SKILL BENCHMARK: Problem Solving & Decision Making

 

Question:

A competitor has suffered an IT security breach. You've been asked to review how your own company protects information.

What critical thinking processes should you use to help draw your conclusions?

• Consult others for their views and verify assumptions and sources

• Weigh the data to decide what is more or less important

• Identify the relevant data and evidence

Question

:

What are some of the characteristics of computational thinking?

• Formulates steps that a computer or human or both can perform

• An effective method for problem-solving in many disciplines, not just in computing

• Describes a fundamental skill, not a rote skill

• Used to find the steps required to solve a problem

• Describes a way that humans think, not a way computers think

Question

:

You're trying to convince your CEO that the best way to grow your company, a gourmet food delivery service, is to create a web site and use social media.

Which example is the best argument?

"Since it has been shown that a great many busy corporate customers prefer the convenience of ordering online, and social media is fast becoming the number one way of recommending new dining experiences, it's in our interest to take advantage of that opportunity."

Question

:

Which steps would support data-driven decision making?

• Developing a general theory on what the problem might be

• Keeping an open mind when interpreting data

• Testing the hypothesis through trial and experimentation

• Being prepared to repeat the process until a workable solution is found

Question

:

Match the decision-making styles to when they should be used.

• Authoritative
• When time is short and you have all the necessary knowledge
• Consultative
• When affected individuals or groups need to have a say in the decision
• Majority
• When it's a trivial matter
• Consensus
• When it impacts everyone and there's value in discussion
• Delegate
• When the delegate has all the needed skills

Question

:

Which questions should you ask to check whether an assumption is faulty?

• Is the assumption clear and unambiguous?

• Are there any alternatives to the assumption being made?

• Is the information supporting the assumption sufficient and clear?

Question

:

Which questions would help you determine an appropriate type of analysis for your business problem?

• Why is this happening?

• What if we gathered more data from customers?

• What is happening now?

• How much data do we need to address this business problem?

• What is the best thing that could happen?

Question

:

What are some best practices for determining the ideal state?

• Ask lots of questions in different ways

• Ensure it's ideal and realistic for the long term

• Manage stakeholder expectations

• Take all stakeholders into consideration

Question

:

Identify best practices that can help you uncover your data needs.

• Create a wish list of all useful data that could help your project

• Don’t filter any ideas, no matter how unconventional they are

• Use brainstorming to encourage everyone to be creative

Question

:

Your company has received some customer complaints about missing or incorrect deliveries.

What three questions will best elicit useful input from the warehouse staff?

• What's the biggest problem you can see in the delivery process right now?

• What would the workflow in a delivery order be in a perfect world?

• What else can be done to improve the delivery process?

Question

:

What questions should be asked when thinking critically about data?

Are there any cognitive biases involved?

Are the numbers right?

How was the data collected?