| TITLE |
AUTHOR |
PUBLISHER |
DATE |
ISBN |
DESCRIPTION |
PROBLEM
SOLVING |
| Exploring Requirements |
D. Gause G. Weinberg |
Dorset House |
1989 |
0-932633-13-7 |
A clearly written volume on how to approach
any development effort. This book on gathering requirements is required reading. It covers
everything from determining the problem, teams, setting expectations, and minimizing the
risk of failure. Another collaborative piece, "Are Your Lights On"- ISBN
0-932633-16-1, is also a good read. Frankly, anything written by Gerald Weinberg is worth
reading. His writing spans many topics, from Systems Thinking to Consulting. Always
entertaining and highly instructive. |
| Are Your Lights On? |
D. Gause G. Weinberg |
Dorset House |
1990 |
0-932644-16-1 |
A quick read so no excuses for not getting
through this one. Entertaining and clear, this short work will leave an impression and
permanently affect your approach to problem definition. |
| Strategies for Creative Problem Solving |
H. S. Fogler S. E.
LeBlanc |
Prentice Hall |
1995 |
0-13-179318-7 |
A great "where have you been all my
life" type of work. Folger and LeBlanc provide a variety of powerful problem
definition and solution. An easy read. |
| Lateral Thinking |
E. de Bono |
Harper & Row |
1970 |
0-06-090325-2 |
Obviously, by the publishing date, this is in
classic status. This and his later book "Serious Creativity" (ISBN
0-88730-635-7) provides methods for breaking out of the traditional thinking frameworks
that inhibit creative opportunities. de Bono has written many books on the topic of
thinking and problem solving. He's easy to read and very accessible. |
| Systematic Innovation |
J. Terninko A. Zusman
B. Zlotin |
St. Lucie Press |
1998 |
1-57444-111-6 |
Some things take an overthrow of government to
find the light. This was the case for TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving - TIPS).
This technique was developed by Genrich Altshuller (pen name Altov) in the 1940's while a
guest at Stalin's concentration camp in Siberia. This provides an introduction to TRIZ
with several examples of the technique. Alshuller's book (written under his pen name
Altov), "And Suddenly The Inventor Appeared" (ISBN ??) provides an excellent
introduction as well by its inventor.
This is exciting stuff and is a powerful tool to assist dealing with difficult
problems. Although TRIZ is better suited to mechanical/inventive problems it is also
powerful in the more "systems" oriented domain. |
| The Goal It's Not Luck
Critical Chain |
E. Goldratt |
The North River Press |
1984 1994
1997 |
0-88427-061-0 0-88427-115-3
0-88427-153-6 |
I read "The Goal" in 1992 (the
second edition) and I couldn't tell enough people about it. I thought (and still think)
it's one of the best business books - period. And it's a novel! As a matter of fact, each
of the books in this row are novels and fast, pleasant reads that make it through the
Limbic Region right into your long term memory. Each book covers
different aspects to an overall framework called "The Theory of Constraints." No
excuses for not reading these works. |
| Goldratt's Theory of Constraints |
H.W. Dettmer |
Quality Press |
1997 |
0-87389-370-0 |
This is a "how-to" textbook that
covers the techniques used by the characters in Goldratt's "It's Not Luck".
Dettmer provides clear step-by-step instructions for problem solving using Goldratt's
"Think Process". TOC (Theory of Constraints) is a
fascinating set of techniques for problem definition and problem solving. It's now a
permanent part of my practice and I don't make a move without using some parts of the TP
techniques. |
| Thinking for a Change: Putting the TOC
Thinking Processes to Use |
L. J. Scheinkopf |
The St. Lucie Press |
1999 |
1-57444-101-9 |
Over the years more companies are embracing
TOC hence more practical experience and techniques are employed. This book provides an
easy, practical overview and examples of TOC. |
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