Product Description

A Systematic, Proven Approach to Problem Solving–Now Fully Updated with New Examples and Interactive Resources

Strategies for Creative Problem Solving, Second Edition, will help you sharpen your “street smarts” and leverage your creative skills to find better solutions for virtually any technical problem. Drawing on advanced, National Science Foundation-funded research, it introduces a start-to-finish problem-solving framework that integrates proven strategies from today’s most effective technical organizations. Using its hands-on techniques and exercises, you’ll learn how to gather data, systematically identify problems, generate superior alternatives, choose and implement the best solution, evaluate what you learn, and use that knowledge to create even better outcomes.

The first edition of Strategies for Creative Problem Solving won the prestigious American Society for Engineering Education Meriam/Wiley Distinguished Author Award. This new edition has been systematically updated and revised, offering even greater value to every engineer, technical practitioner, and student. Among its many improvements: 

• Dozens of new examples, plus two detailed real-world case studies
• Better, more coherent organization, reflecting feedback from thousands of students and professionals
• New coverage of team-based problem solving, including conflict resolution
• More coverage of critical thinking, including the use of the Socratic method
• An introduction to the powerful TRIZ technique for resolving contradictions
• Proven troubleshooting algorithms for identifying root causes of equipment and process problems 

All-New CD-ROM and Web Site

The CD-ROM and Web site contain numerous enrichment opportunities for both students and instructors including 

• Interactive Computer Modules: Seven simulations, which are linked to the book’s content and are designed to deepen your expertise with every stage of the problem-solving process.
• Summary Notes: Chapter-specific material that highlights important points in each chapter–excellent for classroom presentations and concept review.
• Learning Resources: Thoughts on problem solving; closed-ended and open-ended problem-solving heuristics.
• Professional Reference Shelf: Additional examples and problem-solving material.
• Additional Study Materials: Course syllabi and Web links to related material.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #234355 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

From the Publisher
Designed to help problem solvers improve their street smarts, this hands-on guide examines the components of problem solving, and presents a series of graduated exercises--drawn from a variety of industrial applications--to familiarize, reinforce, challenge, and stretch readers creatively in the problem solving process. Leads readers step-by-step through a complete problem-solving process-- from encountering an ill-defined problem to identifying the real problem, effectively exploring constraints, planning a robust approach, carrying it through to a viable solution, and then evaluating what has been accomplished.

From the Back Cover
Designed to help problem solvers improve their street smarts, this hands-on guide examines the components of problem solving, and presents a series of graduated exercises — drawn from a variety of industrial applications — to familiarize, reinforce, challenge, and stretch readers creatively in the problem solving process. Leads readers step-by-step through a complete problem-solving process — from encountering an ill-defined problem to identifying the real problem, effectively exploring constraints, planning a robust approach, carrying it through to a viable solution, and then evaluating what has been accomplished. MARKETS: For students, new professionals, and practitioners.

About the Author

H. Scott Fogler is the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Vennema Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan. His research interests include flow and reaction in porous media, fused chemical relations, gellation kinetics, and chemical reaction engineering problems in the petroleum industry. He has graduated 37 Ph.D. students and has more than 200 refereed publications in these areas. Fogler is the AIChE 2008 President-elect. He has chaired ASEE’s Chemical Engineering Division, served as director of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, earned the Warren K. Lewis Award from AIChE for contributions to chemical engineering education, and received the Chemical Manufacturers Association’s National Catalyst Award. He is the author of the classic Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering, Fourth Edition (Prentice Hall, 2006).

Steven E. LeBlanc is associate dean for academic affairs and professor of chemical engineering at the University of Toledo. He chaired the Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department for ten years, chaired the ASEE Chemical Engineering Education Division, and co-chaired the 2007 ASEE Chemical Engineering Summer School for Faculty.

Customer Reviews

Well organized, and entertaining intro to problem solving
This is a systematic and well organized introduction. I used it with managers and students not just engineers. What was important was not just to follow an algorithmic approach but to imbue a way of thinking. It simply is not true that everyone has formed the discipline to use their mind following these or similar heuristics. We may stumble on them naturally, I agree. But for many people this is a useful revelation. In addition to the book, they have produced software to engage you in learning the problem strategies. Compared to many other books on the subject, this book has enough real world examples and strategies that it is not just pop psychology or wishful thinking or one more brainstrom with web-like diagrams.

Step 1: Think About Your Problem. Step 2: ????? Step 3: Profit.
This book is absolutely not for engineers.

This review is for the first edition, but too much is wrong for the second edition to correct.

This book talks about taking risks and looking for paradigm shifts and synergizing your lateral-thinking hoobahooba MBA jargon nonsense. Its example of problem solving heuristic is

Define the Problem
Generate Solutions
Decide the Course of Action
Implement the Solution
Evaluate the Solution

Then it gives no concrete guidance on doing any of them. It actually suggests looking for wise employees ("Go talk to George" the cartoon owl) whose experience will include an existing solution. By that logic, it should explain how to hire people to just solve all our problems for us.

It is well organized; like a fourth grader's math book -- complete with pointless cartoon airplanes in the margins. The examples (as many business/marketing as engineering) have zero analysis, but instead jump non-sequitur to conclusions that, of course, support whatever vaporous jargon is on that page. It basically reads like a self-help seminar.

Amid ridiculous single-page introductions to flowcharts and fishbone diagrams, the only technique I found novel was the Duncker Diagram -- and I had to go to Google to get any details. In the end, some version of these tips might be useful to children, but this is not a guide to systematic problem solving. If you want a book on marketing-type creativity, I suggest How to Get Ideas. If you want structured problem solving techniques, I'm still looking for something better than Wikipedia.

textbook
I have enjoyed this book as it is a refresher for me in process improvement models. It is an easy book to read and understand.