problem solving in time

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Course: 4th grade > Unit 14

Finding reasonable unit of measurement example
Estimating time (seconds, minutes, and hours)
Time differences example
Time differences
Time word problem: puzzle
Time word problem: travel time

Telling time word problems

(Choice A) A
(Choice B) B
(Choice C) C
(Choice D) D

20 Elapsed Time Word Problems

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Elapsed time is the amount of time that passes between the beginning and the end of an event. The concept of elapsed time fits nicely in the elementary school curriculum. Beginning in third grade, students should be able to tell and write time to the nearest minute and solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time. Reinforce these essential skills with the following elapsed time word problems and games.

Elapsed Time Word Problems

These quick and easy elapsed time word problems are perfect for parents and teachers who want to help students practice elapsed time to the nearest minute with simple mental math problems. Answers are listed below.

Sam and his mom arrive at the doctor’s office at 2:30 p.m. They see the doctor at 3:10 p.m. How long was their wait?
Dad says dinner will be ready in 35 minutes. It’s 5:30 p.m. now. What time will dinner be ready?
Becky is meeting her friend at the library at 12:45 p.m. It takes her 25 minutes to get to the library. What time will she need to leave her house to arrive on time?
Ethan’s birthday party started at 4:30 p.m. The last guest left at 6:32 p.m. How long did Ethan’s party last?
Kayla put cupcakes in the oven at 3:41 p.m. The directions say that the cupcakes need to bake for 38 minutes. What time will Kayla need to take them out of the oven?
Dakota arrived at school at 7:59 a.m. He left at 2:33 p.m. How long was Dakota at school?
Dylan started working on homework at 5:45 p.m. It took him 1 hour and 57 minutes to complete it. What time did Dylan complete his homework?
Dad arrives home at 4:50 p.m. He left work 40 minutes ago. What time did Dad get off work?
Jessica’s family is traveling from Atlanta, Georgia to New York by plane. Their flight leaves at 11:15 a.m. and should take 2 hours and 15 minutes. What time will their plane arrive in New York?
Jordan got to football practice at 7:05 p.m. Steve showed up 11 minutes later. What time did Steve get to practice?
Jack ran a marathon in 2 hours and 17 minutes. He crossed the finish line at 10:33 a.m. What time did the race start?
Marci was babysitting for her cousin. Her cousin was gone for 3 hours and 40 minutes. Marci left at 9:57 p.m. What time did she start babysitting?
Caleb and his friends went to see a movie at 7:35 p.m. They left at 10:05 p.m. How long was the movie?
Francine got to work at 8:10 a.m. She left at 3:45 p.m. How long did Francine work?
Brandon went to bed at 9:15 p.m. It took him 23 minutes to fall asleep. What time did Brandon fall asleep?
Kelli had to wait in a long, slow-moving line to purchase a popular new video game that was just released. She got in line at 9:15 a.m. She left with the game at 11:07 a.m. How long did Kelli wait in line?
Jaydon went to batting practice Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. He left at 11:42 a.m. How long was he at batting practice?
Ashton got behind on her reading assignment, so she had to read four chapters last night. She started at 8:05 p.m. and finished at 9:15 p.m. How long did it take Ashton to catch up on her assignment?
Natasha has a dentist appointment at 10:40 a.m. It should last 35 minutes. What time will she finish?
Mrs. Kennedy’s 3rd-grade class is going to the aquarium on a field trip. They are scheduled to arrive at 9:10 a.m. and leave at 1:40 p.m. How long will they spend at the aquarium?

Elapsed Time Games

Try these games and activities at home to help your children practice elapsed time.

Daily Schedule

Let your children keep track of their schedule and ask them to figure the elapsed time for each activity. For example, how long did your child spend eating breakfast, reading, taking a bath, or playing video games?

How Long Will It Take?

Give your kids practice with elapsed time by encouraging them to figure out how long daily activities take. For example, the next time you order a pizza online or by phone, you'll probably be given an estimated delivery time. Use that information to create a word problem that's relevant to your child's life, such as, "It's 5:40 p.m. now and the pizza shop says the pizza will be here at 6:20 p.m. How long will it take for the pizza to arrive?"

Order a set of time dice from online retailers or teacher supply stores. The set contains two twelve-sided dice, one with numbers representing the hours and the other with numbers representing minutes. Take turns rolling the time dice with your child. Each player should roll twice, then calculate the elapsed time between the two resulting dice times. (A pencil and paper will come in handy, as you'll want to jot down the time of the first roll.)

Elapsed Time Word Problem Answers

2 hours and 2 minutes
6 hours and 34 minutes
2 hours and 30 minutes
7 hours and 35 minutes
1 hour and 52 minutes
3 hours and 12 minutes
1 hour and 10 minutes
4 hours and 30 minutes
10 Math Tricks That Will Blow Your Mind
How To Tell Time in Spanish
A Timeline of the Sinking of the Titanic
Sinking of the RMS Titanic
What Time Is the SAT Test?
When Is the Spring Equinox?
How to Tell Time in Italian
Free Math Word Problem Worksheets for Fifth-Graders
World War II: Operation Ten-Go
Proportions Word Problems Worksheet: Answers and Explanations
Building an Effective Plan of Improvement for Teachers
Learn About the Munich Olympic Massacre
Telling Time in French
Julissa Brisman: Victim of the Craigslist Killer
Fundamental Lessons for Telling the Time
The Longest Day of the Year

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Time Word Problems Worksheets

Time riddles (harder).

Welcome to our Time Word Problems Worksheets page. Here you find our selection of more challenging Time Riddles to help your child learn to read, record and solve problems involving time and clocks.

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Looking for some 24 hour clock problem sheets? Do you need some challenging time problems for older children? Then hopefully you have found the right place!

The printable time sheets in this section involve being able to tell the time to the nearest minute, as well as converting times between the 12 and 24 clock.

These worksheets are great to use when your child is confident telling the time and needs to extend their knowledge by solving time problems.

The sheets are also very good at developing an understanding of mathematical language associated with time.

Each sheet has 2 different Time Riddles with 8 possible solutions.

The aim of each puzzle is to use the clues to work out the correct solution.

Using these sheets will help your child to:

read times to the nearest minute;
convert analogue to digital times;
use 'past' and 'to' language correctly to tell the time;
convert times between the 12 and 24 hour clock;
solve problems involving time;

Our time word problems worksheets will help you practice applying your time skills and knowledge to solve problems.

Time Word Problems Worksheets : to the nearest minute

Time Riddles 4a
PDF version
Time Riddles 4b
Time Riddles 4c

Time Word Problems Worksheets: 24 hour clock

The printable time worksheets in this section involve converting times between the 12 and 24 hour clock.

24 Hour Time Riddles Sheet 1
24 Hour Time Riddles Sheet 2
24 Hour Time Riddles Sheet 3

Extension Activity Ideas

If you are looking for a way to extend learning with these Time Riddles, why not...

Get children to work in partners with one child choosing one of the 8 possible times and the other child asking 'yes/no' questions. E.g. Is it earlier than...? Is the minute hand on number 6...? Is it later than 4pm? ... etc
Children could write their own set of clues down to identify one of the clocks.

Looking for something easier?

Here you will find our selection of easier Time Riddles.

The sheets in this section are similar to those on this page, but involve telling the times: o'clock and half-past, quarter past and quarter to, and to 5 minute intervals.

Time Riddles (easier)

Need help telling the time?

Here you will find our selection of telling time clock worksheets to help your child to learn their o'clock, half-past, quarter past and to, and 5 minute intervals.

read o'clock, half-past times;
read quarter past and quarter to;
read time going up in 5 minute intervals;
convert analogue times to digital;

The sheets in this section are a great way of starting your child off with learning to tell the time.

Telling Time Worksheets o'clock and half past
Clock Worksheets - Quarter Past and Quarter To
Telling Time 5 minute intervals
Telling Time Worksheets Grade 4 (1 minute intervals)

Time Interval Worksheets

These sheets will help you learn to add and subtract hours and minutes from times as well as working out a range of time intervals.

There are also sheets to help you practice adding and subtracting time intervals.

Add and Subtract Time Worksheets
Elapsed Time Worksheets
Online Age Calculator

Do you want to know exactly how old you are to the nearest minute?

Have you been alive for more than a billion seconds?

Do you know how many days old you are?

Our online age calculator will tell you all you need to know...

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Time word problems

Word problem worksheets: time and elapsed time.

Below are three versions of our grade 4 math worksheet with word problems involving time and elapsed time. Students must figure out what time it was, will be or how much time went by in the various scenarios described. Use of "am" and "pm" is emphasized. These worksheets are pdf files .

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Grade 5 Mathematics Module: Solving Problems Involving Time

This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners, can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions, directions, exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if you need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of the lesson. At the end of each module, you need to answer the post-test to self-check your learning. Answer keys are provided for each activity and test. We trust that you will be honest in using these.

Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any part of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and tests. And read the instructions carefully before performing each task.

Good day, Mathletes! We face problems involving time every day. We have to decide what time to wake up to be ready for our 8 AM class. To make the right decision, we need to consider how much time is needed for us to shower, dress up, have breakfast, and be ready for the class. This module was especially written to help you solve such problems.

To get the most from this module, be sure to do all the activities and exercises, and keep a positive outlook. Before you know it, you have already solved these problems in a systematic and logical way.

When you are done with this module, you are expected to:

figure out what time it was, what time it will be, or how much time went by in the different events or occasions described;
state the steps in solving word problems on measurement of time; and
solve problems involving time.

Grade 5 Mathematics Quarter 3 Self-Learning Module: Solving Problems Involving Time

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This collection is one of our Primary Curriculum collections - tasks that are grouped by topic.

Watch the Clock

During the third hour after midnight the hands on a clock point in the same direction (so one hand is over the top of the other). At what time, to the nearest second, does this happen?

How Many Times?

On a digital 24 hour clock, at certain times, all the digits are consecutive. How many times like this are there between midnight and 7 a.m.?

Wonky Watches

Stuart's watch loses two minutes every hour. Adam's watch gains one minute every hour. Use the information to work out what time (the real time) they arrived at the airport.

These clocks have been reflected in a mirror. What times do they say?

The Time Is ...

Can you put these mixed-up times in order? You could arrange them in a circle.

5 on the Clock

On a digital clock showing 24 hour time, over a whole day, how many times does a 5 appear? Is it the same number for a 12 hour clock over a whole day?

These clocks have only one hand, but can you work out what time they are showing from the information?

Approaching Midnight Live

Here's a strategy game with lots to explore. Can you find out enough to guarantee a win, no matter what the settings?

TIME AND WORK PROBLEMS

1. If a person can do a piece of work in ‘m’ days, he can do ¹⁄ m part of the work in 1 day.

2. If the number of persons engaged to do a piece of work be increased (or decreased) in a certain ratio the time required to do the same work will be decreased (or increased) in the same ratio.

3. If A is twice as good a workman as B, then A will take half the time taken by B to do a certain piece of work.

4. Time and work are always in direct proportion.

more work ----> more time

less work ----> less time

5. A takes m days and B takes n days to complete a work. If they work together, then the formula to find the number of days taken by them to complete the work is

Problem 1 :

A can do a piece of work in 15 days while B can do it in 10 days. How long will they take together to do it?

Using the above formula, if they work together, number of days taken to complete the work is

Problem 2 :

A and B can complete a work in 6 days . B and C can complete the same work in 8 days. C and A can complete in 12 days. How many days will take for A, B and C combined together to complete the same amount of work ?

From the given information, we can have

(A + B)'s 1 day work = ⅙

(B + C)'s 1 day work = ⅛

(A + C)'s 1 day work = ¹⁄₁₂

(A + B + B + C + A + C)'s 1 day work = ⅙ + ⅛ + ¹⁄₁₂

(2A + 2B + 2C)'s 1 day work = ⅙ + ⅛ + ¹⁄₁₂

2 ⋅ (A + B + C)'s 1 day work = ⅙ + ⅛ + ¹⁄₁₂

L.C.M of (6, 8, 12) = 24.

2 (A + B + C)'s 1 day work = ⁴⁄₂₄ + ³⁄₂₄ + ²⁄₂₄

2 (A + B + C)'s 1 day work = ⁹⁄₂₄

2 (A + B + C)'s 1 day work = ⅜

(A + B + C)'s 1 day work = ³⁄₁₆

Time taken by A, B and C together to complete the work is

= 5 ⅓ days

Problem 3 :

A and B can do a work in 15 days, B and C in 30 days and A and C in 18 days. They work together for 9 days and then A left. In how many more days, can B and C finish the remaining work ?

(A + B)'s 1 day work = ¹⁄₁₅

(B + C)'s 1 day work = ¹⁄₃₀

(A + C)'s 1 day work = ¹⁄₁₈

(A + B + B + C + A + C)'s 1 day work = ¹⁄₁₅ + ¹⁄₃₀ + ¹⁄₁₈

(2A + 2B + 2C)'s 1 day work = ¹⁄₁₅ + ¹⁄₃₀ + ¹⁄₁₈

2 (A + B + C)'s 1 day work = ¹⁄₁₅ + ¹⁄₃₀ + ¹⁄₁₈

L.C.M of (15, 30, 18) = 90.

2 (A + B + C)'s 1 day work = ⁶⁄₉₀ + ³⁄₉₀ + ⁵⁄₉₀

2 (A + B + C)'s 1 day work = ¹⁴⁄₉₀

2 (A + B + C)'s 1 day work = ⁷⁄₄₅

(A + B + C)'s 1 day work = ⁷⁄₉₀

Then, the amount of work completed by A, B and C together in 9 days is

= 9 ⋅ ⁷⁄₉₀

= ⁷⁄₁₀

Amount of work left for B and C to complete is

= ³⁄₁₀

Number of days that B will take to finish the work is

= amount of work/part of the work done in 1 day

= ³⁄₁₀ ÷ ¹⁄₃₀

= ³⁄₁₀ ⋅ ³⁰⁄₁

Problem 4 :

A contractor decided to complete the work in 90 days and employed 50 men at the beginning and 20 men additionally after 20 days and got the work completed as per schedule. If he had not employed the additional men, how many extra days would he have needed to complete the work?

The work has to completed in 90 days (as per schedule).

Total no. of men appointed initially = 50.

Given : 50 men have already worked for 20 days and completed a part of the work.

If the remaining work is done by 70 men (50 + 20 = 70), the work can be completed in 70 days and the total work can be completed in 90 days as per the schedule.

Let 'x' be the no. of days required when the remaining work is done by 50 men.

For the remaining work,

70 men ----> 70 days

50 men -----> x days

The above one is a inverse variation.

Because, when no. of men is decreased, no. of days will be increased.

By inverse variation, we have

70 ⋅ 70 = 50 ⋅ x

So, if the remaining work is done by 50 men, it can be completed in 98 days.

So, extra days needed = 98 - 70 = 28 days.

Problem 5 :

Three taps A, B and C can fill a tank in 10, 15 and 20 hours respectively. If A is open all the time and B and C are open for one hour each alternately, find the time taken to fill the tank.

A's 1 hour work = ⅒

B's 1 hour work = ¹⁄₁₅

C's 1 hour work = ¹⁄₂₀

In the first hour, we have

(A + B)'s work = ⅒ + ¹⁄₁₅

(A + B)'s work = ³⁄₃₀ + ²⁄₃₀

(A + B)'s work = ⁵⁄₃₀

(A + B)'s work = ⅙

In the second hour, we have

(A + C)'s work = ⅒ + ¹⁄₂₀

(A + C)'s work = ²⁄₂₀ + ¹⁄₂₀

(A + C)'s work = ³⁄₂₀

Amount of work done in each two hours is

= ¹⁰⁄₆₀ + ⁹⁄₆₀

Amount of work done :

In the first 2 hours : ¹⁹⁄₆₀

In the first 4 hours : ¹⁹⁄₆₀ + ¹⁹⁄₆₀ = ³⁸⁄₆₀

In the first 6 hours : ¹⁹⁄₆₀ + ¹⁹⁄₆₀ + ¹⁹⁄₆₀ = ⁵⁷⁄₆₀

After 6 hours, the remaining work will be

= ¹⁄₂₀

¹⁄₂₀ is the small amount of work left and A alone can complete this.

Time taken by A to complete this 1/20 part of the work is

= amount of work/part of work done in 1 hour

= ¹⁄₂₀ ÷ ⅒

= ¹⁄₂₀ ⋅ ¹⁰⁄₁

= ½ hours

So, A will will take half an hour (or 30 minutes) to complete the remaining work ¹⁄₂₀ .

So, total time taken to complete the work is

= 6 hours + 30 minutes

= 6 ½ hours

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

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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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9 Soft Skills Employers Want...

9 Soft Skills Employers Want in 2024

10 min read · Updated on December 19, 2023

Don't forget about these soft skills that can help you to succeed in 2023

You're in the middle of your job search and you feel confident that you're the right candidate for the job. And why are you so sure? That's easy - you have all the professional skills the job requires, from the training to the industry knowledge and technical skills.

News flash - so does your competition! The question is: do you have the soft skills employers want from their job candidates?

The playing field has changed now, thanks to the pandemic and its impact on the labor market. The last few years have created new challenges that forced companies to do things differently and, consequently, they changed what recruiters really care about .

“Undeniably, COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into the hiring process for both job seekers and recruiters alike, which our data confirms by uncovering what's newly important in one's candidacy,” said Amanda Augustine, TopResume's career expert.

“Our findings reveal that job seekers may be taking themselves out of the running even before - or right after - the virtual interview, because they're ignoring the key factors to which recruiters are suddenly paying attention.”

It's not as mysterious as you might think. What really helps job candidates to stand out from the rest are the soft skills employers want and need. The new normal includes not only more remote work, but also an increased emphasis on productivity and collaboration. That means that key soft skills in the workplace are more important than ever, with some rising to the top of recruiters' wish lists in 2023.

What are soft skills?

Think of soft skills for work as your personal skills - things you do that make you a great employee outside of the technical skills that are needed for the job. They may come naturally to you, or perhaps you've added some classes to your list to augment these abilities. If you haven't, consider taking online classes and other certification courses to develop strong soft skills in the workplace. Including soft skills on a resume is absolutely essential if you want employers to quickly see that you have the talents they're looking for.

These are the top soft skills employers want to see :

1. Creative problem solving and innovation

The last few years have presented a plethora of new challenges for companies. The last thing an employer or hiring manager wants is an employee who sees a challenging situation or new task and says, “Wow, I don't know what to do here.” Instead, they want to know that you can think logically and creatively to develop solutions to the problems or obstacles that arise from day to day.

They also hope you'll help to come up with new ideas while addressing existing problems. And the more creative, the better; that kind of thinking leads to innovation and improvements within the company.

On your resume, be sure to highlight your problem solving skills and list situations where you had to use your creativity in the face of adversity by coming up with innovative solutions to the problems you encountered.

At your interview, express your enthusiasm for tackling challenges. Every job has hurdles and employers want to hire people who aren't afraid of tackling those challenges. Make sure that your interviewer knows you're one of those people.

2. Communication skills

This is a broad category; it can include everything from how you converse with a client and colleagues to how well you get your point across in emails. The ability to communicate with clients and team members is essential. And, now that most communication is done through emails, chats, video, or phone conference calls, strong communication skills are more critical than ever.

Taking a class on effective communication skills is well worth your time and money. It's one of the most crucial soft skills in any job, in any industry. If you already think that it's one of your best attributes, find a way to demonstrate that on your resume and in your interview.

3. Time management

Moving to a partial or complete work-from-home environment was a big leap of faith for many employers and hiring managers. Would their teams be legitimately productive away from their office? Without the natural structure that a day at the office provides, time management became a soft skill that quickly rose to the top of many recruiters' priority lists.

Time management means that you know how to organize your schedule to get your projects done on time and with efficiency. How well can you focus on your work and manage your time to stay productive, without a manager looking over your shoulder?

Your work calendar is your best friend when it comes to time management. Set daily and weekly goals for what you'd like to accomplish and don't be afraid to block off time on your calendar to zero in on that work. If you're preparing for a job interview, see if you can learn what project management tools the company uses and familiarize yourself with those products. If you can demonstrate familiarity with the tools they use, you'll have a leg up on the competition.

4. A growth mindset

When it comes to ensuring longevity in your career , you need to be able to grow and adapt to changes within your industry and the job market as a whole. With the mechanization of jobs and industries, having a growth mindset is essential.

So, what is a growth mindset? Professionals with a growth mindset are motivated to reach higher levels of achievement by continuously learning new skills in order to move with a changing market. Essentially, it's being adaptable and willing to go above and beyond the soft and hard skills you already have.

Showcase your growth mindset on your resume by highlighting examples of how you showed initiative by learning a new skill that improved your performance or helped you to keep pace with industry changes.

5. Emotional intelligence

What does it mean to have high emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, evaluate, and respond to your emotions and the emotions of others. This means that you're able to think empathetically about the people around you and the interpersonal relationships that develop in the workplace.

This is another of those soft skills employers want to see, and it's taken on new meaning for 2023. As we emerge from the shadow of the recent pandemic, many people continue to struggle with their place in the workforce and the world. Having the ability to read the emotions of your co-workers and respond with compassion is essential.

In fact, one survey by CareerBuilder reported that 71% of employers value emotional intelligence in an employee over IQ, while 75% are more likely to promote an employee with higher EQ (emotional quotient) over someone with higher IQ.

The best way to show your emotional intelligence? During your interview .

6. Collaboration

Collaborating with your co-workers isn't as easy as it seems. There are always those who believe that they know how to do the job and don't trust others to do their part - and that can create tension in the office and hurt overall efficiency.

Learning to trust others, work together, and give and accept ideas is a difficult skill to master - but, if you can, you'll be well ahead of the competition.

Show off your best collaboration soft skills in your resume by describing your ability to work with other team members. You should highlight it during your interview as well. Show enthusiasm for accepting colleagues' ideas and maximizing your team's overall efficiency by using each person's individual strengths.

7. Adaptability

Change is always a major part of the modern-day workplace. The lightning-fast advancement of technology has forced industries to evolve or perish in recent years. Those changes are sure to continue in the years to come, which is why adaptability is now one of the top skills employers are looking for in job candidates.

Think about all of the changes we've seen in recent years. Many offices went from 100% on-site work to partial or completely remote work during the pandemic. Video conferencing became an everyday occurrence, while working and collaborating online is now considered routine. All of these things have required workers to adapt to new methods, new technology, and new ways of thinking.

Think about all the ways you've had to adapt in the past and be prepared to showcase how well you can go with the flow during your next interview.

8. Active listening

Everyone loves a good listener. It shouldn't be hard to do, but for many people it's a struggle - especially in a remote environment. Active listening is more than just listening intently; the active listener shows that they're engaged in the conversation by saying little things like, “Okay,” or “I understand,” and nodding. It also means asking questions, making eye contact, and withholding judgment.

It can be all too easy to become disengaged from your sixth video conference of the day or that morning check-in call before you've had your coffee. If you're uncertain what it really means to be an active listener, do a little research and practice it at home with your family or friends (they'll appreciate it, too). Then, during your interview, let your active listening skills shine as you engage with your interviewer.

9. Leadership

While creativity, communication skills, a growth mindset, emotional intelligence, and collaboration are all relevant skills that can make you a great employee, leadership skills will elevate you even further. Most employers and hiring managers are always looking for someone who is capable of growing beyond that role.

Leadership skills are really a combination of all the other soft skills. When you put them together, you have a person who can not only work well with the team but also take the reins and make the rest of the team better.

If you've been in charge of big projects in the past, bring that out in your resume and mention it in job interviews. Show that you're not someone who is just looking to punch in and punch out, but an applicant who is ready to conquer this job and grow into a future leader within the company; that makes you an attractive investment for them.

Showcase the soft skills employers want to see

Think of your soft skills as accessories to your hard, job-related skills. They alone cannot qualify you for a job, but when paired with solid credentials they can make you a much more attractive candidate. As you review your soft skills, keep in mind how the last few years have changed the playing field and highlight those that will help you shine in the “new normal” work environment.

From cashier to construction worker to CEO, soft skills are universally needed in today's workforce. Learn to cultivate yours and display them for employers to see - and you'll keep yourself ahead of the pack.

Are the soft skills employers want to see highlighted on your resume? Check today with a free resume review !

This article was originally written by Tyler Omoth and updated by Ken Chase in 2023.

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Solving the macOS Installer’s “Failed to Personalize” Error with New Firmware

Kudos to user LALicata on TidBITS Talk for sharing a macOS update solution that isn’t widely available on the Internet. Attempting to update an M2 16-inch MacBook Pro from macOS 13.6 Ventura to any subsequent version of Ventura or macOS 14.5 Sonoma always resulted in a “Failed to personalize” error.

This error pops up quickly in Internet searches, and several articles offer possible fixes, including many old standbys:

Restart your Mac
Make sure your Internet connection is working
Clear sufficient space on your Mac
Repair the boot drive with Disk Utility
Employ the full installer from the Mac App Store
Boot into Safe Mode before installing
Install from macOS Recovery
Use a bootable USB installer
Erase the Mac from Recovery Assistant or iCloud before reinstalling

Those are all reasonable troubleshooting steps, but none solved the problem. Apple’s support reps kept focusing on the Internet connection under the assumption that the Mac couldn’t reach a necessary Apple server during the installation process. However, once LALicata mentioned that an M1 MacBook Air was able to download and install macOS updates with no problem, they focused on the Mac itself and eventually provided the solution, which was to restore the MacBook Pro to factory settings using Apple Configurator, which writes a fresh copy of the firmware to the Mac.

Firmware Updates

Typically, Mac firmware is updated whenever a new version of macOS is installed, but if something goes wrong in the process, the Mac can be left with outdated firmware. When automatic firmware updates fail, the solution is to “revive” or “restore” the Mac using another Mac running macOS 12 Monterey or later and a USB-C cable that supports data and charging, such as the Apple USB-C Charge Cable (Apple explicitly warns against trying to use a Thunderbolt 3 cable). Although Macs running Sonoma can update firmware using the Finder, Apple Configurator is necessary for Macs running Monterey or Ventura, and LALicata’s Apple rep said that this particular problem could be resolved only by restoring from Apple Configurator, not the Finder. (Reviving leaves your data in place and is worth trying first; restoring erases the Mac and reverts it to factory defaults.)

Before LALicata fixed the problem, when the MacBook Pro was still running macOS 13.6.4, its System Firmware Version was 10151.41.12. After using Apple Configurator and upgrading to macOS 14.5, the System Firmware Version jumped 10151.121.1, which is the latest version for all Apple silicon Macs . To check your Mac’s System Firmware Version, Option-click the Apple menu and choose System Information—you’ll see it in the Hardware Overview screen.

System Information showing System Firmware Version

This scenario suggests another general avenue of Mac troubleshooting. If you’re having problems associated with startup or updating, compare your Mac’s current firmware version with the latest version. Howard Oakley’s excellent Silent Knight utility, which reports on the update status of various system settings, makes that easier.

The Answer Is Documentation

It’s easy to rail about the technical side of this problem. However, Apple certainly doesn’t want or expect this firmware corruption to happen and is undoubtedly working to prevent it from happening and work around it automatically if it does. But no one is perfect, and it’s impossible to predict every possible occurrence that could corrupt firmware during an update.

Instead, I’d argue that the problem here revolves around documentation. First, the error message is terrible. What does “Failed to personalize” mean (nothing, in at least this context, and not much in any I can imagine), and how is it related to firmware (it’s not)? I suspect that the firmware problem is sufficiently rare and unexpected that it’s triggering an unrelated message. Still, a better-worded error message would go a long way toward helping users (and support reps) figure out what’s going wrong.

The error condition might be rare, but it’s not unheard of, so the second problem is that Apple’s article about reviving and restoring Mac firmware doesn’t include the error message text as one of the symptoms of corrupted firmware. If it had, LALicata and other users could have found the solution with a quick search.

That’s partly why I’m writing this article—to seed Internet search engines with the “Failed to personalize” string and the solution. Anyone running into such a problem in the future should be able to find this article and jump to Apple’s instructions on reviving or restoring firmware. They may be somewhat involved and non-trivial to follow (it matters which USB-C port you use, for instance), but they’ll take far less time than working with remote support reps.

Ideally, no one will run into this problem again, but if someone does, I hope they find their way to the solution here.

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Comments About Solving the macOS Installer’s “Failed to Personalize” Error with New Firmware

Notable replies.

This is a welcome solution! I have had people write me about this over the years, and never had diagnosed what could have caused it—much less a solution!

Thanks so much, Adam. One of the many reasons I check the posts on this website!

I’ve an M1 Studio that has had the problem since shortly after I purchased it, now through three versions of the Mac OS. I am able to get around it by booting into recovery mode and then reinstalling the latest OS. I’ve tried many other solutions, including erasing and rebuilding, and twice using Configurator and a second Mac to perform a restore. Disappointingly, my interactions with Apple support 2 years ago were similar - they focused on issues interfering with the download of the update or network issues (despite the fact that I told them we have 2 other Macs in the household on the same network and neither has ever had this issue). Left it at the Genius Bar, they wiped the machine and installed Ventura, claimed they could then update to Sonoma without a problem. I reinstalled apps and data via a Time Machine backup and held my breath until the next Sonoma update appeared, and again got the “Failed to personalize” message, as I have for every update since. I guess this suggests the issue may be with some software I have on the computer, but Apple was unable to solve the problem in my case.

Thank you for this article on the “personalize” problem. I had to deal with it on my iMac. I couldn’t find guidance using that term, but I eventually resolved it through the Recovery route. Jim Wheelis

Running Monterrey (12.7.5) on an 2019 Retina 5K iMac and Ventura on M1 MBPro Ultra and M2 Air.

App Store says MacOS 14 required for Configurator. Haven’t tried downloading with the laptops running Ventura yet.

Any way to get around this?

Maybe one solution is to install MacOS Sonoma on an USB stick or external drive. Then boot from that drive to get Configurator and try to update the firmware. Another solution may be (have not tested it) is to use Configurator from your Macbook Air conected to the iMac with an Apple USB charge cable.

Many thanks for this article! I have been struggling with this issue for months on a MacMini 2018, i.e. still with an Intel processor. The only way to update system software (now Sonoma) was in recovery mode. I am looking forward to use this solution.

This was an interesting article; thank you. I checked, and my MacBook Air M1 (2020) running macOS Big Sur 11.7.10 has firmware version 10151.1.1 rather than 10151.121.1. Since I have lost most of the technical expertise that I had years ago, I would like to ignore the discrepancy and do nothing. FWIW, I installed 11.7.10 last September and have experienced no (new) problems since then.

There are three recurring issues with the MBA, and I wonder if the firmware could be causing or contributing to any of them.

First, Time Machine will not complete a backup, either to a Time Capsule or an external (spinning) disk. It used to, but stopped working two or three macOS updates ago. It does seem to back up everything from ~, and I suspect that the issue is permissions on some file that is near the end of a backup session.

Second, keystrokes are sometimes doubled. In other words, I’ll type a character and it will appear twice. Again, this has been going on for a long time. It is rare but annoyingly frequent, and it happens on both the external and internal keyboard.

Third, the external display will sometimes go blank for about two to six seconds. This has happened 22 times so far this calendar year (and like the other issues, has been occurring for years), sometimes twice in one day and one time it didn’t happen for 35 days. I cannot detect any common trigger.

So, what is the downside to doing nothing (and staying at firmware 10151.1.1, at least until I get around to upgrading macOS to something more modern)? Is it likely that any of the three issues is caused or aggravated by the out-of-date firmware? Thanks for any guidance.

And @lalicata deserves the lion’s share of credit for tracking it down and reporting the experience here!

There’s no way to tell, but a combination of a very old version of macOS and old firmware could explain it. Unless you have an important reason to stick with Big Sur, like an app that won’t run on a later version, I can’t see any reason not to upgrade to Sonoma.

Jon Lindemann

3 June 2024: Jon, I did NOT want to go to 14.5 but the Apple Engineers were quite sure that there was absolutely no way to fix my problem unless I went to 14.5. One did let it slip that in the future, do not discard the Configurator app that works with that system software. It was never said but I got the feeling that each major software jump gets its own configurator. Lee

Hi. This is Lee. I tried this with an Apple Engineer on Monday when I did not have the right cable on hand, Did not work. No amount of petting, stroking, talking nice, yelling, screaming, cursing, pleading, weeping, or begging could get the Configurator2 app to recognize the system software on the USB stick AND make active the “restore” command. I think, but am not sure at all that the firmware that is being updated on the faulty Mac must be read from a well behaving Mac. I am SWAGGING this.

Well, I don’t know. I’m using Excel version 16.16.27, and it’s a bit flaky (editing conditional formatting almost always causes a crash), but it’s a lot more important to me than trying to fix any of the three annoyances I mentioned, especially if the fix only “might” take care of the problem. Does anyone know if my 2018 (copyright date from About Excel) version of Excel would work with Sonoma? Ventura?

My plan is to get a new MBA and install an up-to-date version of Office and try to make sure that everything works, then upgrade macOS on the old MBA and install an up-to-date version of Office, and then retire my MacBook Air from early 2015.

Granted, it’s not getting any updates anymore, but I couldn’t care less. In fact, I prefer the peace and quiet that comes with not getting constant MS updater nags. I’m never going to allow Excel to dao anythign that could endanger my system anyway.

I had this with my M1 and a Dell 4K display I was using external retina display. I believe the 60Hz 4K USB-C to HDMI dongle I was using wasn’t quite up to the task, as I’d read other reports of the issue on the Amazon listing for that adapter. It felt to me like a bad clock or refresh sync, but I too can’t explain the sporadic nature of it happening.

Anyway, I stopped using that display as it wasn’t really mine. My wife uses it with her late-2013 Intel MBP and has no issues. These days I use a non-retina display, for my sins.

Random intermittent display blanking, especially when using digital interfaces like DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort, usually means that you’ve got a weak or marginal signal. When the display loses signal, it goes black.

As @gingerbeardman pointed out, this can be due to problem cables or adapters. Higher resolutions require more bandwidth and cables designed for a lower-resolution may not be able to handle higher resolutions.

For example, there are four different types of HDMI cable (c.f. Wikipedia: HDMI: Cables and HDMI: Refresh frequency limits for standard video ):

Approximately 5 Gbit/s (4 Gbit/s of usable data)
Good for all HDMI 1.0 through 1.2 features
1080p at 60 Hz. 1440p at 30 Hz. Not suitable for HDR content.
Approximatgely 10 Gbit/s (8 Gbit/s of usable data)
Good for HDMI 1.0 through 1.4 features
1080p at 144 Hz, 1440p at 75 Hz, 4K at 30 Hz. Lower maximum refresh rates for HDR content.
Approximately 18 Gbit/s (14 Gbit/s usable)
Good for HDMI 2.0 features
1440p at 144 Hz, 4K at 60 Hz, 5K at 30 Hz. Lower maximum refresh rates for HDR content.
Approximately 48 Gbit/s (42 Gbit/s usable)
Good for HDMI 2.1 features
1440p at 240 Hz, 4K at 144 Hz, 5K at 60 Hz, 8K at 30 Hz, 10K at 30 Hz.

Similarly, DisplayPort cables are certified for certain transmission modes (c.f. Wikipedia: DisplayPort: Cable bandwidth and certifications and DisplayPort: Refresh frequency limits for standard video /):

Supports up to HBR2 signaling (21.6 Gbit/s)
1080p at 240 Hz, 1440p at 165 Hz, 4K at 75 Hz, 5K at 30 Hz. Lower maximum refresh rates for HDR content.
HBR3 (32.4 Gbit/s)
1440p at 240 Hz, 4K at 120 Hz, 5K at 60 Hz, 8K at 30 Hz. Lower maximum refresh rates for HDR content.
UHBR10 (40 Gbit/s)
4K at 144 Hz, 5K at 60 Hz, 8K at 30 Hz. Lower maximum refresh rates for HDR content.
UHBR13.5 (54 Gbit/s)
4K at 144 Hz, 5K at 120 Hz, 8K at 60 Hz. Lower maximum refresh rates for HDR content.
UHBR20 (80 Gbit/s)
4K at 240 Hz, 5K at 180 Hz, 8K at 85 Hz. Lower maximum refresh rates for HDR content.

Cables certified for one category may work for with frequencies beyond the certified maximum, especially at shorter lengths, but it’s not guaranteed. And the further you go beyond the certified maximum, the less likely it will work. A cable that doesn’t meet the needs of your data, but comes close may work/fail intermittently or produce artifacts in the image.

Thanks, @Simon . Do you use conditional formatting in Excel? As I noted, editing (and sometimes just reviewing without changing) a conditional format rule usually causes an expected program termination.

And thank you to @gingerbeardman and @Shamino for the discussion of cables. That makes more sense than anything I thought of.

I’m using an Acer display that About This Mac tells me is 2560 x 1440, which I understand is definitely sub-Retina. The Displays pane in System Preferences shows 60 Hz (and is unchangeable).

I am using an HDMI cable; I believe it came with the display, but I’m not sure. I also have what was billed as a higher quality HDMI cable, but it’s much longer, so it might not fix the problem. [Edit to add: “8K UHD” is on the connectors, and I believe it’s 12 feet long, compared to about 18 inches for the one in use.] When I first got the display, I connected the Mac using a USB-C cable. I do not recall if I had screen blackouts then. (I have been using the HDMI cable, and an Anker USB hub with ethernet and HDMI ports, for some years now.) When I get a moment (probably the next time the screen blacks out), I’ll switch to a Thunderbolt cable.

Thanks for all the responses on this off-topic sub-thread.

The cables bundled with displays should work for that display, but they may not be certified for anything in partiular.

An “8K UHD” marking on a cable is just marketing and may not mean anything beyond the cable manufacturer’s wishful thinking. A certified (meaning it passed official tests) HDMI cable will have one of the four buzzwords: Standard, High Speed, Premium High Speed, or Ultra High Speed. And the cables certified in the latter two categories will include a certification label that includes several anti-counterfeiting features (like per-cable serial numbers and QR codes).

See also HDMI Cable Overview , which has links to two articles describing how to spot genuine certification labeling.

Mind you, an uncertified cable may work just fine, and there are plenty of good manufacturers that don’t bother with it. But without it, you’re relying on the integrity of the manufacturer.

Another useful/interesting resource is a Linus Tech Tips article from 2021: I Spent a THOUSAND Dollars on HDMI Cables… for Science .

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Raised expectations: Some curb-protected bike lanes often flood. Could switching to raised lanes solve the problem?

CDOT says building raised bike lanes is more time-consuming and complex that installing on-street bikeways, but raised lanes are becoming more common.

1:55 PM CDT on June 6, 2024

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Biking in a flooded curb-protected bike lane at Clark Street and Montrose Avenue in Uptown, looking south. Image: John Greenfield

Last year the Chicago Department of Transportation did yeoman's work expanding our city's protected bike lane network. But there's a highly annoying aspect of some of the new curbside PBLs, which are generally located in the street next to the sidewalk, and protected with concrete curbs. They flood after storms, and are often barely rideable for days afterwards.

Here's a recent example from the new Milwaukee Avenue PBLs between Western and North avenues in Wicker Park-Bucktown, posted by bike-ped injury attorney Brendan Kevenides (a Streetsblog Chicago sponsor).

l've also noticed that flooding is a frequent problem with my local protected bikeway, the Graceland Greenway on Clark Street. It's located next to the eponymous cemetery, between Montrose Avenue and Irving Park Road on the border of Uptown and Lakeview. Just about every time it rains, the lanes flood in a couple different locations, particularly at Montrose and Clark.

Years ago the protected bike lanes on Elston Avenue between Damen and Fullerton avenues in Logan Square used to flood regularly. After bike riders complained to local alderperson Scott Waguespack (32nd), he posted on social media about going to the site and removing leaves and trash from the drains himself. So earlier this month, I gave that approach a try at Montrose/Clark.

My attempt to be the Moses (from the Bible, not Robert Moses from 20th Century NYC) of Uptown and part the waters of the Graceland Greenway at Montrose/Clark. Someone else wanna try this with a broomstick? ⁦ @ChicagoDOT ⁩ ⁦ @AldMattMartin ⁩ ⁦ @46thWardChi ⁩ pic.twitter.com/uPtIUKOXH4 — John Greenfield (@greenfieldjohn) May 7, 2024

Later that day I stopped by with a Hula Hoe weed cutter, which was also ineffective. During this attempt, a passer-by correctly told me the real reason for flooding at this location is "rainblockers," devices that are intentionally used to restrict the amount of water going into the city's sewer system, to prevent it from backing up. Read the City's explanation of the strategy here . And here's a 2001 analysis of that controversial program in the Chicago Tribune .

This didn't work. A guy told us Chicago intentionally shuts off these drains to keep stormwater from going into river and lake. Ald. @ward32chicago , IIRC you used to unclog Elston PBLs. Any advice? MWRD Commissioner @DanPogoFC , any intel? @ChicagoDOT @AldMattMartin @46thWardChi pic.twitter.com/Cr0F0joYYc — John Greenfield (@greenfieldjohn) May 7, 2024

Granted, this incident shows that, while I write regularly about sustainable transportation infrastructure, water management practices are not in my wheelhouse. But I did have a couple of other takeaways from this experience.

First, contrary to the reason given for why Far South Side alder Anthony Beale (9th) recently had curb protection removed from bike lanes on Doty Avenue in Pullman, PBLs don't cause street flooding. If the aforementioned curb lanes on Milwaukee and Clark still had curbside car parking, automobiles would be sitting in inches of water after a rainstorm.

Second of all, CDOT was probably aware of the rainblockers, and the resulting bikeway flooding that would happen, when they chose to install curbside, curb-protected bike lanes in these locations. I don't mean to razz the department too hard about this design choice – these sections of Clark and Milwaukee are generally good places to ride nowadays, and the bikeways are getting lots of use.

So I contacted CDOT spokesperson Erica Schroder to float the idea of making bike lanes that are raised above street level the default design choice for new Chicago bikeways. This practice is common in bicycle-friendly countries like the Denmark and the Netherlands. And in addition to preventing bike lane flooding, it helps prevent debris and garbage from collecting in the lanes.

Stretches of raised bike lanes are actually becoming more common in Chicago. Heck, even parts of Milwaukee and Clark have short stretches that are raised.

But Schroeder indicated that making raised bike lanes the default in Chicago is not yet viewed as a practical option. "Constructing raised bike lanes takes significantly longer than adding concrete protection at street level, largely because when we build at the raised level we reconstruct the entire curb and gutter and move all the catch basins," she said. "This can become a lengthy and complicated project based on the location of underground utilities."

"Not every protected bike lane project involves reconstructing the street; doing so would greatly delay the expansion of our network of protected bike lanes," Schroeder added. "However, when protected bike lanes are part of street reconstruction projects, CDOT is increasingly incorporating raised bike lanes. Current examples include several ongoing streetscape projects in South Chicago , Austin , and Pullman ." See renderings below for a sneak peek of what these new bikeways are supposed to look like.

So raised bike lanes will become increasingly common as new streetscape projects are completed. On the other hand, it's worth noting that the above Austin project on Chicago Avenue between Austin and Cicero avenues, a 1.5-mile stretch, only has a short stretch of raised bikeway, arguably a missed opportunity.

So it's important for residents who want raised bike lanes in their neighborhoods to show up to public meetings on streetscapes, and voice support for raised bikeways. Because once CDOT rebuilds the corridor, there may not be another opportunity to add raised bike lanes for many years.

Meanwhile, what can we do about existing curb-protected bike lanes that flood regularly? Interestingly, shortly after Kevenides tweeted about the flooded Milwaukee Avenue bikeway, it was drained. Perhaps one of the powers that be (that location is in Ald. Waguespack's ward) noticed his complaint and ordered someone to open a rainblocker?

At any rate, the next time you notice a flooded curbside protected bike lane, why not file a 311 service request , and contact the local alderperson and/or the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago ? You could also tag the authorities in a social media post to spread the word about the problem.

If enough people who bike make noise about this issue, maybe we can get flooded bikeways cleared promptly. That would be a lot more useful that just posting tweets referencing the " Who's the U-boat commander ?" scene from "Risky Business".

Did you appreciate this post? Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support Streetsblog Chicago.

In addition to editing Streetsblog Chicago, John writes about transportation and other topics for additional local publications. A Chicagoan since 1989, he enjoys exploring the city on foot, bike, bus, and 'L' train.

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