problem solving workshop miro

Miro Board: A Comprehensive Guide

by Daniel Raymond · September 10, 2024

In today’s interconnected world, where ideas transcend borders and innovation is a collective endeavor, the ability to collaborate effectively has never been more crucial. Miro.com Board emerges as a shining beacon in this landscape, redefining how teams collaborate and bring ideas to life. It’s not just a tool; it’s a virtual workspace that bridges distances, synchronizes minds, and nurtures creativity.

Table of Contents

If you find Miro pricing above your current budget, see if  AceProject  could serve you better. AceProject offers a powerful Board View.

Miro Board offers a unique platform that transforms traditional brainstorming and project planning into an engaging and dynamic experience. You can use it for everything from real-time collaboration to remote employee training . Whether you are part of a global corporation, a small startup, or an educational institution, the need for a cohesive and interactive collaborative environment is universal. Miro Board meets this need by providing a digital canvas that is both expansive and intuitive, allowing teams to visualize ideas, plan projects, and brainstorm solutions in real-time, no matter where they are located.

What is a Miro Board?

Miro.com Board is an advanced digital whiteboard that facilitates collaboration and idea visualization in real-time. It’s an online platform where teams can simultaneously create, discuss, and share ideas, regardless of physical location. The Board is a versatile canvas, suitable for various professional settings, from business meetings to creative brainstorming sessions.

How to Use Miro Board

• Getting Started : Sign up on Miro.com and create a new board.
• Navigating the Interface : Familiarize yourself with the toolbar, offering options like sticky notes, shapes, and drawing tools.
• Adding Content : Click and drag items onto the canvas or use templates for structured activities.
• Collaboration : Invite team members to join and collaborate in real-time or asynchronously.
• Integration and Sharing : Integrate with other tools and share the board with external stakeholders.

Detailed Features of Miro Board

Miro Board stands out with its innovative features, each designed to enhance collaboration, creativity, and productivity in various real-life scenarios. Here’s a deeper look into some of these features and how they translate into practical applications:

• Infinite Canvas : Miro’s canvas’s limitless space is perfect for sprawling projects. Imagine a team of architects collaboratively designing a complex building layout or a marketing team plotting a year-long campaign strategy—the infinite canvas accommodates their expansive planning needs.
• Extensive Library of Templates : Miro’s templates serve diverse purposes, from business models to UX design. For instance, a startup might use the Lean Canvas template for business planning, while a software development team might choose a Sprint Retrospective template to review their progress.
• Voting : This tool democratizes decision-making. During a product development meeting, team members can vote on feature priorities, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard.
• Timers : Facilitators use timers in workshops or design sprints to keep activities on track and ensure efficient time use.
• Comment Sections : Ideal for asynchronous collaboration, comments allow team members in different time zones to leave feedback on a shared project plan or design mockup.
• Real-Time Collaboration : Changes made on the board are instantly visible to all participants, making it ideal for remote teams. For instance, a software team across continents can use this feature to conduct live debugging sessions or co-create software flowcharts.
• Integration with Other Tools : Miro’s compatibility with tools like Slack, Asana, and Zoom streamlines workflows. A project manager can integrate Miro with Asana to track project progress, while a team can use the Zoom integration during remote brainstorming sessions for enhanced interaction.
• Mind Mapping : This feature is invaluable for brainstorming sessions. Educational institutions use mind maps to teach complex subjects, helping students connect ideas and concepts visually.
• Wireframing and Prototyping : Design teams frequently use Miro to create wireframes and website or app prototypes. This visual approach helps align the team’s vision and get instant client feedback.
• Road mapping : Miro’s road mapping tools simplify strategic planning. Companies can plot long-term strategies, visually laying out milestones and objectives, making it easier for teams to understand and follow the roadmap.
• Document Embedding and Sharing : Teams can embed relevant documents directly onto the Miro board. For example, a legal team can share and collaboratively annotate contract drafts, or a research team can embed and discuss scientific papers.
• Sticky Notes and Drawing Tools : These are essential for ideation sessions. A creative agency might use sticky notes for a brainstorming session, categorizing and rearranging ideas to develop innovative advertising concepts.

Real-Life Use Cases of Miro Board

Miro Board’s versatility makes it a preferred choice for various industries and scenarios. Here are expanded real-life use cases illustrating its adaptability and effectiveness:

• Agile Project Management : Tech companies use Miro for Agile project management, creating scrum boards to track sprints, backlogs, and stand-ups, ensuring that the Agile process is visual, interactive, and efficient.
• Remote Education : With the rise of remote learning, educators employ Miro to create engaging, interactive lessons. For instance, a history teacher might use Miro to build a collaborative timeline of historical events with students.
• Brainstorming Sessions in Advertising : Advertising agencies leverage Miro to brainstorm campaign ideas. Teams collaboratively sketch out ad concepts, tag-team on creative strategies, and visualize consumer journeys.
• UX/UI Design Collaboration : UX/UI designers use Miro to collaborate on wireframes, user flow diagrams, and prototype designs, enabling real-time feedback and iteration from team members and clients.
• Strategic Business Workshops : Companies use Miro to conduct SWOT analysis, stakeholder mapping, and goal-setting sessions. This visual approach helps in aligning team members on business strategies and objectives.
• Product Roadmapping : Product teams in various industries use Miro to plot product development roadmaps visually, aligning cross-functional teams on timelines, deliverables, and milestones.
• Event Planning : Event planners utilize Miro to lay out event plans, track vendor responsibilities, and coordinate team tasks, ensuring every detail is accounted for in complex event orchestration.
• Cross-Functional Team Alignment : Large organizations use Miro to facilitate cross-departmental collaboration, ensuring that teams like marketing, sales, and product development are aligned on company-wide initiatives.
• Customer Journey Mapping : Marketing teams map out customer journeys to visualize the customer experience, identify pain points, and strategize improvements, resulting in more effective marketing plans.
• Research and Development : R&D teams in sectors like pharmaceuticals and technology use Miro to document research findings, develop hypotheses, and collaboratively explore innovative solutions.
• Non-Profit Strategy Planning : Non-profit organizations use Miro to plan outreach campaigns, organize fundraising strategies, and brainstorm ways to engage with their communities.
• Creative Writing Workshops : Writers and educators use Miro to host collaborative writing workshops, where participants can collectively draft stories, share feedback, and develop narratives.
• Consulting and Client Work : Consultants use Miro to facilitate workshops and strategy sessions with clients, providing a shared space for problem-solving, creativity, and planning.
• Workshop Facilitation : Facilitators use Miro in workshops for real-time collaboration, allowing participants to contribute ideas, vote on concepts, and visualize group thinking.

Miro.com Board is more than just a digital whiteboard; it’s a powerful catalyst for collaboration, innovation, and productivity. Its diverse features and real-life applications make it an indispensable tool for modern professionals seeking to enhance their collaborative efforts. Whether for project planning, creative brainstorming, or educational purposes, Miro Board offers a flexible and interactive platform to bring your ideas and teamwork to life.

Recommended articles: The Pros and Cons of Using Miro Software | Miro Pricing Plans & Costs Guide

Daniel Raymond

Daniel Raymond, a project manager with over 20 years of experience, is the former CEO of a successful software company called Websystems. With a strong background in managing complex projects, he applied his expertise to develop AceProject.com and Bridge24.com , innovative project management tools designed to streamline processes and improve productivity. Throughout his career, Daniel has consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence and a passion for empowering teams to achieve their goals.

• Next story  The Pros and Cons of Using TeamGantt Software
• Previous story  Best Practices, Metrics, and Benefits of Social Media Monitoring

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This will close in 60 seconds

DYSFUNCTION MAPPING

Find. Solve. Repeat

An Empirical Approach To Problem Solving

Dysfunction Mapping gives you a repeatable approach to creating meaningful change

Workshops to find and solve problems

Classes to teach the Method to your people

Consulting packages to support you as you change

Dysfunction is not a dirty word. It's an opportunity.

No organisation is perfect, but without a repeatable way to find and solve the right problems, it can sometimes feel like an uphill battle to create meaningful change.  Dysfunction Mapping solves this problem by giving your people a common language and method for connecting the dots, and forming a hypothesis they can test by taking action and inspecting the outcome.

Upcoming Classes

Nov 11 & 12.

Dec 2 & 3

How do I get started?

You can give it a go right now with some free resources, or get in touch to arrange a class or workshop to immediately level up your problem solving ability.

Classroom Experience

A full day, hands-on learning experience. Attendees will learn each core aspect of Dysfunction Mapping through interactive exercises and group discussion. 

Get a 'Dysfunction Mapping Practitioner' badge to show off what you've learned!

Our next online Certified DMP class is 27th & 28th February.

Collaborative Workshop

In this 4 to 8 hour workshop, a small group of practitioners will work together to build their first real Dysfunction Map based on their observations and experiences.

For when you've learned the approach, and it's time to take action!

Click below to enquire about private workshops.

Miro Templates

Miro Templates include a basic Dysfunction Map template to get started on your own digital board, up to a full digital copy of the the collaborative workshop.  This includes hundreds of digital cards split into 4 Decks, a tool to spark your creativity and get you started solving real problems!

Learning Materials

Check out these articles, videos and talks that give an overview of Dysfunction Mapping if you're a more self-paced learner.

View these great resources on the Honest Agile website by clicking the button below.

Honest Agile

With Michael Lloyd

Michael is a Scrum Master and Agile Coach, and the creator of Dysfunction Mapping.  Tired of seeing teams struggle under the weight of their system, he has dedicated his energy to creating a simpler path to meaningful, long lasting change.

Michael is the Founder and Head of Global Agility at Honest Agile, and is here to help you and your teams deliver more value, more often.

What Our Clients Say

"A great tool for my toolbox, and l've expanded my thinking!

Actionable insights I can start with now.

So much value in 1 day! Thank You!"

"A brilliant learning journey for new and experienced delivery professionals. Lots of ideas around improving ways of working and methods to identify improvement opportunities"

“The workshop I attended was an incredibly interactive experience that left me with a wealth of new knowledge on this awesome Tool. I appreciated how Michael incorporated a variety of breakout sessions and exercises to help reinforce the different parts of [Dysfunction Mapping]”

Start solving problems today. Contact us to arrange a private workshop or consult

Get in touch today about how Dysfunction Mapping can support you and your business.

Thanks for submitting!

Start solving your IT team’s problems today

Is your IT team always working reactively? With no time for structural improvements? This interactive problem-solving workshop will help your IT team to discuss challenges, make decisions together and prioritize solutions – in just one hour.

Align your team and gather input

Turn ineffective meetings into fun, effective team gatherings, where you’ll get everyone on the same page.

Discuss challenges as a team

What’s preventing you from reaching your goals? Discover the bottlenecks and make problem-solving a team effort.

Ideate solutions together

Supercharge your decision-making skills, discover quick wins, and see which valuable ideas you can implement first.

Ready to give your IT team a boost?

• A ready-to-use workshop canvas
• A Miro board for remote team sessions
• Printable sheets for in-person sessions
• Tips and tricks to help you prepare
• Team alignment superpowers
• Decision-making skills
• A crystal ball to foresee future issues

Design Workshop Meeting

Miro steamlines design meetings with a comprehensive approach, organized by this agenda template. This ensures that teams can effectively prepare, prioritize problems, and brainstorm solutions in a highly organized manner. By utilizing Miro's Design Workshop Meeting template, businesses can enhance their creative processes and maximize productivity during crucial design workshops.

The agenda template encourages a customer-centric approach, urging teams to focus on the end-user experience and prioritize issues accordingly. This methodical approach ensures that the most pressing problems are addressed first, paving the way for more effective brainstorming sessions. Miro's Design Meeting Agenda also provides valuable tips for fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment, which is essential for generating innovative ideas.

In addition to problem-solving, Miro's template assists teams in sizing and prioritizing potential solutions based on impact and effort. This structured approach helps businesses make informed decisions, ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently. With clear next steps and a dedicated "Parking Lot" section for out-of-scope ideas, Miro's Design Workshop Meeting template will optimize your design workshops and drive success.

Preparation

Note any documents that need to be reviewed or activities that need to be completed before the workshop.

Focus on the customer’s experiences. Prioritize them in order of severity and choose one or two to focus on. Resist the desire to skip ahead to “fixing” until you have organized the problems you are going to solve.

Solutions Brainstorm

It’s time to figure out how to solve the problem, design the flow, or develop the plan. ‍

Brainstorming tips:

• The more ideas the better!
• Don’t worry about how feasible an idea is just yet (Expensive ideas may lead to other ideas that fit your resources)
• Provide sketching materials. Encourage everyone to visualize the solution
• If the group is large, break into smaller, cross-disciplinary teams and then report ideas back to the group

Size & Prioritize

List your potential solutions in the following format → Solution | Impact | Effort

• Rewrite all site copy | medium | medium
• Leverage API to automate enrollment | medium | large ‍

Do we need to...

• Gather more evidence? (Can we understand the problem better?)
• Explore alternate solutions? (We loved these solutions but they’re too big. Let’s find a quicker fix to fit our timeline)
• Research solution size in more detail? (We need more information to understand which solution requires less effort) ‍
• @name Task by DUE-DATE

Parking Lot

Store topics and ideas that are out of scope or beyond reach for this workshop.

Get the course! 10h video + UX training

Useful Miro Templates For UX Designers

Useful Miro templates, workshops and themes for UX designers — from kick-off meetings to user journeys, problem solving and retrospectives.

Full Remote Design Sprint Template , by TED

Reflection Island: End of Year Team Retro , by Aryanna Martin

Product Design Principles Workshop Template , by Stu Collett

Structured Problem Solving Workshop

UX Persona for Healthcare Projects

System Mapping Toolkit

User Research Kick-off Canvas , by Michael Bierens de Haan

Kick-Off Workshop Template , by Aneta Kmiecik

User Journey Map Board , by Stéphanie Walter

User Task Canvas , by Geoffrey Crofte

UX Problem Statement Map for Logistics Projects

UX Research Plan One-Pager , by Alba Losada

The Sustainable UX Design Toolkit

User Testing Observations Template

Remote Usability Study Workshop Template

Design Critique Template

Features Prioritization Board Template , by Yuval Eitan

Related articles

Useful Copywriting Tools and Resources

AI Tools For Designers

How to Facilitate Creative Problem Solving Workshops

Posted in Blog , Create , Facilitation , Innovation , Virtual Facilitation by Jo North

This article gives you a comprehensive guide to creative problem solving, what it is and a brief history. It also covers how creative problem solving works, with a step-by-step guide to show you how to solve challenging opportunities and problems in your own organization through fresh approaches, and how to facilitate a creative problem solving workshop.

Here are The Big Bang Partnership we are expert facilitators of creative problem solving workshops . Please do comment or email us if you would like any further tips or advice, or if you’d like to explore having us design and facilitate a workshop for you.

What is Creative Problem Solving?

Creative problem solving, sometimes abbreviated to CPS, is a step-by-step process designed to spark creative thinking and innovative solutions for purposeful change.

The creative problem solving process is at the root of other contemporary creativity and innovation processes, such as innovation sprints and design sprints or design thinking . These methods have adapted and repackaged the fundamental principles of creative problem solving.

Creative Problem Solving Definition

Here are definitions of each component of the term creative problem solving process:

• Creative – Production of new and useful ideas or options.
• Problem – A gap between what you have and what you want.
• Solving – Taking action.
• Process – Steps; a method of doing something.

Source: Creative Leadership: Skills that Drive Change Puccio, Murdock, Mance (2007)

The definition of creative problem solving (CPS) is that it’s a way of solving challenges or opportunities when the usual ways of thinking have not worked.

The creative problem solving process encourages people to find fresh perspectives and come up with novel solutions. This means that they can create a plan to overcome obstacles and reach their goals by combining problem solving and creative thinking skills in one process.

Using creative problem-solving removes the haphazard way in which most organizations approach challenges and increases the probability of a successful solution that all stakeholders support.

For an overview of the history of the creative problem solving process, have a read of my article here .

Creative Problems to Solve

Just a few examples of creative problems to solve using the creative problem solving process are:

• Shaping a strategy for your organization
• Developing or improving a new product or service
• Creating a new marketing campaign
• Bringing diverse stakeholders together to collaborate on a joint plan
• Formulating work-winning solutions for new business proposals, bids or tenders
• Working on a more sustainable business model
• Finding eco-innovation solutions
• Social or community innovation
• Co-creation leading to co-production

Messy, Wicked and Tame Problems

If your problem or challenge is ‘ messy ’ or ‘ wicked ’, using the creative problem solving process is an excellent method for getting key stakeholders together to work on it collaboratively. The creative problem solving process will help you to make progress towards improving elements of your challenge.

Messy Problems

In the field of innovation, a messy problem is made up of clusters of interrelated or interdependent problems, or systems of problems. For example, the problems of unemployment in a community, the culture in a workplace or how to reach new markets are likely to be caused by multiple factors.

It’s important to deconstruct messy problems and solve each key problem area. The creative problem solving process provides a valuable method of doing so.

Wicked Problems

Design theorists Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber introduced the term “ wicked problem ” in 1973 to describe the complexities of resolving planning and social policy problems.

Wicked problems are challenges that have unclear aims and solutions. They are often challenges that keep changing and evolving. Some examples of current wicked problems are tackling climate change, obesity, hunger, poverty and more.

Tame Problems

‘ Tame ’ problems are those which have a straightforward solution and can be solved through logic and existing know-how. There is little value in using the creative problem solving process to solve tame problems.

Creative Problem Solving Skills

Specific thinking skills are essential to various aspects of the creative problem solving process. They include both cognitive (or intellectual) skills and affective (or attitudinal, motivational) skills.

There are also three overarching affective skills that are needed throughout the entire creative problem solving Process. These creative problem solving skills are:

• Openness to new things, meaning the ability to entertain ideas that at first seem outlandish and risky
• Tolerance for ambiguity, which is the ability to deal with uncertainty without leaping to conclusions
• Tolerance for complexity, defined as being able to stay open and persevere without being overwhelmed by large amounts of information, interrelated and complex issues and competing perspectives

They show an individual’s readiness to participate in creative problem solving activities.

Creative Problem Solving and Critical Thinking

Critical thinking involves reflecting analytically and more objectively on your learning experiences and working processes. Based on your reflection, you can identify opportunities for improvement and make more effective decisions.

Critical thinking is an important skill when using the creative problem solving process because it will drive you to seek clarity, accuracy, relevance and evidence throughout.

Strategies for Creative Problem Solving

One of the most successful strategies for creative problem solving process is to get a multi-disciplinary team of internal, and sometimes external, stakeholders together for a creative problem solving workshop. Here is a process that you can use to facilitate your own creative problem solving workshop.

How to Facilitate a Creative Problem Solving Workshop

Challenge or problem statement.

The first, potentially most important, stage of the creative problem solving process is to create a challenge statement or problem statement. This means clearly defining the problem that you want to work on.

A challenge or problem statement is usually a sentence or two that explains the problem that you want to address through your creative problem solving workshop.

How might we…?

A good way of expressing your challenge is to use the starting phrase “How might we …?” to produce a question that will form the core of your creative problem solving mission. Framing your problem as a question in this way helps people to begin to think about possibilities and gives scope for experimentation and ideation.

Why it’s important to have a clear problem statement

Defining your problem or challenge statement matters because it will give you and your colleagues clarity from the outset and set out a specific mission for your collaborative working.

If you begin the creative problem solving process without a clear problem or challenge statement, you’ll likely experience misunderstanding and misalignment, and need to retrace your steps. Taking time to get your challenge or problem statement right is time well spent. You can download my free resources on how to create a challenge statement for innovation and growth here .

Creative Problem Solving Process

Once you have defined your creative problem to solve, and the strategies for creative problem solving that you want to use, the next steps are to work through each stage of the creative problem solving process. You can do this on your own, with your team, working cross-functionally with people from across your organization and with external stakeholders. For every step in the creative problem solving process there is a myriad of different techniques and activities that you can use. You could literally run scores of creative problem solving workshops and never have to repeat the same format or techniques! The creative problem solving techniques that I’m sharing here are just a few examples to get you started.

Creative Problem Solving Workshop Agenda

To make the creative problem solving process more accessible to more people, I’ve built on the work by Osborn, Parnes, Puccio and others, to create our Creative Problem Solving Workshop Journey Approach that you can use and adapt to work on literally any problem or challenge statement that you have. I’ve used it in sectors as diverse as nuclear engineering, digital and tech, utilities, local government, retail and e-ecommerce, transport, financial services, not-for-profit and many, many more.

Every single workshop we design for our clients is unique, and our starting point is always our ‘go-to’ outline agenda that we can use to save ourselves time and know that our sessions are well-designed and put together.

The timings are just my suggestion, so please do change them to suit the specific needs of your creative problem-solving workshop.

All the activities I suggest are presented for in-person workshops, and they can be adapted super-easily for virtual workshops, using and online whiteboard such as Miro .

Keep the activities for each agenda item long enough to allow people to get into it, but not too long. You want the sessions to feel appropriately pacey, active and engaging. Activities that are allowed to go on too long drag and sap creative energy.

Outline Agenda

Welcome and Warm-up                                             0900-0930

Where do we want to be, and why?                         0930-1000

Where are we today?                                                 1000-1030

Break                                                                           1030-1045

Why are we where we are today?                            1045-1115

Moving forward – Idea generation                           1115-1230

Lunch                                                                          1230-1315

Energiser                                                                     1315-1330

Moving forward – Idea development                       1330-1415

Break                                                                           1415-1445

Action Planning                                                           1445-1530

Review, feedback and close                                      1530-1600

Here is the agenda with more detail, and suggested activities for each item.

Detailed Creative Problem Solving Workshop Agenda

Welcome and warm-up.

The welcome and warm-up session is important because:

• For groups who don’t know each other, it’s essential that people introduce themselves and start to get to know who everyone is.
• This session also helps people to transition from their other work and activities to focusing on the purpose of the day.
• It sets the tone for the rest of the event.

Items to include in the welcome and warm-up are:

• Welcome to the event.
• Thank people for taking the time.
• The purpose and objectives of the event, and an overview of the agenda for the day. Introduce your problem or challenge statement.
• Ground rules in terms of phone usage, breaks, confidentiality.

It’s good to have the agenda and ground rules visible so that everyone can see them throughout the day, and don’t forget to inform people of any fire evacuation instructions that need to be shared, and information on refreshments, washrooms and so on.

Remember to introduce yourself and say a little bit about you as the workshop leader, keeping it brief.

Things to look out for are:

• How people are feeling – energy, interest, sociability, nervousness and so on.
• Cliques or groups of people who choose to sit together. Make a mental note to move the groups around for different activities so that people get to work with as many different people as possible to stimulate thinking and make new connections.

If you’d like some ideas for icebreakers and warmups, there are lots to choose from in these articles:

Icebreakers for online meetings

Creative warmups and energizers that you can do outside

Where do we want to be, and why?

The first session in your creative problem-solving workshop aims to start with thinking about what the group wants to achieve in the future. As well as setting the direction for your problem statement for the day, it allows delegates to stretch their thinking before they become too embedded in working through their current position, issues and concerns. It is positive and motivational to identify those aspirations that everyone shares, even if the reasons or details differ from person to person.

Suggested creative problem-solving techniques for Where do we want to be, and why ?

Horizon Scanning

Brief the delegates as follows:

• Use the resources / idea generators provided [e.g. magazines, newspapers, scissors, glue, stickers, glitter, any other craft items you like, flip chart paper) and your own thoughts.
• Identify a range of themes that are relevant to the challenge statement you are working on in this workshop. Feel free to use your imagination and be creative!
• For each theme, explain why it is important to the challenge statement.

This activity can be adapted for virtual workshops using online whiteboards such as Miro.

WIFI – Wouldn’t It Be Fantastic If…

This creative problem solving technique opens up delegates’ thinking and frames challenges as a positive and motivational possibility.

Ask delegates to spend just a few minutes completing the following statement as many times as they can with real items relating to their challenge for the workshop:

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if… (‘wifi’)

Delegates should then select the wibfi statements that would make the most material difference to their challenge.

They might have a couple or more of connected statements that they want to combine into a new one. If so, that’s completely fine.

Ask them to write their final statement on a flipchart.

Where are we today?

After establishing the vision for the future, it is important to gain a collective view on the starting point, and gain different, individual perspectives on the current position.

Suggested creative techniques for Where are we today?

Rich pictures

Rich pictures provide a useful way of capturing the elements of messy, unstructured situations and ambiguous and complex problems.

A rich picture is intended to portray the unstructured situation that the delegates are working with.

Brief the activity in as follows, noting that they can assist in the construction of a rich picture which should initially be rich in content, but the meaning of which may not be initially apparent. 

• Ask delegates to consider the messy problem or situation that they are facing and dump all the elements of the scenario they are viewing in an unstructured manner using symbols and doodles.
• Ask them to look for elements of structure such as buildings and so on, and elements of process such as things in a state of change. They may see ways in which the structure and process interact as they use hard factual data and soft subjective information in the picture. 
• If appropriate, ask the delegates to include themselves in the picture as participants or observers, or both, and to give the rich picture meaningful and descriptive title.
• Without explanation, one group’s rich picture is often a mystery to another observer, so ask small working groups to talk through the, to the wider group. It is not meant to be a work of art but a working tool to assist your delegates in understanding an unstructured problem or change scenario.

Out of the box

Representing a problem in any new medium can help bring greater understanding and provide a rich vehicle for discussion and idea generation.

Collect a range of (clean and safe!) junk materials, such as cardboard boxes, empty packets, old magazines and newspapers etc.

You will also need some string, glue and tape.

Ask delegates to use the items around them to create (a) 3D vision(s) of the solution(s) to their challenge.

This provides a different perspective, as well as getting everyone engaged, active and conversing.

Why are we here?

This stage of the away day focuses on helping the group to understand the critical success factors that have driven positive outcomes, as well as any constraints, perceived or real, that are getting in the way of future progress. It identifies items that can be explored further in the idea generation, selection and development stages.

Suggested creative techniques for Why are we here?

Ishikawa Fish Bone

The fishbone diagram was developed by Professor Ishikawa of the University of Tokyo. It can encourage development of a comprehensive and balanced picture, involving everyone, keeping everyone on track, discouraging partial or premature solutions, and showing the relative importance and interrelationships between different parts of the challenge.

Ask the delegates to write their problem statement to the fish bone template, like the example shown here.

Then ask them to identify the major categories of causes of the problem. If they are stuck on this, suggest some generic categories to get them going, such as:

Delegates should then write the categories of causes as branches from the main arrow.

Next, they will identify all the possible causes of the problem, asking: “Why does this happen?”

As each idea is given, one of the delegates in each group writes it as a branch from the appropriate category. Causes can be written in several places if they relate to several categories.

Again, get the delegates to ask: “why does this happen?” about each cause, and write sub–causes branching off the causes.

If you have time, ask the delegates to carry on asking “Why?” and generating deeper levels of causes.

Mind mapping

The term mind mapping was devised by Tony Buzan for the representation of ideas, notes, information and so on in radial tree diagrams, sometimes also called spider diagrams.

These are now very widely used.

To brief in the mind map technique, the instructions below are usually best communicated via a quick demonstration by the facilitator, using an everyday, fun topic and asking delegates to shout out ideas for you to capture.

How to mind map:

• Ask delegates to turn their paper to landscape format and write a brief title for the overall topic in the middle of the page.
• For each major subtopic or cluster of materials ask them to start a new major branch from the central topic and label it.
• Continue in this way for ever finer sub-branches.
• Delegates may find that they want to put an item in more than one place. They could just copy it into each place or they could just draw a line to show the connections.
• Encourage delegates to use colour, doodles and to have fun with their mind map. This stimulates more right brain, creative thinking.

Moving forward – Idea generation

The next sessions are all about coming up with ideas, potential solutions to get from your starting position to the vision for the future that you all created earlier.

I recommend that you use at least two, or preferably all three of the idea generation techniques I have provided here because if you only use one, you are more likely to only get the most obvious, top of mind ideas from your team.

By looking at your challenge or opportunity from different perspectives using a range of techniques, you are more likely to create greater diversity of ideas.

This technique is really good for almost any subject, and especially…

…getting input from everyone. The noisy ones have much less opportunity to dominate!

…getting all the thoughts that people have out of their heads and onto paper.

…getting you started. This is a really accessible technique that is easy to run.

…getting people talking and engaged.

You will need plenty of sticky notes and pens.

Clustering with sticky notes – step-by-step guide

• Ask people to focus on the challenge that is the subject of the session.
• Each person is to work individually at first. They will take a pile of post-it notes and a pen, and get as many items down on the post-it notes as they can, writing only one item on each post-it note so that each person has a pile of written notes in front of them (12-15 each would be great).
• Say to the group that if they think they have finished, it probably is just a mental pause. The best thing for them to do is to look out of the window or move around briefly (but not look at their phones, laptop or disturb other people!) because they are likely to have a second burst of thinking. This is really important because it means you will get more thoughts down than just the obvious front-of-mind ones that come out early on. Allow 5-10 minutes for this step.
• Make sure that people don’t put more than one item on a post-it note.
• When everyone has got a pile of sticky notes and generally have run out of steam, ask them to “cluster” their notes as a group into similar themes on the flip chart paper, a bit like playing the card game “Snap”. Things that no-one else has should be included as a cluster of one item.
• Ask the groups to put a ring around each cluster and give it a name that summarises the content.
• Ask each group to feedback on the contents of their clusters, note similarities and differences and agree your next steps, writing them up on the flip chart for everyone to see.

Force-fitting with pictures

Force-fitting is about using dissimilar, or apparently unrelated, objects, elements, or ideas to obtain fresh new possibilities for a challenge or opportunity. You will need some magazines, photos or newspapers for this activity.

It is a very useful and fun-filled method of generating ideas. The idea is to compare the problem with something else that has little or nothing in common and gain new insights as a result.

You can force a relationship between almost anything, and get new insights – companies and whales, management systems and data networks, or your relationship and a hedgehog. Forcing relationships is one of the most powerful ways to develop ways to develop new insights and new solutions.

The following activity – Random Stimulus, a useful way of generating ideas through a selection of objects or cards with pictures – takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete in total.

It is important to brief delegates to work intuitively through this process rather than over-thinking it. Just follow each of the simple steps outlined here in order.

Force-fitting with pictures step-by-step guide

Step 1 : Choose an image from the ones below at random. It really does not matter which one you choose, so just pick one that you think is interesting. This should take you no longer than a few seconds! Do this first before you move to the next steps.

Step 2: Now look at the image that you have selected. Feel free to pull it out so you can have it in front of you as you work. Write down as many interesting words as you can that come to mind when you look at the picture you have selected.

Step 3 : Now go back and “force fit” each of your interesting words into a potential solution for your challenge. If you have a negative word, turn it into a positive solution. Do this for every word on your list. You don’t have to work through the list in order – if you get stuck on a word, do another one and then come back to it when you’re ready. Don’t forget – premature evaluation stifles creativity. Just write stuff down without judging anything. You will have the opportunity to go back and select what you want / don’t want to use later.

Step 4 : Look at your outputs from this activity and highlight the things that resonate with you in terms of making progress with your challenge.

The SCAMPER technique is based very simply on the idea that anything new is actually a modification of existing old things around us.

SCAMPER was first introduced by Bob Eberle to address targeted questions that help solve problems or ignite creativity during creative meetings.

The name SCAMPER is acronym for seven thinking activities: ( S ) substitute, ( C ) combine, ( A ) adapt, ( M ) modify, ( P ) put to another use, ( E ) eliminate and ( R ) reverse. These keywords represent the necessary questions addressed during the creative thinking meeting. Ask you delegates to work through each one.

• S —Substitute (e.g., components, materials, people)
• C —Combine (e.g., mix, combine with other assemblies or services, integrate)
• A —Adapt (e.g., alter, change function, use part of another element)
• M —Magnify/Modify (e.g., increase or reduce in scale, change shape, modify attributes)
• P —Put to other uses
• E —Eliminate (e.g., remove elements, simplify, reduce to core functionality)
• R —Rearrange/Reverse (e.g., turn inside out or upside down)

Moving forward – Idea development

The objective of this session is to select the most useful or interesting ideas that you have come up with in the earlier idea generation activities, and shape them into a useful solution.

Suggested creative techniques for Moving forward – Idea development:

This is a useful exercise to help your delegates to quickly prioritise their ideas as a team.

• Ask delegates to use the grid shown here to plot their ideas, using sticky notes/
• They should then write a question for each of their ‘yes’ and perhaps some of your ‘maybe’ items that begins with the words ‘ How could we …? ’
• Then ask them to work on each of their questions, capturing their work a flipchart.

Sticky dot voting

Sticky dot voting is a quick, widely used voting method. Once all the ideas are on display give each group member a number of sticky dots (for example 5 each) to ‘vote’ for their favourite solution or preferred option. The number of sticky dots can vary according to what you think will work.

• Give everyone a few minutes of quiet planning time so that they can privately work out their distribution of votes.
• They may distribute their votes as they wish, for example: 2 or 3 on one idea, one each on a couple of others, all on one idea or one each on a whole series of ideas.
• To minimise the risk of people being influenced by one another’s votes, no votes are placed until everyone is ready. When everyone is finished deciding, they go up to the display and place their votes by sticking dots beside the items of their choice.
• As facilitator, lead a discussion on the vote pattern, and help the group to translate it into a shortlist for further development.

Once your delegates have selected their most promising ideas, choose from these creative problem solving techniques to help your group develop their thinking.

Assumption surfacing

Assumption surfacing is all about making underlying assumptions more visible.

• Ask the group to identify the key choices they have made, thinking about what assumptions have guided these choices and why they feel they are appropriate.
• Delegates should list the assumptions, and then add in a possible counter-assumption for each one.
• They should then work down the list and delete any assumption / counter assumption pairs that do not materially affect the outcome of the choice.
• Finally, ask delegates to reflect on the remaining assumptions, consider how these assumptions potentially impact their thinking and whether anything needs to be done as a result.

The words who, why, what, where, when, how are  known as 5Ws and H, or Kipling’s list.

They provide a powerful checklist for imagination or enquiry that is simple enough to prompt thinking but not get in the way.

Ask delegates to:

• Create a list of key questions relating to their challenge, using 5Ws and H as prompts.
• Then ask them to answer of their questions as a way of info gathering and solution-finding for their challenge.

Force field analysis

Force field analysis represents the opposing driving and restraining forces in situation.

For example, it can help to map out the factors involved in a problematic situation at the problem exploration stage, or to understand factors likely to help or hinder the action planning and implementation stages.

The process is as follows:

• Delegates identify a list of the driving and restraining forces and discuss their perceptions of them.
• All the driving forces are arrows propelling the situation, and all the restraining forces are arrows that push back against the direction of the current situation.
• Delegates can use arrow thickness to indicate strength of the force, and arrow lengths to indicate either how difficult the force would be to modify, although these elements are optional.
• Delegates can then use the diagrams to generate ideas around possible ways to move in the desired direction by finding ways to remove the restraining forces and by increasing the driving forces.

Wizard of Oz prototyping

In the classic story of the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her friends go to see the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz only to discover that he’s a fraud with no real magic.

Wizard of Oz Prototyping means creating a user experience that looks and feels very realistic, but is an illusion created to test an idea and generate a lot of really useful feedback very quickly and early on in your design process. The approach also means that you avoid incurring the cost of having to build the real solution.

In the workshop, ask delegates to consider how they could create a Wizard of Oz prototype through rough design sketches, lego or modelling clay.

Action Planning

I’m sure that many of us have been to meetings or events that have been interesting and maybe even fun at the time, but quickly forgotten due to lack of follow up or commitment to take action once the workshop is over.

The action planning phase is an essential part of mobilising the thinking from the workshop into meaningful, pragmatic activity and progress in the organisation. Getting commitment to deliver specific actions within agreed timescales from individuals at the workshop is as essential part of any event.

Suggested creative technique for Action Planning :

Blockbusters

You may remember the 80s quiz show called Blockbusters? Teenage contestants had to get from one side of the board to the other by answering questions.

This technique is based on a similar (sort of!) principle, and it is useful for action planning and helping delegates to visualise moving from where they are now to where they want to be.

• First ask delegates to write down the key aspects of where they are now on sticky notes (one item per sticky note) and put them down the left-hand side of a piece of flipchart paper, landscape.
• Then delegates are to do the same for the key aspects of where they would like to be, this time placing the sticky notes on the right-hand side of the paper, each one aligned to a relevant note on the left-hand side. For example, of they have a sticky note that says ‘struggling for sales’ on the left, they might have one that says ‘increase turnover by 35%’ on the right, both positioned level with each other.
• The final step is for delegates to fill in the space between with the 5 key actions for each item that will get them from where they are now to where they want to be. These can be different and separate actions, and don’t have to be in chronological order.
• You can ask delegates to add in target timescales and owners for each action as well.

Review, feedback and close

At the end of the day, it’s essential to bring everything together, review the progress and thank attendees.

It’s also a great opportunity to gain some feedback on the participants’ experience of the session.

Suggested creative technique for Review, feedback and close :

Goldfish Bowl

The general idea of this technique is that a small group (the core) is the focus of the wider group. The small group discusses while the rest of the participants sit around the outside and observe without interrupting. Facilitation is focused on the core group discussion.

A variation is to invite people from the outside group to ‘jump in’ and replace a member of the core group. It sounds a bit odd on paper, but it works very well and can be great fun.

Sometimes people in the core group are quite pleased to be ‘relieved’ of their duties!

In smaller events, it is also a good idea to make it a game. Make sure that everyone jumps into the core group at least once.

 This can really help people focus on active listening, and on building on each other’s points.

Often the best way to brief this in is by demonstrating it with a willing volunteer.

For more facilitation tips, techniques and ideas, have a look at my articles here:

How to design a virtual innovation sprint

How to facilitate a virtual brainstorming session

How to facilitate a goal setting workshop

How to be a great facilitator

I’d love to hear from you, whether you’re facilitating your own creative problem solving workshops, or would like some help from us to design and facilitate them for you. I hope you’ve found this article helpful. If you’d like to join my free, private Facebook group, Idea Time for Workshop Facilitators , for even more ideas and resources, please do come and join us.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Some of our clients
• Jo's PhD Research
• CONTENT STUDIO
• Idea Time Book
• Innovation Events
• Innovation Consulting
• Creative Facilitation Skills
• Executive Development

Privacy Policy © The Big Bang Partnership Limited 2023

Privacy Overview

•    English

Kaizen is about changing the way things are. If you assume that things are all right the way they are, you can’t do kaizen. So change something! —Taiichi Ohno

Inspect and Adapt

Inspect & adapt: overview.

The Inspect and Adapt (I&A) is a significant event held at the end of each PI, where the current state of the Solution is demonstrated and evaluated. Teams then reflect and identify improvement backlog items via a structured problem-solving workshop.

The Agile Manifesto emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement through the following principle: “At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.”

In addition, SAFe includes ‘relentless improvement’ as one of the four SAFe Core Values as well as a dimension of the Continuous Learning Culture core competency. While opportunities to improve can and should occur continuously throughout the PI (e.g., Iteration Retrospectives ), applying some structure, cadence, and synchronization helps ensure that there is also time set aside to identify improvements across multiple teams and Agile Release Trains .

All ART stakeholders participate along with the Agile Teams in the I&A event. The result is a set of improvement backlog items that go into the ART Backlog for the next PI Planning event. In this way, every ART improves every PI. A similar I&A event is held by Solution Trains .

The I&A event consists of three parts:

PI System Demo

• Quantitative and qualitative measurement
• Retrospective and problem-solving workshop

Participants in the I&A should be, wherever possible, all the people involved in building the solution. For an ART, this includes:

• The Agile teams
• Release Train Engineer (RTE)
• System and Solution Architects
• Product Management ,  Business Owners , and other stakeholders

Additionally, Solution Train stakeholders may also attend this event.

The PI System Demo is the first part of the I&A, and it’s a little different from the regular system demos after every iteration. This demo shows all the Features the ART has developed during the PI. Typically the audience is broader; for example, Customers or Portfolio representatives are more likely to attend this demo. Therefore, the PI system demo tends to be a little more formal, and extra preparation and setup are usually required. But like any other system demo, it should be timeboxed to an hour or less, with the level of abstraction high enough to keep stakeholders actively engaged and providing feedback.

Before or as part of the PI system demo, Business Owners collaborate with each Agile Team to score the actual business value achieved for each of their Team PI Objectives , as illustrated in Figure 1.

The achievement score is calculated by separately totaling the business value for the plan and actual columns. The uncommitted objectives are not included in the total plan. However, they are part of the total actual. Then divide the actual total by the planned total to calculate the achievement score illustrated in Figure 1.

Quantitative and Qualitative Measurement

In the second part of the I&A event, teams collectively review any quantitative and qualitative metrics they have agreed to collect, then discuss the data and trends. In preparation for this, the RTE and the Solution Train Engineer are often responsible for gathering the information, analyzing it to identify potential issues, and facilitating the presentation of the findings to the ART.

Each team’s planned vs. actual business value is rolled up to create the ART predictability measure, as shown in Figure 2.

Reliable trains should operate in the 80–100 percent range; this allows the business and its external stakeholders to plan effectively. (Note: Uncommitted objectives are excluded from the planned commitment. However, they are included in the actual business value achievement, as can also be seen in Figure 1.)

Retrospective

The teams then run a brief (30 minutes or less) retrospective to identify a few significant issues they would like to address during the problem-solving workshop . There is no one way to do this; several different Agile retrospective formats can be used [3].

Based on the retrospective and the nature of the problems identified, the facilitator helps the group decide which issues they want to tackle. Each team may work on a problem, or, more typically, new groups are formed from individuals across different teams who wish to work on the same issue. This self-selection helps provide cross-functional and differing views of the problem and brings together those impacted and those best motivated to address the issue.

Key ART stakeholders—including Business Owners, customers, and management—join the retrospective and problem-solving workshop teams. The Business Owners can often unblock the impediments outside the team’s control.

Problem-Solving Workshop

The ART holds a structured, root-cause problem-solving workshop to address systemic problems. Root cause analysis provides a set of problem-solving tools used to identify the actual causes of a problem rather than just fixing the symptoms. The RTE typically facilitates the session in a timebox of two hours or less.

Figure 3 illustrates the steps in the problem-solving workshop.

The following sections describe each step of the process.

Agree on the Problem(s) to Solve

American inventor Charles Kettering is credited with saying that “a problem well stated is a problem half solved.” At this point, the teams have self-selected the problem they want to address. But do they agree on the details of the problem, or is it more likely that they have differing perspectives? To this end, the teams should spend a few minutes clearly stating the problem, highlighting the ‘what,’ ‘where,’ ‘when,’ and ‘impact’ as concisely as possible. Figure 4 illustrates a well-written problem statement.

Perform Root Cause Analysis

Effective problem-solving tools include the fishbone diagram and the ‘5 Whys.’ Also known as an Ishikawa Diagram , a fishbone diagram is a visual tool to explore the causes of specific events or sources of variation in a process. Figure 5 illustrates the fishbone diagram with a summary of the previous problem statement written at the head of the ‘fish.’

For our problem-solving workshop, the main bones often start with the default categories of people, processes, tools, program, and environment. However, these categories should be adapted as appropriate.

Team members then brainstorm causes that they think contribute to solving the problem and group them into these categories. Once a potential cause is identified, its root cause is explored with the 5 Whys technique. By asking ‘why’ five times, the cause of the previous cause is uncovered and added to the diagram. The process stops once a suitable root cause has been identified, and the same process is then applied to the next cause.

Identify the Biggest Root Cause

Pareto Analysis, also known as the 80/20 rule, is used to narrow down the number of actions that produce the most significant overall effect. It uses the principle that 20 percent of the causes are responsible for 80 percent of the problem. It’s beneficial when many possible courses of action compete for attention, which is almost always the case with complex, systemic issues.

Once all the possible causes-of-causes are identified, team members then cumulatively vote on the item they think is the most significant factor contributing to the original problem. They can do this by dot voting. For example, each person gets five votes to choose one or more causes they think are most problematic. The team then summarizes the votes in a Pareto chart, such as the example in Figure 6, which illustrates their collective consensus on the most significant root cause.

Restate the New Problem

The next step is to pick the cause with the most votes and restate it clearly as a problem. Restating it should take only a few minutes, as the teams clearly understand the root cause.

Brainstorm Solutions

At this point, the restated problem will start to imply some potential solutions. The team brainstorms as many possible corrective actions as possible within a fixed timebox (about 15–30 minutes). The rules of brainstorming apply here:

• Generate as many ideas as possible
• Do not allow criticism or debate
• Let the imagination soar
• Explore and combine ideas

Create Improvement Backlog Items

The team then cumulatively votes on up to three most viable solutions. These potential solutions are written as improvement stories and features, planned in the following PI Planning event. During that event, the RTE helps ensure that the relevant work needed to deliver the identified improvements is planned. This approach closes the loop, thus ensuring that action will be taken and that people and resources are dedicated as necessary to improve the current state.

Following this practice, problem-solving becomes routine and systematic, and team members and ART stakeholders can ensure that the train is solidly on its journey of relentless improvement.

Inspect and Adapt for Solution Trains

The above describes a rigorous approach to problem-solving in the context of a single ART. If the ART is part of a Solution Train, the I&A event will often include key stakeholders from the Solution Train. In larger value streams, however, an additional Solution Train I&A event may be required, following the same format.

Due to the number of people in a Solution Train, attendees at the large solution I&A event cannot include everyone, so stakeholders are selected that are best suited to address the problems. This subset of people consists of the Solution Train’s primary stakeholders and representatives from the various ARTs and Suppliers .

Last update: 22 January 2023

Mastering Problem-Solving Workshops: A Comprehensive Guide

5 minutes read

Part 1. What Is a Problem-solving Workshop?

A problem-solving workshop is a meticulously structured gathering, designed to bring team members together in a collaborative environment. In this setting, participants work collectively to identify prevailing issues, brainstorm innovative solutions, and formulate a strategic action plan. This process not only encourages open communication but also fosters an atmosphere of creativity and critical thinking. It provides an opportunity for each participant to contribute their unique perspectives and ideas, thereby promoting diversity of thought and comprehensive problem-solving. Ultimately, these workshops serve as a catalyst for team synergy and effective resolution of challenges.

Part 2. How Can Problem-solving Workshop Help?

Problem-solving workshops are a powerful tool that can dramatically elevate team performance. By fostering an environment of collaboration, these workshops encourage team members to work together towards common goals. They enhance decision-making skills by providing a platform for open discussion and critical analysis of various solutions. Moreover, they stimulate creative thinking by encouraging participants to think outside the box and propose innovative solutions. The structured approach provided by these workshops ensures that challenges are tackled systematically and effectively, reducing the likelihood of oversight or missteps. Furthermore, problem-solving workshops contribute to creating a culture of continuous learning and improvement within the organization. They provide opportunities for individuals and teams to learn from their experiences, adapt their strategies, and continually strive for better results. This ongoing process of learning and development is crucial in today's fast-paced business environment where adaptability and resilience are key to success.

Part 3. What Are the Six Steps of Problem-Solving Workshop?

• Identifying the Problem:   This is the initial stage where team members collectively recognize and articulate the issue at hand. It's crucial to define the problem accurately to set a clear direction for the workshop.
• Analyzing the Problem:   Once identified, the problem is dissected and examined in detail. The goal here is to understand its root cause, its impact, and any underlying factors that may be contributing to it.
• Generating Possible Solutions:   In this creative phase, participants brainstorm a variety of potential solutions without judgment or evaluation. The aim is to encourage innovative thinking and generate as many ideas as possible.
• Evaluating Solutions:   Here, each proposed solution is critically assessed based on its feasibility, potential impact, resources required, and alignment with organizational goals. This step ensures that only viable solutions are considered for implementation.
• Implementing the Best Solution:   After careful evaluation, the most effective solution is selected and put into action. A detailed plan outlining tasks, responsibilities, timelines, and resources is developed for smooth execution.
• Reviewing the Process:   Finally, once the solution has been implemented, it's important to review and reflect on its effectiveness and learn from the experience. This step helps in continuous improvement and prepares teams better for future problem-solving endeavors.

Each step is crucial in ensuring that problems are thoroughly addressed and resolved effectively.

Part 4: How Boardmix Can Help Prepare a Problem-solving Workshop?

Boardmix is a cutting-edge online whiteboard tool, designed with innovation at its core. It offers a diverse range of templates tailored for different types of workshops, including those focused on problem-solving . This makes Boardmix an invaluable resource for teams seeking to streamline their collaborative efforts and enhance their problem-solving capabilities.

Here’s how you can use Boardmix for your next problem-solving workshop:

FAQs on Problem-Solving Workshop

1. what are the 4 styles of problem solvers.

The four styles of problem solvers are: a) Analytical Problem Solvers: These individuals approach problems with a logical, fact-based mindset. They rely on data and detailed analysis to arrive at solutions. b) Intuitive Problem Solvers: These people rely on their gut feelings and instincts when solving problems. They often come up with creative and out-of-the-box solutions. c) Practical Problem Solvers: These problem solvers prefer straightforward, practical solutions that can be implemented easily. They focus on what works in the real world. d) Emotional Problem Solvers: These individuals consider the emotional aspects and human elements of a problem. They tend to prioritize harmony and consensus in their solutions.

2. What are the 7 problem-solving strategies?

The seven problem-solving strategies include: a) Trial and Error b) Brainstorming c) Root Cause Analysis d) SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) e) The Five Whys Technique f) Cost-Benefit Analysis g) Decision Matrix

3. What are the 5 principles of problem solving?

The five principles of problem-solving are: a) Understand the Problem: Clearly define and understand the issue at hand. b) Devise a Plan: Develop a strategy or method to tackle the problem. c) Carry Out the Plan: Implement your strategy while being open to adjustments along the way. d) Review Your Solution: Once you've found a solution, review it to ensure it effectively solves the original problem. e) Learn from Experience: Reflect on what worked well and what didn't during your problem-solving process for future reference.

Problem-solving workshops provide a potent platform to confront challenges directly, while simultaneously nurturing teamwork and innovation within your organization. These workshops serve as a catalyst for creative thinking and collaborative problem-solving, fostering an environment conducive to growth and progress. With the advent of tools like Boardmix , preparing for such interactive sessions has become more streamlined than ever before. Boardmix's intuitive design and diverse range of templates make it an indispensable tool for all your collaborative needs. Embark on your journey towards enhanced team productivity and effective problem resolution by incorporating Boardmix into your workflow today!

Join Boardmix to collaborate with your team.

SWOT Analysis for Hospitals: Identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

Ultimate Guide of Gratitude Tree: Understanding, Creating, and Using

What is Value Chain Analysis: A Strategic Approach to Business Success

• Georgia State University
• Wednesday, October 30

Solving Teaching and Learning Problems Through Multimedia

Wednesday, October 30, 2024 2:30pm to 4pm

• Share Solving Teaching and Learning Problems Through Multimedia on Facebook
• Share Solving Teaching and Learning Problems Through Multimedia on Twitter
• Share Solving Teaching and Learning Problems Through Multimedia on LinkedIn

About this Event

Webex or The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Online Education, 100 Decatur St, Atlanta, GA 30344

Let’s face it: finding new ways to stimulate learning can be hard. Branching videos and interactive textbooks add interest to a course, but what are these pieces  doing  for your students? As it turns out, multimedia can be another tool for meeting student needs. In this workshop, we will explore how to use multimedia to solve common teaching and learning problems, connect with your students, and illustrate difficult concepts.  

Workshop Outcomes:  

• Recognize teaching & learning problems in your courses 
• Define your multimedia needs in response to teaching and learning problems 
• Identify types of multimedia course materials that you can use 
• Locate & explore resources for meeting these needs

Please note that this is an interactive hybrid workshop where we will be using Miro. If you are coming in person, please bring your laptop. You can check out Miro ahead of time if you're curious, but this is not required. See you soon!

Event Details

Does this event require an admission surcharge and/or seating arrangement notification?

Abby Greenbaum

Liv Cambern

Mary Peabody

Taylor Burch

See who is interested.

3 people are interested in this event

On March 21, Miro launched a new Creation toolbar experience for select users. You may see a new + icon at the bottom of this toolbar and some tabs, "Apps" and "Discover" in the rollout panel. We're piloting this new experience for select users to improve the Miro experience overall. We will be introducing this feature to all users soon, please check back for more details.

Articles in this section

• Miro for ideation & brainstorming
• Miro for mapping & diagramming
• Miro for strategy & planning

Miro for workshops & meetings

• September 19, 2024 20:58

Miro is a natural fit for workshops and meetings and you can definitely use our product for such needs. 

Miro features for remote workshops & meetings 

  Here are some of the top features for remote workshops and meetings:

• Infinite canvas [available on all plans]

Work the way you want with your team on an infinite whiteboard that allows you to run workshops and meetings without any boundaries. 

• Freeform collaboration [available on all plans]

Miro is an online whiteboard platform, that’s why easy freehand drawing with the  pen tool is available to all users. Also, try Smart drawing that will automatically convert your drawings into shapes, sticky notes, and connection lines.

• Sticky notes and offline stickies capture [available on all plans]

Many offline meetings and workshops run on sticky note s. We brought them online , made them super-powerful yet easy to use. And for those of you who still prefer writing your ideas on physical stickies, we added Stickies capture – the feature that allows you to instantly convert photos into editable sticky notes.   

• Attention management [basic features available on all plans, advanced – on paid and Education plans]

Attention management   is a set of powerful facilitation features for  meetings and workshops - Follow , Bring to me [one collaborator], Bring everyone to me . These features allow meeting organizers and workshop facilitators to guide participants and ensure everyone is following and engaged. 

• Video chat [available on Starter, Business, and Enterprise plans]

Conduct seamless collaborative remote sessions with built-in video chat without having to maintain two links or switch between apps.

• Presentation mode [available on all plans]

Kick-off workshop or meeting or present results back to stakeholders without leaving Miro. Presentation mode allows you to prepare and carry out engaging presentations re-using the content that you already have on your Miro board.

• Visual notes [available on all plans]

Visual notes is a lightweight feature-rich text editor easily accessible on the board just when you need it – to jot down questions, insights, and action items as they surface during your workshops and meetings.

• Pre-made workshop templates [available on all plans]

Never start from scratch – use built-in Design Thinking, ice breaker, and Agile rituals templates to prepare workshops and organize meetings quickly. 

• Voting [available on Starter, Education, Business, and Enterprise plans]

Quickly vote for tasks and ideas in real-time with your distributed team to reach a consensus when working on a decision or prioritizing tasks.

• Timer [available on Starter, Education, Business, and Enterprise plans]

Meetings, trainings, presentations, and brainstorms tend to run over when there is no way to time box these activities. With timer , your team can manage and track your time while presenting, brainstorming or participating in a workshop.

Use lock to prevent objects from being accidentally moved, edited or deleted from the board by meeting or workshop participants. Board owners on paid plans can use protected lock . 

• Visitors with edit access [available on Starter, Education, Business, and Enterprise plans]

Share your boards with visitors to organize  remote meetings  (such as PI Planning or sales demos), brainstorming sessions, and  workshops with partners or colleagues who either don't have a Miro profile yet or don’t have access to your Miro team.

Send messages to your collaborators right on the board during a session using the in-built chat .

How to set up a workshop in Miro

• Define the goal of the workshop and the audience.
• Choose the time and date.
• Prepare the board.
• the templates that you’re going to use: you can use pre-built or create something from scratch
• the exercises you’re going to apply: creating ideas, voting for the best choice, clustering inputs, inserting some visuals for mood board, etc.
• Create simple instructions for every step (template or exercise) of your workshop
• Define time-limits for every step and overall timing

💡 Try Interactive Presentation Mode for your next workshop. 

💡 Use Miro app for Google Calendar  to easily embed your board into the Google Calendar and invite participants from there

• Share the board with participants .
• Send invitations to the participants. Don’t forget to add:
• Time and date
• Technical requirements
• Start workshop.
• Align with the participants about goal and agenda
• Warm up and onboard participants with ice breakers
• Don’t forget about quick breaks to keep participants engaged
• Synthesize the conclusion.
• Make a retro and get feedback.
• Share or export the whole board or specific frames
• Reuse the materials of the workshop in the future.

Workshop best practices  

• Onboarding & ice breakers 
• Let people introduce themselves
• Use ice breakers with funny and engaging tasks
• Let people try Miro functionality during ice breakers (with stickies, shapes, different colors)
• For Miro newbies, it is better to have a separate frame with all the instruments that they are going to use during the session and where to find them. You can use How to templates to onboard new participants. Also, it would be helpful to ask them to watch these Miro onboarding videos
• Invite participants to use reactions
• Timing & the recommended number of collaborators 
• Keep workshop or meeting under 2 hours , for longer session make more breaks
• Good size of the group for remote sessions is under 15 participants . For more participants get co-facilitator
• Time-box everything: activities, discussions, and feedback. You can use the timer function for that
• General facilitation tips 
• Use sticky notes for rapid ideation (try bulk mode !), and use Cmd + D ( for Mac ) or Ctrl + D ( for Windows ) to duplicate the stickies
• Include short explanations of the exercises on the board
• Work in groups and individually. Create separate frames for such type of work on the board
• Plan a couple more breaks than you would in a normal workshop and recommend that people step away from their computer
• Assume that technology will fail you and always have a backup plan prepared for that case

Inviting collaborators

There are several options for inviting collaborators and conducting a remote workshop or meeting in Miro.

Option 1: Visitors on Starter, Education, Business, and Enterprise plans

Users on Starter, Business, Enterprise, and Education plans are able to share their boards via a public link for editing with  non-registered visitors .  This is the simplest way to invite users without the Miro profile  to contribute to your work on boards free of charge .

Once you make a board accessible for visitors who can edit, anyone with the board link can immediately start editing the board content. You can share the link with as many visitors as you need.

Option 2: Guests on Business Plan

Invite guests with edit access on Business Plan. This is a secure way to share particular boards via email with editors without needing to add them to your team as full members. Learn more .

Option 3: Free plan 

If you are looking for real-time collaboration on an online whiteboard with freehand drawing and sticky notes, Free plan is a great starting point for you as you can invite an unlimited number of collaborators with editor rights to your team and each of our boards is infinite. 

Please, note:

• You can have three active editable boards at a time, other boards will be archived
• All boards are visible to all team members – everyone, who you invite to your Miro team can see your content 
• Features like video chat, timer, and voting are not available on the Free plan

Videoconferencing

• Miro offers to use built-in video chat right on the board with up to 25 participants using videoconferencing simultaneously. You can use it on Starter, Business, and Enterprise plans
• Feel free to try the Miro app for Zoom: Miro App for Zoom (User guide) , Miro App for Zoom (Admin guide)
• Use Miro inside Microsoft Teams Meetings: Microsoft Teams: Meetings integration (Admin guide) , Microsoft Teams: Meetings integration (User Guide)
• The Webex solution: Miro for Webex

It’s also possible to use Miro together with your videoconferencing tool of choice: 

• Invite meeting or workshop participants to the board and to the video call 
• Have the meeting organizer or workshop facilitator share their screen with the Miro board open 
• Present content and invite everyone to collaborate on the board

Never start from scratch with Miro pre-made templates . Use Brainwriting, Retrospective, Ice Breaker templates and more with your team as is or use them for inspiration to build your own. 

• create and save your own custom templates  and  share them with your team on Starter, Education, Business plans
• share templates across multiple teams on the Enterprise Plan

Integrations

Miro is designed to complement and enhance your workflow, not break it. That is why you can streamline your workflow with Miro by using integrations with tools you already love and use such as Slack , Microsoft Teams , Google , Confluence , and more.

For example, you can 

• Use Slack or Microsoft Teams integrations to be aware of new comments and mentions on your boards and other changes related to your profile and respond to them instantly
• Add Google Drive documents to Miro, open and edit them without leaving the board

Visit Miro Marketplace to learn more about integrations. Cannot find an integration with the tool your team uses? Build one using the  Miro Developer Platform . 

Access to the board after the meeting

Once your meeting is over, you can limit access of the participants to the board by removing them from the Sharing settings or stopping sharing the board via other means . Alternatively, you can allow your collaborators to enter the board later at any time and even copy the board to their Miro teams . 

Useful links

• Tips for using Miro in a remote team, especially if you are facilitating a workshop:  7 ways to make remote collaboration more effective with an online whiteboard
• General tips and tools for facilitators:  What I’ve learned from facilitating over 100 remote collaborative workshops
• Miro VP of operations shares his tips for running a workshop in Zoom + Miro:  How to measure the impact of remote workshops
• AJ&Smart agency shares its facilitation tips:  10 things about remote facilitation we (AJ&Smart) wish we’d known sooner
• Some basics about Miro that can be useful for workshop participants :  Getting started with Miro
• Explore best practices from those who are already running successful online workshops in Miro so your next event can be an outstanding success:  Running Online Workshops in Miro
• Everything you need to know about organizing, preparing and running remote work sessions, from workshops to meetings:  Remote facilitation best practices
• Virtual Miro user group video about gamification techniques:  VMUG03: How to add gamification to your facilitation with Miro
• A 20-minute video on the best facilitator's techniques:  How to run a remote workshop
• Learn how to architect a board that will support your meeting goals and get you meeting ready- all in less than 5 minutes: Meeting ready in 5 minutes  
• Ice breaker template
• Meeting organizer template
• Remote design sprint template
• Brand sprint template
• Customer journey map template
• Service blueprint
• Retrospective templates

Related articles

• Interactive Presentation Mode
• Sharing boards and inviting collaborators
• Visual notes

On this page

Solving Maximum Cut Problem with Multi-objective Enhance Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm

New citation alert added.

This alert has been successfully added and will be sent to:

You will be notified whenever a record that you have chosen has been cited.

To manage your alert preferences, click on the button below.

New Citation Alert!

Please log in to your account

Information & Contributors

Bibliometrics & citations, view options, index terms.

Computing methodologies

Artificial intelligence

Search methodologies

Discrete space search

Heuristic function construction

Mathematics of computing

Discrete mathematics

Combinatorics

Combinatorial algorithms

Theory of computation

Design and analysis of algorithms

Recommendations

A set-based genetic algorithm for solving the many-objective optimization problem.

Many-objective optimization problems are very common and important in real-world applications, and there exist few methods suitable for them. Therefore, many-objective optimization problems are focused on in this study, and a set-based genetic algorithm ...

A novel multi-objective optimisation algorithm: artificial bee colony in conjunction with bacterial foraging

A novel multi-objective optimisation algorithm is proposed in the present study in order to gain the advantages of two well-known optimisation algorithms, artificial bee colony ABC in conjunction with bacterial foraging BF. The novel multi-objective ...

Multi-objective control systems design with criteria reduction

Control systems design may be based on many criteria. These optimization problems are nonconvex, therefore evolutionary multi-objective optimization algorithms (EMOA) are methods of choice. In engineering design problems it is desirable to find the one ...

Information

Published in.

https://ror.org/00x27da85Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy

School of Engineering, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

Faculty of Information Technology, Clayton Campus, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

Algoritmi Research Centre, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy

Springer-Verlag

Berlin, Heidelberg

Publication History

Author tags.

• Maximum cut

Contributors

Other metrics, bibliometrics, article metrics.

• 0 Total Citations
• 0 Total Downloads
• Downloads (Last 12 months) 0
• Downloads (Last 6 weeks) 0

View options

Login options.

Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

Full Access

Share this publication link.

Copying failed.

Share on social media

Affiliations, export citations.

• Please download or close your previous search result export first before starting a new bulk export. Preview is not available. By clicking download, a status dialog will open to start the export process. The process may take a few minutes but once it finishes a file will be downloadable from your browser. You may continue to browse the DL while the export process is in progress. Download
• Download citation
• Copy citation

We are preparing your search results for download ...

We will inform you here when the file is ready.

Your file of search results citations is now ready.

Your search export query has expired. Please try again.