I focus more on the outcome I would be okay with and my progression towards it over the problem. As I learn more, I can get a better sense of what the outcome should be.
If I'm approaching the problem first and not the solution, I try to classify if the problem is technical or organizational. If it's technical, I try to identify each of the barriers, and search endlessly for something that looks like it would get me a little further along in getting insight into how to solve the problem. It its organizational, I look at how I would restructure how I am approaching the problem or work or communicate with others in solving the problem.
Sometimes, I need to redefine the problem, scope of the problem, or what a successful outcome looks like. For example, I wanted to find a way to verify that the reports I was entering in PDF forms were being filled out properly. I spent forever trying to find a tool or program the PDF form to be verified. After a while (several months), I realized that verifying a spreadsheet would be a lot easier, and that I could generate the same report from the spreadsheet. Once that perception changed, I was able to tackle the problem I had: not being able to ensure that a procedure was filled out properly.
If I'm approaching the problem first and not the solution, I try to classify if the problem is technical or organizational. If it's technical, I try to identify each of the barriers, and search endlessly for something that looks like it would get me a little further along in getting insight into how to solve the problem. It its organizational, I look at how I would restructure how I am approaching the problem or work or communicate with others in solving the problem.
Sometimes, I need to redefine the problem, scope of the problem, or what a successful outcome looks like. For example, I wanted to find a way to verify that the reports I was entering in PDF forms were being filled out properly. I spent forever trying to find a tool or program the PDF form to be verified. After a while (several months), I realized that verifying a spreadsheet would be a lot easier, and that I could generate the same report from the spreadsheet. Once that perception changed, I was able to tackle the problem I had: not being able to ensure that a procedure was filled out properly.