solutions, you will want to follow a solid process, follow the necessary problem solving steps, and bring all of your problem solving skills to the table.  

We’ll first guide you through the seven step problem solving process you and your team can use to effectively solve complex business challenges. We’ll also look at what problem solving strategies you can employ with your team when looking for a way to approach the process. We’ll then discuss the problem solving skills you need to be more effective at solving problems, complete with an activity from the SessionLab library you can use to develop that skill in your team.

Let’s get to it! 

What is a problem solving process?

• What are the problem solving steps I need to follow?

Problem solving strategies

What skills do i need to be an effective problem solver, how can i improve my problem solving skills.

Solving problems is like baking a cake. You can go straight into the kitchen without a recipe or the right ingredients and do your best, but the end result is unlikely to be very tasty!

Using a process to bake a cake allows you to use the best ingredients without waste, collect the right tools, account for allergies, decide whether it is a birthday or wedding cake, and then bake efficiently and on time. The result is a better cake that is fit for purpose, tastes better and has created less mess in the kitchen. Also, it should have chocolate sprinkles. Having a step by step process to solve organizational problems allows you to go through each stage methodically and ensure you are trying to solve the right problems and select the most appropriate, effective solutions.

What are the problem solving steps I need to follow? 

All problem solving processes go through a number of steps in order to move from identifying a problem to resolving it.

Depending on your problem solving model and who you ask, there can be anything between four and nine problem solving steps you should follow in order to find the right solution. Whatever framework you and your group use, there are some key items that should be addressed in order to have an effective process.

We’ve looked at problem solving processes from sources such as the American Society for Quality and their four step approach , and Mediate ‘s six step process. By reflecting on those and our own problem solving processes, we’ve come up with a sequence of seven problem solving steps we feel best covers everything you need in order to effectively solve problems.

1. Problem identification 

The first stage of any problem solving process is to identify the problem or problems you might want to solve. Effective problem solving strategies always begin by allowing a group scope to articulate what they believe the problem to be and then coming to some consensus over which problem they approach first. Problem solving activities used at this stage often have a focus on creating frank, open discussion so that potential problems can be brought to the surface.

2. Problem analysis 

Though this step is not a million miles from problem identification, problem analysis deserves to be considered separately. It can often be an overlooked part of the process and is instrumental when it comes to developing effective solutions.

The process of problem analysis means ensuring that the problem you are seeking to solve is the right problem . As part of this stage, you may look deeper and try to find the root cause of a specific problem at a team or organizational level.

Remember that problem solving strategies should not only be focused on putting out fires in the short term but developing long term solutions that deal with the root cause of organizational challenges. 

Whatever your approach, analyzing a problem is crucial in being able to select an appropriate solution and the problem solving skills deployed in this stage are beneficial for the rest of the process and ensuring the solutions you create are fit for purpose.

3. Solution generation

Once your group has nailed down the particulars of the problem you wish to solve, you want to encourage a free flow of ideas connecting to solving that problem. This can take the form of problem solving games that encourage creative thinking or problem solving activities designed to produce working prototypes of possible solutions. 

The key to ensuring the success of this stage of the problem solving process is to encourage quick, creative thinking and create an open space where all ideas are considered. The best solutions can come from unlikely places and by using problem solving techniques that celebrate invention, you might come up with solution gold. 

4. Solution development

No solution is likely to be perfect right out of the gate. It’s important to discuss and develop the solutions your group has come up with over the course of following the previous problem solving steps in order to arrive at the best possible solution. Problem solving games used in this stage involve lots of critical thinking, measuring potential effort and impact, and looking at possible solutions analytically. 

During this stage, you will often ask your team to iterate and improve upon your frontrunning solutions and develop them further. Remember that problem solving strategies always benefit from a multitude of voices and opinions, and not to let ego get involved when it comes to choosing which solutions to develop and take further.

Finding the best solution is the goal of all problem solving workshops and here is the place to ensure that your solution is well thought out, sufficiently robust and fit for purpose. 

5. Decision making 

Nearly there! Once your group has reached consensus and selected a solution that applies to the problem at hand you have some decisions to make. You will want to work on allocating ownership of the project, figure out who will do what, how the success of the solution will be measured and decide the next course of action.

The decision making stage is a part of the problem solving process that can get missed or taken as for granted. Fail to properly allocate roles and plan out how a solution will actually be implemented and it less likely to be successful in solving the problem.

Have clear accountabilities, actions, timeframes, and follow-ups. Make these decisions and set clear next-steps in the problem solving workshop so that everyone is aligned and you can move forward effectively as a group. 

Ensuring that you plan for the roll-out of a solution is one of the most important problem solving steps. Without adequate planning or oversight, it can prove impossible to measure success or iterate further if the problem was not solved. 

6. Solution implementation 

This is what we were waiting for! All problem solving strategies have the end goal of implementing a solution and solving a problem in mind. 

Remember that in order for any solution to be successful, you need to help your group through all of the previous problem solving steps thoughtfully. Only then can you ensure that you are solving the right problem but also that you have developed the correct solution and can then successfully implement and measure the impact of that solution.

Project management and communication skills are key here – your solution may need to adjust when out in the wild or you might discover new challenges along the way.

7. Solution evaluation 

So you and your team developed a great solution to a problem and have a gut feeling its been solved. Work done, right? Wrong. All problem solving strategies benefit from evaluation, consideration, and feedback. You might find that the solution does not work for everyone, might create new problems, or is potentially so successful that you will want to roll it out to larger teams or as part of other initiatives. 

None of that is possible without taking the time to evaluate the success of the solution you developed in your problem solving model and adjust if necessary.

Remember that the problem solving process is often iterative and it can be common to not solve complex issues on the first try. Even when this is the case, you and your team will have generated learning that will be important for future problem solving workshops or in other parts of the organization. 

It’s worth underlining how important record keeping is throughout the problem solving process. If a solution didn’t work, you need to have the data and records to see why that was the case. If you go back to the drawing board, notes from the previous workshop can help save time. Data and insight is invaluable at every stage of the problem solving process and this one is no different.

Problem solving workshops made easy

Problem solving strategies are methods of approaching and facilitating the process of problem-solving with a set of techniques , actions, and processes. Different strategies are more effective if you are trying to solve broad problems such as achieving higher growth versus more focused problems like, how do we improve our customer onboarding process?

Broadly, the problem solving steps outlined above should be included in any problem solving strategy though choosing where to focus your time and what approaches should be taken is where they begin to differ. You might find that some strategies ask for the problem identification to be done prior to the session or that everything happens in the course of a one day workshop.

The key similarity is that all good problem solving strategies are structured and designed. Four hours of open discussion is never going to be as productive as a four-hour workshop designed to lead a group through a problem solving process.

Good problem solving strategies are tailored to the team, organization and problem you will be attempting to solve. Here are some example problem solving strategies you can learn from or use to get started.

Use a workshop to lead a team through a group process

Often, the first step to solving problems or organizational challenges is bringing a group together effectively. Most teams have the tools, knowledge, and expertise necessary to solve their challenges – they just need some guidance in how to use leverage those skills and a structure and format that allows people to focus their energies.

Facilitated workshops are one of the most effective ways of solving problems of any scale. By designing and planning your workshop carefully, you can tailor the approach and scope to best fit the needs of your team and organization. 

Problem solving workshop

• Creating a bespoke, tailored process
• Tackling problems of any size
• Building in-house workshop ability and encouraging their use

Workshops are an effective strategy for solving problems. By using tried and test facilitation techniques and methods, you can design and deliver a workshop that is perfectly suited to the unique variables of your organization. You may only have the capacity for a half-day workshop and so need a problem solving process to match. 

By using our session planner tool and importing methods from our library of 700+ facilitation techniques, you can create the right problem solving workshop for your team. It might be that you want to encourage creative thinking or look at things from a new angle to unblock your groups approach to problem solving. By tailoring your workshop design to the purpose, you can help ensure great results.

One of the main benefits of a workshop is the structured approach to problem solving. Not only does this mean that the workshop itself will be successful, but many of the methods and techniques will help your team improve their working processes outside of the workshop. 

We believe that workshops are one of the best tools you can use to improve the way your team works together. Start with a problem solving workshop and then see what team building, culture or design workshops can do for your organization!

Run a design sprint

Great for: 

• aligning large, multi-discipline teams
• quickly designing and testing solutions
• tackling large, complex organizational challenges and breaking them down into smaller tasks

By using design thinking principles and methods, a design sprint is a great way of identifying, prioritizing and prototyping solutions to long term challenges that can help solve major organizational problems with quick action and measurable results.

Some familiarity with design thinking is useful, though not integral, and this strategy can really help a team align if there is some discussion around which problems should be approached first. 

The stage-based structure of the design sprint is also very useful for teams new to design thinking.  The inspiration phase, where you look to competitors that have solved your problem, and the rapid prototyping and testing phases are great for introducing new concepts that will benefit a team in all their future work. 

It can be common for teams to look inward for solutions and so looking to the market for solutions you can iterate on can be very productive. Instilling an agile prototyping and testing mindset can also be great when helping teams move forwards – generating and testing solutions quickly can help save time in the long run and is also pretty exciting!

Break problems down into smaller issues

Organizational challenges and problems are often complicated and large scale in nature. Sometimes, trying to resolve such an issue in one swoop is simply unachievable or overwhelming. Try breaking down such problems into smaller issues that you can work on step by step. You may not be able to solve the problem of churning customers off the bat, but you can work with your team to identify smaller effort but high impact elements and work on those first.

This problem solving strategy can help a team generate momentum, prioritize and get some easy wins. It’s also a great strategy to employ with teams who are just beginning to learn how to approach the problem solving process. If you want some insight into a way to employ this strategy, we recommend looking at our design sprint template below!

Use guiding frameworks or try new methodologies

Some problems are best solved by introducing a major shift in perspective or by using new methodologies that encourage your team to think differently.

Props and tools such as Methodkit , which uses a card-based toolkit for facilitation, or Lego Serious Play can be great ways to engage your team and find an inclusive, democratic problem solving strategy. Remember that play and creativity are great tools for achieving change and whatever the challenge, engaging your participants can be very effective where other strategies may have failed.

LEGO Serious Play

• Improving core problem solving skills
• Thinking outside of the box
• Encouraging creative solutions

LEGO Serious Play is a problem solving methodology designed to get participants thinking differently by using 3D models and kinesthetic learning styles. By physically building LEGO models based on questions and exercises, participants are encouraged to think outside of the box and create their own responses. 

Collaborate LEGO Serious Play exercises are also used to encourage communication and build problem solving skills in a group. By using this problem solving process, you can often help different kinds of learners and personality types contribute and unblock organizational problems with creative thinking. 

Problem solving strategies like LEGO Serious Play are super effective at helping a team solve more skills-based problems such as communication between teams or a lack of creative thinking. Some problems are not suited to LEGO Serious Play and require a different problem solving strategy.

Card Decks and Method Kits

• New facilitators or non-facilitators 
• Approaching difficult subjects with a simple, creative framework
• Engaging those with varied learning styles

Card decks and method kids are great tools for those new to facilitation or for whom facilitation is not the primary role. Card decks such as the emotional culture deck can be used for complete workshops and in many cases, can be used right out of the box. Methodkit has a variety of kits designed for scenarios ranging from personal development through to personas and global challenges so you can find the right deck for your particular needs.

Having an easy to use framework that encourages creativity or a new approach can take some of the friction or planning difficulties out of the workshop process and energize a team in any setting. Simplicity is the key with these methods. By ensuring everyone on your team can get involved and engage with the process as quickly as possible can really contribute to the success of your problem solving strategy.

Source external advice

Looking to peers, experts and external facilitators can be a great way of approaching the problem solving process. Your team may not have the necessary expertise, insights of experience to tackle some issues, or you might simply benefit from a fresh perspective. Some problems may require bringing together an entire team, and coaching managers or team members individually might be the right approach. Remember that not all problems are best resolved in the same manner.

If you’re a solo entrepreneur, peer groups, coaches and mentors can also be invaluable at not only solving specific business problems, but in providing a support network for resolving future challenges. One great approach is to join a Mastermind Group and link up with like-minded individuals and all grow together. Remember that however you approach the sourcing of external advice, do so thoughtfully, respectfully and honestly. Reciprocate where you can and prepare to be surprised by just how kind and helpful your peers can be!

Mastermind Group

• Solo entrepreneurs or small teams with low capacity
• Peer learning and gaining outside expertise
• Getting multiple external points of view quickly

Problem solving in large organizations with lots of skilled team members is one thing, but how about if you work for yourself or in a very small team without the capacity to get the most from a design sprint or LEGO Serious Play session? 

A mastermind group – sometimes known as a peer advisory board – is where a group of people come together to support one another in their own goals, challenges, and businesses. Each participant comes to the group with their own purpose and the other members of the group will help them create solutions, brainstorm ideas, and support one another. 

Mastermind groups are very effective in creating an energized, supportive atmosphere that can deliver meaningful results. Learning from peers from outside of your organization or industry can really help unlock new ways of thinking and drive growth. Access to the experience and skills of your peers can be invaluable in helping fill the gaps in your own ability, particularly in young companies.

A mastermind group is a great solution for solo entrepreneurs, small teams, or for organizations that feel that external expertise or fresh perspectives will be beneficial for them. It is worth noting that Mastermind groups are often only as good as the participants and what they can bring to the group. Participants need to be committed, engaged and understand how to work in this context. 

Coaching and mentoring

• Focused learning and development
• Filling skills gaps
• Working on a range of challenges over time

Receiving advice from a business coach or building a mentor/mentee relationship can be an effective way of resolving certain challenges. The one-to-one format of most coaching and mentor relationships can really help solve the challenges those individuals are having and benefit the organization as a result.

A great mentor can be invaluable when it comes to spotting potential problems before they arise and coming to understand a mentee very well has a host of other business benefits. You might run an internal mentorship program to help develop your team’s problem solving skills and strategies or as part of a large learning and development program. External coaches can also be an important part of your problem solving strategy, filling skills gaps for your management team or helping with specific business issues. 

Now we’ve explored the problem solving process and the steps you will want to go through in order to have an effective session, let’s look at the skills you and your team need to be more effective problem solvers.

Problem solving skills are highly sought after, whatever industry or team you work in. Organizations are keen to employ people who are able to approach problems thoughtfully and find strong, realistic solutions. Whether you are a facilitator , a team leader or a developer, being an effective problem solver is a skill you’ll want to develop.

Problem solving skills form a whole suite of techniques and approaches that an individual uses to not only identify problems but to discuss them productively before then developing appropriate solutions.

Here are some of the most important problem solving skills everyone from executives to junior staff members should learn. We’ve also included an activity or exercise from the SessionLab library that can help you and your team develop that skill. 

If you’re running a workshop or training session to try and improve problem solving skills in your team, try using these methods to supercharge your process!

Active listening

Active listening is one of the most important skills anyone who works with people can possess. In short, active listening is a technique used to not only better understand what is being said by an individual, but also to be more aware of the underlying message the speaker is trying to convey. When it comes to problem solving, active listening is integral for understanding the position of every participant and to clarify the challenges, ideas and solutions they bring to the table.

Some active listening skills include:

• Paying complete attention to the speaker.
• Removing distractions.
• Avoid interruption.
• Taking the time to fully understand before preparing a rebuttal.
• Responding respectfully and appropriately.
• Demonstrate attentiveness and positivity with an open posture, making eye contact with the speaker, smiling and nodding if appropriate. Show that you are listening and encourage them to continue.
• Be aware of and respectful of feelings. Judge the situation and respond appropriately. You can disagree without being disrespectful.   
• Observe body language. 
• Paraphrase what was said in your own words, either mentally or verbally.
• Remain neutral. 
• Reflect and take a moment before responding.
• Ask deeper questions based on what is said and clarify points where necessary.   

Active Listening   #hyperisland   #skills   #active listening   #remote-friendly   This activity supports participants to reflect on a question and generate their own solutions using simple principles of active listening and peer coaching. It’s an excellent introduction to active listening but can also be used with groups that are already familiar with it. Participants work in groups of three and take turns being: “the subject”, the listener, and the observer.

Analytical skills

All problem solving models require strong analytical skills, particularly during the beginning of the process and when it comes to analyzing how solutions have performed.

Analytical skills are primarily focused on performing an effective analysis by collecting, studying and parsing data related to a problem or opportunity. 

It often involves spotting patterns, being able to see things from different perspectives and using observable facts and data to make suggestions or produce insight. 

Analytical skills are also important at every stage of the problem solving process and by having these skills, you can ensure that any ideas or solutions you create or backed up analytically and have been sufficiently thought out.

Nine Whys   #innovation   #issue analysis   #liberating structures   With breathtaking simplicity, you can rapidly clarify for individuals and a group what is essentially important in their work. You can quickly reveal when a compelling purpose is missing in a gathering and avoid moving forward without clarity. When a group discovers an unambiguous shared purpose, more freedom and more responsibility are unleashed. You have laid the foundation for spreading and scaling innovations with fidelity.

Collaboration

Trying to solve problems on your own is difficult. Being able to collaborate effectively, with a free exchange of ideas, to delegate and be a productive member of a team is hugely important to all problem solving strategies.

Remember that whatever your role, collaboration is integral, and in a problem solving process, you are all working together to find the best solution for everyone. 

Marshmallow challenge with debriefing   #teamwork   #team   #leadership   #collaboration   In eighteen minutes, teams must build the tallest free-standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow. The marshmallow needs to be on top. The Marshmallow Challenge was developed by Tom Wujec, who has done the activity with hundreds of groups around the world. Visit the Marshmallow Challenge website for more information. This version has an extra debriefing question added with sample questions focusing on roles within the team.

Communication  

Being an effective communicator means being empathetic, clear and succinct, asking the right questions, and demonstrating active listening skills throughout any discussion or meeting. 

In a problem solving setting, you need to communicate well in order to progress through each stage of the process effectively. As a team leader, it may also fall to you to facilitate communication between parties who may not see eye to eye. Effective communication also means helping others to express themselves and be heard in a group.

Bus Trip   #feedback   #communication   #appreciation   #closing   #thiagi   #team   This is one of my favourite feedback games. I use Bus Trip at the end of a training session or a meeting, and I use it all the time. The game creates a massive amount of energy with lots of smiles, laughs, and sometimes even a teardrop or two.

Creative problem solving skills can be some of the best tools in your arsenal. Thinking creatively, being able to generate lots of ideas and come up with out of the box solutions is useful at every step of the process. 

The kinds of problems you will likely discuss in a problem solving workshop are often difficult to solve, and by approaching things in a fresh, creative manner, you can often create more innovative solutions.

Having practical creative skills is also a boon when it comes to problem solving. If you can help create quality design sketches and prototypes in record time, it can help bring a team to alignment more quickly or provide a base for further iteration.

The paper clip method   #sharing   #creativity   #warm up   #idea generation   #brainstorming   The power of brainstorming. A training for project leaders, creativity training, and to catalyse getting new solutions.

Critical thinking

Critical thinking is one of the fundamental problem solving skills you’ll want to develop when working on developing solutions. Critical thinking is the ability to analyze, rationalize and evaluate while being aware of personal bias, outlying factors and remaining open-minded.

Defining and analyzing problems without deploying critical thinking skills can mean you and your team go down the wrong path. Developing solutions to complex issues requires critical thinking too – ensuring your team considers all possibilities and rationally evaluating them. 

Agreement-Certainty Matrix   #issue analysis   #liberating structures   #problem solving   You can help individuals or groups avoid the frequent mistake of trying to solve a problem with methods that are not adapted to the nature of their challenge. The combination of two questions makes it possible to easily sort challenges into four categories: simple, complicated, complex , and chaotic .  A problem is simple when it can be solved reliably with practices that are easy to duplicate.  It is complicated when experts are required to devise a sophisticated solution that will yield the desired results predictably.  A problem is complex when there are several valid ways to proceed but outcomes are not predictable in detail.  Chaotic is when the context is too turbulent to identify a path forward.  A loose analogy may be used to describe these differences: simple is like following a recipe, complicated like sending a rocket to the moon, complex like raising a child, and chaotic is like the game “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.”  The Liberating Structures Matching Matrix in Chapter 5 can be used as the first step to clarify the nature of a challenge and avoid the mismatches between problems and solutions that are frequently at the root of chronic, recurring problems.

Data analysis 

Though it shares lots of space with general analytical skills, data analysis skills are something you want to cultivate in their own right in order to be an effective problem solver.

Being good at data analysis doesn’t just mean being able to find insights from data, but also selecting the appropriate data for a given issue, interpreting it effectively and knowing how to model and present that data. Depending on the problem at hand, it might also include a working knowledge of specific data analysis tools and procedures. 

Having a solid grasp of data analysis techniques is useful if you’re leading a problem solving workshop but if you’re not an expert, don’t worry. Bring people into the group who has this skill set and help your team be more effective as a result.

Decision making

All problems need a solution and all solutions require that someone make the decision to implement them. Without strong decision making skills, teams can become bogged down in discussion and less effective as a result. 

Making decisions is a key part of the problem solving process. It’s important to remember that decision making is not restricted to the leadership team. Every staff member makes decisions every day and developing these skills ensures that your team is able to solve problems at any scale. Remember that making decisions does not mean leaping to the first solution but weighing up the options and coming to an informed, well thought out solution to any given problem that works for the whole team.

Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ)   #action   #decision making   #problem solving   #issue analysis   #innovation   #design   #remote-friendly   The problem with anything that requires creative thinking is that it’s easy to get lost—lose focus and fall into the trap of having useless, open-ended, unstructured discussions. Here’s the most effective solution I’ve found: Replace all open, unstructured discussion with a clear process. What to use this exercise for: Anything which requires a group of people to make decisions, solve problems or discuss challenges. It’s always good to frame an LDJ session with a broad topic, here are some examples: The conversion flow of our checkout Our internal design process How we organise events Keeping up with our competition Improving sales flow

Dependability

Most complex organizational problems require multiple people to be involved in delivering the solution. Ensuring that the team and organization can depend on you to take the necessary actions and communicate where necessary is key to ensuring problems are solved effectively.

Being dependable also means working to deadlines and to brief. It is often a matter of creating trust in a team so that everyone can depend on one another to complete the agreed actions in the agreed time frame so that the team can move forward together. Being undependable can create problems of friction and can limit the effectiveness of your solutions so be sure to bear this in mind throughout a project. 

Team Purpose & Culture   #team   #hyperisland   #culture   #remote-friendly   This is an essential process designed to help teams define their purpose (why they exist) and their culture (how they work together to achieve that purpose). Defining these two things will help any team to be more focused and aligned. With support of tangible examples from other companies, the team members work as individuals and a group to codify the way they work together. The goal is a visual manifestation of both the purpose and culture that can be put up in the team’s work space.

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is an important skill for any successful team member, whether communicating internally or with clients or users. In the problem solving process, emotional intelligence means being attuned to how people are feeling and thinking, communicating effectively and being self-aware of what you bring to a room. 

There are often differences of opinion when working through problem solving processes, and it can be easy to let things become impassioned or combative. Developing your emotional intelligence means being empathetic to your colleagues and managing your own emotions throughout the problem and solution process. Be kind, be thoughtful and put your points across care and attention. 

Being emotionally intelligent is a skill for life and by deploying it at work, you can not only work efficiently but empathetically. Check out the emotional culture workshop template for more!

Facilitation

As we’ve clarified in our facilitation skills post, facilitation is the art of leading people through processes towards agreed-upon objectives in a manner that encourages participation, ownership, and creativity by all those involved. While facilitation is a set of interrelated skills in itself, the broad definition of facilitation can be invaluable when it comes to problem solving. Leading a team through a problem solving process is made more effective if you improve and utilize facilitation skills – whether you’re a manager, team leader or external stakeholder.

The Six Thinking Hats   #creative thinking   #meeting facilitation   #problem solving   #issue resolution   #idea generation   #conflict resolution   The Six Thinking Hats are used by individuals and groups to separate out conflicting styles of thinking. They enable and encourage a group of people to think constructively together in exploring and implementing change, rather than using argument to fight over who is right and who is wrong.

Flexibility 

Being flexible is a vital skill when it comes to problem solving. This does not mean immediately bowing to pressure or changing your opinion quickly: instead, being flexible is all about seeing things from new perspectives, receiving new information and factoring it into your thought process.

Flexibility is also important when it comes to rolling out solutions. It might be that other organizational projects have greater priority or require the same resources as your chosen solution. Being flexible means understanding needs and challenges across the team and being open to shifting or arranging your own schedule as necessary. Again, this does not mean immediately making way for other projects. It’s about articulating your own needs, understanding the needs of others and being able to come to a meaningful compromise.

The Creativity Dice   #creativity   #problem solving   #thiagi   #issue analysis   Too much linear thinking is hazardous to creative problem solving. To be creative, you should approach the problem (or the opportunity) from different points of view. You should leave a thought hanging in mid-air and move to another. This skipping around prevents premature closure and lets your brain incubate one line of thought while you consciously pursue another.

Working in any group can lead to unconscious elements of groupthink or situations in which you may not wish to be entirely honest. Disagreeing with the opinions of the executive team or wishing to save the feelings of a coworker can be tricky to navigate, but being honest is absolutely vital when to comes to developing effective solutions and ensuring your voice is heard. 

Remember that being honest does not mean being brutally candid. You can deliver your honest feedback and opinions thoughtfully and without creating friction by using other skills such as emotional intelligence. 

Explore your Values   #hyperisland   #skills   #values   #remote-friendly   Your Values is an exercise for participants to explore what their most important values are. It’s done in an intuitive and rapid way to encourage participants to follow their intuitive feeling rather than over-thinking and finding the “correct” values. It is a good exercise to use to initiate reflection and dialogue around personal values.

Initiative 

The problem solving process is multi-faceted and requires different approaches at certain points of the process. Taking initiative to bring problems to the attention of the team, collect data or lead the solution creating process is always valuable. You might even roadtest your own small scale solutions or brainstorm before a session. Taking initiative is particularly effective if you have good deal of knowledge in that area or have ownership of a particular project and want to get things kickstarted.

That said, be sure to remember to honor the process and work in service of the team. If you are asked to own one part of the problem solving process and you don’t complete that task because your initiative leads you to work on something else, that’s not an effective method of solving business challenges.

15% Solutions   #action   #liberating structures   #remote-friendly   You can reveal the actions, however small, that everyone can do immediately. At a minimum, these will create momentum, and that may make a BIG difference.  15% Solutions show that there is no reason to wait around, feel powerless, or fearful. They help people pick it up a level. They get individuals and the group to focus on what is within their discretion instead of what they cannot change.  With a very simple question, you can flip the conversation to what can be done and find solutions to big problems that are often distributed widely in places not known in advance. Shifting a few grains of sand may trigger a landslide and change the whole landscape.

Impartiality

A particularly useful problem solving skill for product owners or managers is the ability to remain impartial throughout much of the process. In practice, this means treating all points of view and ideas brought forward in a meeting equally and ensuring that your own areas of interest or ownership are not favored over others. 

There may be a stage in the process where a decision maker has to weigh the cost and ROI of possible solutions against the company roadmap though even then, ensuring that the decision made is based on merit and not personal opinion. 

Empathy map   #frame insights   #create   #design   #issue analysis   An empathy map is a tool to help a design team to empathize with the people they are designing for. You can make an empathy map for a group of people or for a persona. To be used after doing personas when more insights are needed.

Being a good leader means getting a team aligned, energized and focused around a common goal. In the problem solving process, strong leadership helps ensure that the process is efficient, that any conflicts are resolved and that a team is managed in the direction of success.

It’s common for managers or executives to assume this role in a problem solving workshop, though it’s important that the leader maintains impartiality and does not bulldoze the group in a particular direction. Remember that good leadership means working in service of the purpose and team and ensuring the workshop is a safe space for employees of any level to contribute. Take a look at our leadership games and activities post for more exercises and methods to help improve leadership in your organization.

Leadership Pizza   #leadership   #team   #remote-friendly   This leadership development activity offers a self-assessment framework for people to first identify what skills, attributes and attitudes they find important for effective leadership, and then assess their own development and initiate goal setting.

In the context of problem solving, mediation is important in keeping a team engaged, happy and free of conflict. When leading or facilitating a problem solving workshop, you are likely to run into differences of opinion. Depending on the nature of the problem, certain issues may be brought up that are emotive in nature. 

Being an effective mediator means helping those people on either side of such a divide are heard, listen to one another and encouraged to find common ground and a resolution. Mediating skills are useful for leaders and managers in many situations and the problem solving process is no different.

Conflict Responses   #hyperisland   #team   #issue resolution   A workshop for a team to reflect on past conflicts, and use them to generate guidelines for effective conflict handling. The workshop uses the Thomas-Killman model of conflict responses to frame a reflective discussion. Use it to open up a discussion around conflict with a team.

Planning 

Solving organizational problems is much more effective when following a process or problem solving model. Planning skills are vital in order to structure, deliver and follow-through on a problem solving workshop and ensure your solutions are intelligently deployed.

Planning skills include the ability to organize tasks and a team, plan and design the process and take into account any potential challenges. Taking the time to plan carefully can save time and frustration later in the process and is valuable for ensuring a team is positioned for success.

3 Action Steps   #hyperisland   #action   #remote-friendly   This is a small-scale strategic planning session that helps groups and individuals to take action toward a desired change. It is often used at the end of a workshop or programme. The group discusses and agrees on a vision, then creates some action steps that will lead them towards that vision. The scope of the challenge is also defined, through discussion of the helpful and harmful factors influencing the group.

Prioritization

As organisations grow, the scale and variation of problems they face multiplies. Your team or is likely to face numerous challenges in different areas and so having the skills to analyze and prioritize becomes very important, particularly for those in leadership roles.

A thorough problem solving process is likely to deliver multiple solutions and you may have several different problems you wish to solve simultaneously. Prioritization is the ability to measure the importance, value, and effectiveness of those possible solutions and choose which to enact and in what order. The process of prioritization is integral in ensuring the biggest challenges are addressed with the most impactful solutions.

Impact and Effort Matrix   #gamestorming   #decision making   #action   #remote-friendly   In this decision-making exercise, possible actions are mapped based on two factors: effort required to implement and potential impact. Categorizing ideas along these lines is a useful technique in decision making, as it obliges contributors to balance and evaluate suggested actions before committing to them.

Project management

Some problem solving skills are utilized in a workshop or ideation phases, while others come in useful when it comes to decision making. Overseeing an entire problem solving process and ensuring its success requires strong project management skills. 

While project management incorporates many of the other skills listed here, it is important to note the distinction of considering all of the factors of a project and managing them successfully. Being able to negotiate with stakeholders, manage tasks, time and people, consider costs and ROI, and tie everything together is massively helpful when going through the problem solving process. 

Record keeping

Working out meaningful solutions to organizational challenges is only one part of the process.  Thoughtfully documenting and keeping records of each problem solving step for future consultation is important in ensuring efficiency and meaningful change. 

For example, some problems may be lower priority than others but can be revisited in the future. If the team has ideated on solutions and found some are not up to the task, record those so you can rule them out and avoiding repeating work. Keeping records of the process also helps you improve and refine your problem solving model next time around!

Personal Kanban   #gamestorming   #action   #agile   #project planning   Personal Kanban is a tool for organizing your work to be more efficient and productive. It is based on agile methods and principles.

Research skills

Conducting research to support both the identification of problems and the development of appropriate solutions is important for an effective process. Knowing where to go to collect research, how to conduct research efficiently, and identifying pieces of research are relevant are all things a good researcher can do well. 

In larger groups, not everyone has to demonstrate this ability in order for a problem solving workshop to be effective. That said, having people with research skills involved in the process, particularly if they have existing area knowledge, can help ensure the solutions that are developed with data that supports their intention. Remember that being able to deliver the results of research efficiently and in a way the team can easily understand is also important. The best data in the world is only as effective as how it is delivered and interpreted.

Customer experience map   #ideation   #concepts   #research   #design   #issue analysis   #remote-friendly   Customer experience mapping is a method of documenting and visualizing the experience a customer has as they use the product or service. It also maps out their responses to their experiences. To be used when there is a solution (even in a conceptual stage) that can be analyzed.

Risk management

Managing risk is an often overlooked part of the problem solving process. Solutions are often developed with the intention of reducing exposure to risk or solving issues that create risk but sometimes, great solutions are more experimental in nature and as such, deploying them needs to be carefully considered. 

Managing risk means acknowledging that there may be risks associated with more out of the box solutions or trying new things, but that this must be measured against the possible benefits and other organizational factors. 

Be informed, get the right data and stakeholders in the room and you can appropriately factor risk into your decision making process. 

Decisions, Decisions…   #communication   #decision making   #thiagi   #action   #issue analysis   When it comes to decision-making, why are some of us more prone to take risks while others are risk-averse? One explanation might be the way the decision and options were presented.  This exercise, based on Kahneman and Tversky’s classic study , illustrates how the framing effect influences our judgement and our ability to make decisions . The participants are divided into two groups. Both groups are presented with the same problem and two alternative programs for solving them. The two programs both have the same consequences but are presented differently. The debriefing discussion examines how the framing of the program impacted the participant’s decision.

Team-building 

No single person is as good at problem solving as a team. Building an effective team and helping them come together around a common purpose is one of the most important problem solving skills, doubly so for leaders. By bringing a team together and helping them work efficiently, you pave the way for team ownership of a problem and the development of effective solutions. 

In a problem solving workshop, it can be tempting to jump right into the deep end, though taking the time to break the ice, energize the team and align them with a game or exercise will pay off over the course of the day.

Remember that you will likely go through the problem solving process multiple times over an organization’s lifespan and building a strong team culture will make future problem solving more effective. It’s also great to work with people you know, trust and have fun with. Working on team building in and out of the problem solving process is a hallmark of successful teams that can work together to solve business problems.

9 Dimensions Team Building Activity   #ice breaker   #teambuilding   #team   #remote-friendly   9 Dimensions is a powerful activity designed to build relationships and trust among team members. There are 2 variations of this icebreaker. The first version is for teams who want to get to know each other better. The second version is for teams who want to explore how they are working together as a team.

Time management 

The problem solving process is designed to lead a team from identifying a problem through to delivering a solution and evaluating its effectiveness. Without effective time management skills or timeboxing of tasks, it can be easy for a team to get bogged down or be inefficient.

By using a problem solving model and carefully designing your workshop, you can allocate time efficiently and trust that the process will deliver the results you need in a good timeframe.

Time management also comes into play when it comes to rolling out solutions, particularly those that are experimental in nature. Having a clear timeframe for implementing and evaluating solutions is vital for ensuring their success and being able to pivot if necessary.

Improving your skills at problem solving is often a career-long pursuit though there are methods you can use to make the learning process more efficient and to supercharge your problem solving skillset.

Remember that the skills you need to be a great problem solver have a large overlap with those skills you need to be effective in any role. Investing time and effort to develop your active listening or critical thinking skills is valuable in any context. Here are 7 ways to improve your problem solving skills.

Share best practices

Remember that your team is an excellent source of skills, wisdom, and techniques and that you should all take advantage of one another where possible. Best practices that one team has for solving problems, conducting research or making decisions should be shared across the organization. If you have in-house staff that have done active listening training or are data analysis pros, have them lead a training session. 

Your team is one of your best resources. Create space and internal processes for the sharing of skills so that you can all grow together. 

Ask for help and attend training

Once you’ve figured out you have a skills gap, the next step is to take action to fill that skills gap. That might be by asking your superior for training or coaching, or liaising with team members with that skill set. You might even attend specialized training for certain skills – active listening or critical thinking, for example, are business-critical skills that are regularly offered as part of a training scheme.

Whatever method you choose, remember that taking action of some description is necessary for growth. Whether that means practicing, getting help, attending training or doing some background reading, taking active steps to improve your skills is the way to go.

Learn a process 

Problem solving can be complicated, particularly when attempting to solve large problems for the first time. Using a problem solving process helps give structure to your problem solving efforts and focus on creating outcomes, rather than worrying about the format. 

Tools such as the seven-step problem solving process above are effective because not only do they feature steps that will help a team solve problems, they also develop skills along the way. Each step asks for people to engage with the process using different skills and in doing so, helps the team learn and grow together. Group processes of varying complexity and purpose can also be found in the SessionLab library of facilitation techniques . Using a tried and tested process and really help ease the learning curve for both those leading such a process, as well as those undergoing the purpose.

Effective teams make decisions about where they should and shouldn’t expend additional effort. By using a problem solving process, you can focus on the things that matter, rather than stumbling towards a solution haphazardly. 

Create a feedback loop

Some skills gaps are more obvious than others. It’s possible that your perception of your active listening skills differs from those of your colleagues. 

It’s valuable to create a system where team members can provide feedback in an ordered and friendly manner so they can all learn from one another. Only by identifying areas of improvement can you then work to improve them. 

Remember that feedback systems require oversight and consideration so that they don’t turn into a place to complain about colleagues. Design the system intelligently so that you encourage the creation of learning opportunities, rather than encouraging people to list their pet peeves.

While practice might not make perfect, it does make the problem solving process easier. If you are having trouble with critical thinking, don’t shy away from doing it. Get involved where you can and stretch those muscles as regularly as possible. 

Problem solving skills come more naturally to some than to others and that’s okay. Take opportunities to get involved and see where you can practice your skills in situations outside of a workshop context. Try collaborating in other circumstances at work or conduct data analysis on your own projects. You can often develop those skills you need for problem solving simply by doing them. Get involved!

Use expert exercises and methods

Learn from the best. Our library of 700+ facilitation techniques is full of activities and methods that help develop the skills you need to be an effective problem solver. Check out our templates to see how to approach problem solving and other organizational challenges in a structured and intelligent manner.

There is no single approach to improving problem solving skills, but by using the techniques employed by others you can learn from their example and develop processes that have seen proven results. 

Try new ways of thinking and change your mindset

Using tried and tested exercises that you know well can help deliver results, but you do run the risk of missing out on the learning opportunities offered by new approaches. As with the problem solving process, changing your mindset can remove blockages and be used to develop your problem solving skills.

Most teams have members with mixed skill sets and specialties. Mix people from different teams and share skills and different points of view. Teach your customer support team how to use design thinking methods or help your developers with conflict resolution techniques. Try switching perspectives with facilitation techniques like Flip It! or by using new problem solving methodologies or models. Give design thinking, liberating structures or lego serious play a try if you want to try a new approach. You will find that framing problems in new ways and using existing skills in new contexts can be hugely useful for personal development and improving your skillset. It’s also a lot of fun to try new things. Give it a go!

Encountering business challenges and needing to find appropriate solutions is not unique to your organization. Lots of very smart people have developed methods, theories and approaches to help develop problem solving skills and create effective solutions. Learn from them!

Books like The Art of Thinking Clearly , Think Smarter, or Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow are great places to start, though it’s also worth looking at blogs related to organizations facing similar problems to yours, or browsing for success stories. Seeing how Dropbox massively increased growth and working backward can help you see the skills or approach you might be lacking to solve that same problem. Learning from others by reading their stories or approaches can be time-consuming but ultimately rewarding.

A tired, distracted mind is not in the best position to learn new skills. It can be tempted to burn the candle at both ends and develop problem solving skills outside of work. Absolutely use your time effectively and take opportunities for self-improvement, though remember that rest is hugely important and that without letting your brain rest, you cannot be at your most effective. 

Creating distance between yourself and the problem you might be facing can also be useful. By letting an idea sit, you can find that a better one presents itself or you can develop it further. Take regular breaks when working and create a space for downtime. Remember that working smarter is preferable to working harder and that self-care is important for any effective learning or improvement process.

Want to design better group processes?

Over to you

Now we’ve explored some of the key problem solving skills and the problem solving steps necessary for an effective process, you’re ready to begin developing more effective solutions and leading problem solving workshops.

Need more inspiration? Check out our post on problem solving activities you can use when guiding a group towards a great solution in your next workshop or meeting. Have questions? Did you have a great problem solving technique you use with your team? Get in touch in the comments below. We’d love to chat!

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Going from a mere idea to a workshop that delivers results for your clients can feel like a daunting task. In this piece, we will shine a light on all the work behind the scenes and help you learn how to plan a workshop from start to finish. On a good day, facilitation can feel like effortless magic, but that is mostly the result of backstage work, foresight, and a lot of careful planning. Read on to learn a step-by-step approach to breaking the process of planning a workshop into small, manageable chunks.  The flow starts with the first meeting with a client to define the purposes of a workshop.…

How does learning work? A clever 9-year-old once told me: “I know I am learning something new when I am surprised.” The science of adult learning tells us that, in order to learn new skills (which, unsurprisingly, is harder for adults to do than kids) grown-ups need to first get into a specific headspace.  In a business, this approach is often employed in a training session where employees learn new skills or work on professional development. But how do you ensure your training is effective? In this guide, we'll explore how to create an effective training session plan and run engaging training sessions. As team leader, project manager, or consultant,…

Effective online tools are a necessity for smooth and engaging virtual workshops and meetings. But how do you choose the right ones? Do you sometimes feel that the good old pen and paper or MS Office toolkit and email leaves you struggling to stay on top of managing and delivering your workshop? Fortunately, there are plenty of online tools to make your life easier when you need to facilitate a meeting and lead workshops. In this post, we’ll share our favorite online tools you can use to make your job as a facilitator easier. In fact, there are plenty of free online workshop tools and meeting facilitation software you can…

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How to Improve Problem Solving Skills [10 Ways]

While it might seem like some people are just born with stronger problem-solving skills, there are strategies that anyone can use to improve them.

That’s right, it’s possible to significantly enhance your abilities in this area — and the best part is, most of these activities are also pretty fun!

What Are Problem Solving Skills?

Before we get to the engaging activities, let’s refine our understanding of problem-solving skills, which are any techniques that help you consistently:

• Understand the causes of problems
• Overcome short-term crises
• Create strategies to solve longer-term problems
• Turn problems into opportunities

What Problem Solving Skills Should I Have?

You’ll be able to solve problems in your role better as you grow in your industry-specific knowledge. But there are also a few universal problem solving skills we all need:

• Defining the Problem: Deeply understanding a problem through research , leading to better solutions. Research can include interviewing, reading books and emails, analyzing financial data, searching your organization’s intranet, and organizing your findings.
• Brainstorming: Creating a myriad of new solutions quickly. In group brainstorms, allow everyone to state ideas. Appreciate all input, and avoid criticism. Then, organize solutions into groups around common themes.
• Analyzing: Using disciplined thought processes to evaluate each possible solution. Besides listing their costs and benefits, you might apply deductive reasoning, game theory, and the rules of logic (including fallacies) to them.
• Managing Risk: Anticipating and trying to avoid the downsides of key solutions. Your team can list potential risks, rate how likely each is, predict a date by which each might either happen or no longer be an issue, and devise ways to reduce those risks.
• Deciding: The ability to decide on a solution and move forward with it. After an appropriate amount of time, an analysis of possible solutions, and feedback from team members, a designated decider must choose and implement a solution.
• Managing Emotions: Applying emotional intelligence in order to improve your and your team members’ ability to think clearly. This requires you to recognize emotions in yourself and others, manage feelings, and channel emotions into useful work.

10 Exciting Ways to Improve Problem Solving Skills

Use these ten creative ways to improve problem solving skills, develop more strategic ways of thinking , and train your brain to do more.

1. Dance Your Heart Out

Did you know that dancing has a positive impact on neural processing, possibly developing new neural pathways to go around dopamine-depleted blockages in the brain?

This means that if you engage in ballet or another form of structured dance, doing so may facilitate convergent thinking . In other words, it may help you find a single, appropriate answer to a problem. If you need help with divergent thinking (finding multiple answers to a problem), engaging in more improvised types of dance such as hip-hop or tap might just do the trick.

2. Work out Your Brain with Logic Puzzles or Games

The winning strategy when playing chess, Sudoku, a Rubik’s Cube, or other brain-boosting games is actually to work the problem backward, not forward. The same strategy can apply to realistic strategic-thinking situations.

To build up your brain muscle and develop new problem-solving techniques, practice some logic puzzles and other games .

3. Get a Good Night’s Sleep

More than any other sleeping or awake state, Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep directly enhances creative processing in the brain. REM sleep helps “stimulate associative networks, allowing the brain to make new and useful associations between unrelated ideas” and are “not due to selective memory enhancements” such as memory consolidation, which occurs when awake.

4. Work out to Some Tunes

A study of cardiac rehabilitation patients tested verbal fluency after exercising with and without music. Results showed that when they listened to music while working out, participants more than doubled their scores on verbal fluency tests in contrast to when they worked out in silence. According to the study’s lead author, “The combination of music and exercise may stimulate and increase cognitive arousal while helping to organize the cognitive output.”

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5. keep an “idea journal” with you, 6. participate in yoga.

The powerful combination of body awareness, breathing, and meditation that is required during yoga practice has been shown to significantly raise cognitive test scores. Other results from a University of Illinois study include shorter reaction times, more accuracy, and increased attention.

7. Eat Some Cheerios (And Then Think About It)

The Cheerios Effect is the name physicists have given to the event that happens when the last few cheerios in a bowl always cling to each other. The cause of this occurrence is surface tension.

The takeaway is that when it comes to experiencing tension while trying to solve a problem, cling to those around you. Rely on others’ experiences and ideas, even those from different career fields. Draw connections. Brainstorm. Work together to get the job done.

8. Use Mind Maps to Help Visualize the Problem

Mind Maps , a visual snapshot of a problem and its possible solutions, can help focus the mind, stimulate the brain, increase the capacity for creative thinking, and generate more ideas for solutions.

Make a Mind Map by drawing your problem as the central idea. Add “main branches” consisting of all the reasons for the problem. Use “sub-branches” to explore further details.

Next, make a separate Mind Map of all possible solutions to the central problem. Add “main branches” showing all the ways that your problem can be solved, such as colleagues that can help, techniques you can apply, and other resources you can use. Add “sub-branches” to further explore the details. Make a final branch with the most suitable solution for the main problem. Use “sub-branches” for details.

Through this exercise, you should be able to see which “branch” or option is the most practical, time-saving, and cost-effective problem solving method .

9. Create “Psychological Distance”

What is psychological distance? According to the construal level theory (CLT), it’s “anything that we do not experience as occurring now, here, and to ourselves.” Some examples include taking another person’s perspective or thinking of the problem as unlikely.

Scientists have shown that by increasing the mental distance between us and our problem, we’ll have an increase in creative solutions. This happens because thinking more abstractly helps us form unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated concepts, thus allowing our minds to increase its problem solving capacity.

10. Play Some Soccer

A link has been found between our brain’s “executive functions” and sports success . When in action, our brains are quickly multitasking between moving, anticipating, strategizing, reacting, and performing. Doing all these things at once requires an enormous amount of brain activity.

This can be related to our working world when we plan, reason, monitor our actions and problem solve all at once. Therefore, it may be concluded that when you play soccer or any other fast-moving sport, you’re rewiring your brain to be quicker at thinking, processing, and reacting to problems.

To learn more about how to develop your problem-solving and decision making capabilities or to receive training on applied strategic thinking skills , contact CMOE today!

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The 6 Best Apps to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills

Want to improve your problem-solving skills and become more solution-oriented in your daily routine? Here are some apps to try.

Your ability to solve problems is a valuable skill you cannot do without if you want to succeed in your career, business, and life. While most people learn to solve problems primarily through exposure to challenging situations and having to find solutions almost immediately, others don't.

As such, not everyone is skilled at effective problem-solving. However, there is an easy way to improve your problem-solving skills using technology. Today, there are several fun ways to do so, including playing brain games on your mobile. Here are six game apps you can use to develop problem-solving skills while having fun.

1. Lumosity

Lumosity is a web app that helps you improve your mental skills. It is programmed with activities that help people improve their memory, flexibility, rate of processing information, and concentration levels. Thus, Lumosity is a great tool to help you develop problem-solving capabilities.

Lumosity was launched in 2007 and had over 70 million users as of January 2015. The app is available in English, French, Spanish, and German.

Download : Lumosity for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

Happify is a company that works to enhance personal, organizational, and healthcare effectiveness by improving the emotional health of its users.

The Happify app incorporates scientific experiments into gaming activities designed to improve resilience and mindfulness and tackle health conditions like mood disorders, depression, anxiety, severe pain, and insomnia. Thus, it is a great healthcare software platform for improving your mental and physical conditions.

Download : Happify for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

Launched by Elevate Labs in 2014, Elevate is a brain game app that focuses on improving its users' reading, writing, speaking, listening, and math skills. It is also one of the best android apps to help you solve math problems .

Seeing you already possess the skills mentioned above, you may wonder, is the Elevate brain training app worth your time ? The truth is, there is always room for improvement, hence, the need for you to keep developing these skills. And, as you pass each assessment in the training sessions, the difficulty level increases. This way, you can test whether your abilities are basic or strong.

Download : Elevate for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

4. Neuronation

Neuronation is a cognitive training site and app that was made public in 2011. Since then, over 10 million people have used the app. The Neuronation app focuses on improving users' cognitive abilities, such as thinking, learning, understanding, and remembering, through its specialized training activities in the program.

Although native to Germany, the app is available in over eight languages, including English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, and German. Additionally, the app enjoys widespread use, especially among German healthcare practitioners.

Download: Neuronation for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

The Peak brain training app is designed to correct cognitive disorders with the help of short, interactive games. To get started on the Peak brain game app, you will be required to set goals on areas you want to improve, like mental processing, emotional strength, linguistic skills, recollection, concentration levels, and problem-solving.

Once you complete this stage, a virtual coach will be assigned to guide you through the program, and you will be given an assessment. Immediately after you finish each assessment, you will receive feedback based on your result.

You can start using the app for free with the basic version, but it has a limited number of daily exercises that are randomly selected. On the other hand, with the paid version, Peak Pro, you enjoy unlimited access to over 40+ exercises, alongside detailed feedback and personalized training sessions.

Download : Peak for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

6. New York Times Crossword

The New York Times Crossword is a daily puzzle published by the renowned New York Times magazine on their website and mobile apps. The New York Times Crossword puzzle dates back to 1942. The first puzzle was published on Sunday, 15 February 1942.

Several freelance puzzle developers generate the puzzle. The puzzle gets tougher as each day goes by in a week, so the simplest puzzles are on Mondays, and the hardest are on Saturdays. Sunday's crossword puzzle is a 21×21 square matrix, whereas the daily crossword puzzle is a 15×15 square matrix. The crossword and other free puzzle games greatly improve critical thinking, learning, and reasoning abilities.

Download : New York Times Crossword for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

Have Fun While Improving Your Problem-solving Skills

Developing cognitive abilities, emotional well-being, and problem-solving skills are no longer challenging. Thanks to these brain game apps, you can develop and improve your mental and emotional abilities more easily, faster, and while having fun.

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15 Tips to Improve Logic Building Skills in Programming

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“In some ways, programming is like a painting. You start with a blank canvas and certain basic raw materials. You use a combination of science, art, and craft to determine what to do with them.” – Andrew Hunt

Yes, programming in itself is a very beautiful art. Sometimes we may face some problems while trying to program, but we can definitely overcome them. So, in this article, we will be sharing the top 15 tips and techniques that can help you to make your programming skills more strong, and rectify some common programming problems and this will also help you in the logic-building process.

How to Improve Your Logic-Building Skills in Programming?

Here are the ways in which you can improve your logic-building skills in programming. So let’s get started!!!

1. Concepts are Building Blocks for Programming

While trying to crack the logic of any coding problem, many of us think that we never came across such algorithms or theorems while studying and therefore are not able to solve the problem. In order to solve any problem, we should know the concepts of that topic, then only we would be able to apply them and solve the problem. Theoretical knowledge and concepts can be gained by reading articles, blogs, documentation, and watching videos based on that topic. You can also refer to the articles on GeeksforGeeks for building your concepts. We should also know the application of concepts and practice some important problems based on that topic.

2. Be Consistent

Many times it happens that we take up a challenge to solve a question for some number of days and then discontinue in the middle after some days!! It is a popular saying that practice makes a man perfect!! The same is the case with building programming logic. Make it a point to revise, or read an article or solve a question daily despite being very busy with remaining activities. Practicing consistently will help a lot in the overall logic-building process. In order to motivate yourself, you should always contemplate the reason why you started, reward yourself, and make programming fun by solving some quizzes and experimenting with the programs to see different outputs.

3. Pen and Paper Approach

After seeing any problem, we generally start coding the same on our IDE. So, when we are asked to write code on paper in interviews, we fail to do so. Always try to write the pseudo code or algorithm of the code before implementing them. It will help you in writing the code and the next time whenever you approach a similar problem you will be able to recollect more easily. It will also help you in getting syntactically strong.

4. Revision is Very Important

Many of you might be facing this issue that you learn a particular concept but after a few days or months when another question with the same logic or concept appears, you are unable to solve it. This is because you haven’t revised the concepts. Always make it a point to write down the important concepts and logic of questions that are important and keep them revised again and again. This will help you in recollecting the concepts easily.

5. Do as Many Questions as You Can 

It happens with most of us that there comes a single question and most of us get stuck there for 4 to 5 days and still are not able to crack it. Always try to practice lots of questions in order to develop your programming logic skills. This will help you in improving your logic building. If you are stuck on a single question, don’t spend a lot of time after a single question instead look for the concepts hidden behind the question.

6. Puzzle Solving

In many coding competitions, problems are not directly asked based on a concept. Instead, it generally involves a story woven around it, and we have to figure out the logic for solving the program. In such cases, sometimes we are unable to solve the problem. Try solving puzzles such as Sudoku to develop your logic and thinking ability because programming is nothing but solving complex problems with the help of good logic. 

7. Follow Step-by-Step Approach

We don’t start running since the day we are born. Similar logic applies to coding also. We should not directly jump to difficult questions. We should go from Basic to Advance questions. You can take the ratio of questions such while choosing 10 questions you can divide them into 5 easy, 3 medium, and 2 hard questions. You can find these questions on many good websites. Sometimes, people solve a lot of easy questions from all the sites, but they are not able to solve medium-level questions. Instead, make a balance of all the levels. This will help in clearing the coding tests while placements as most of the questions are from easy to medium level.

8. Find a Programmer’s Community

Sometimes we get bored while solving problems by ourselves with no one to teach or guide us. In such cases, you can always try discussing solutions or complex questions with fellow programmers and friends. This will always help you in finding new logic for the same problem and will help you in optimizing your code. This will also improve your confidence and communication skills!!

9. Go through the Editorials

It happens a lot of times that we are not able to solve some questions, so we just leave the question or understand the editorial and move forward without implementing it. After programming any question, go through the editorial section and the top submissions of the code. Here you will be able to find optimized and different logic for the same code. Try to implement the solutions in the editorial section after understanding them, so that the next time you find such a question you will be able to solve it.

10. Take Part in Coding Challenges

Most people are aware of coding challenges and if you want to build your logical skills then you must keep taking part in the same. Taking part regularly in coding challenges is very useful as it makes you familiar with the logical mindset. In a coding challenge, there are numerous types of questions that provide you with a lot of exposure. Also, taking part in such challenges allows you to see solutions of various codes provided by different coders and helps you if stuck at some point. 

11. Learn New Things Regularly

Programmers should never stop learning or being stuck on one topic. They must keep on solving multiple topics as it will help them to expand their area of knowledge by building technical skills. The aim should be solving new problems daily and not being stuck to the old pattern or algorithm in order to achieve success. However, at times some topics are a bit tough and take numerous attempts to solve, in that case, stop solving that and go on to the next one as sometimes new problems are helpful in solving the old ones. 

12. Understand Mathematical Concepts

Mathematics is an important aspect of programming and understanding properly will help you in making numerous visuals or graphs, coding in applications, simulation, problem-solving applications, design of algorithms, etc.

13. Build Projects

Project building is another task that will enhance your logical building skills in programming. It challenges your ability to tackling with new things by using different methods and tactics. It is recommended that you must build one project in order to get a proper clarity of the subject and assess yourself in order to work ahead efficiently.

14. Notes Preparation

Notes are saviors and if one does that regularly then nothing can beat them from achieving their goal. While making notes you must write down every trick, concept, and algorithm so that if you need it again it is easily available. So if you are solving any problem then make sure to note down the library functions it will also be helpful for your future interviews. Noting down basic algorithms such as merge sort, binary search, etc. will help you if you are stuck somewhere. 

15. Patience is the Key

Most of the time we leave programming after some days just because we are unable to solve the questions. Let’s always motivate ourselves by saying let’s just try one more time differently, before we decide to quit!!!

If you’ll patiently work on your programming logic skills and follow the tips which we have shared with you, no one can stop you from being a good programmer and you will surely crack all the coding tests and interviews!!!

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