Solve It Together Workshop

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Apply a structured 4-step problem-solving sequence to an operational challenge and agree on immediate actions.

Use it when: Use when a team regularly jumps to premature solutions or gets stuck in unstructured debates over recurring operational challenges.

Skip it when: Skip when the team has a singular technical incident requiring root-cause analysis protocols or when interpersonal conflict prevents open discussion.

Group arrangement: Subgroups of 3 to 5 people working in parallel.

Timing: Source specifies a 90-minute workshop structure across six segments (10m, 15m, 15m, 30m, 15m, 5m).

Materials and tools

• 1 flipchart pad and easel per subgroup
• 1 pack of sticky notes per participant
• 1 marker per participant
• 1 pre-printed challenge sheet or visible prompt card per subgroup
• 1 countdown timer visible to all participants

Before participants arrive

1. Arrange tables and chairs for subgroups of 3 to 5.
2. Distribute sticky notes, markers, and flipchart paper to each table.
3. Write the 4-step framework visibly on the central whiteboard: 1. Define the Problem, 2. Generate Ideas, 3. Evaluate Options, 4. Implement and Review.
4. Write one practice challenge prompt per table if subgroups will not choose their own.

Say this to open

Welcome. Today we are running a structured problem-solving session to address how we tackle hurdles together. We will start with a brief warm-up, diagnose the barriers that slow us down, test a 4-step framework on a concrete challenge, and leave with personal commitments. To kick off, think of one superhero whose specific skill or style matches how you like to handle team problems. Turn to your table and share that person and why in 60 seconds each.

How to run it

1. Introduce and Warm Up 10 minutes

   Explain the session objectives and review the agenda. Instruct participants to identify a superhero whose style reflects how they approach challenges, or invent a role like 'The Documenter' or 'The Calm Analyst'. Give 1 minute of silent reflection. Have each person share at their table for up to 60 seconds. Signal the transition at 10 minutes.

2. Map Problem-Solving Barriers 15 minutes

   Ask participants: 'What barriers prevent our team from solving problems effectively?' Direct individuals to write one barrier per sticky note silently for 3 minutes (for example: unclear goals, lack of data, fear of speaking up). Subgroups cluster similar notes on their flipchart for 6 minutes. Spend the final 6 minutes taking one top barrier from each subgroup into a brief room-wide tally.

3. Present the 4-Step Framework 15 minutes

   Walk through the four steps written on the board: Define the Problem (state exact gap, impact, and boundaries), Generate Ideas (quantity over critique), Evaluate Options (assess feasibility against impact), and Implement and Review (decide owners, timeline, and metrics). Work through a neutral neutral example: 'Incoming client emails receive replies after 48 hours instead of 4 hours.' Show how Step 1 sharpens the gap and Step 3 filters solutions.

4. Practice the Framework on Challenges 30 minutes

   Assign each subgroup an operational challenge from the prepared cards or have them pick a shared priority. Run strict time blocks: 7 minutes to define the problem statement in one sentence; 8 minutes to silently write and group solution ideas; 8 minutes to evaluate options against feasibility and impact; 7 minutes to outline an implementation plan with names and deadlines. Stop all work at 30 minutes.

5. Expand with What If We 15 minutes

   Reopen the challenges to push past standard ideas. Prompt tables to ask: 'What if we had zero budget?' or 'What if we had to fix this in 24 hours?' or 'What if we automated the entire manual step?' Subgroups spend 8 minutes generating wild or unconventional ideas starting with 'What if we...'. Each table selects one breakthrough insight and shares it aloud in 60 seconds.

6. Commit to Individual Pledges 5 minutes

   Ask each participant to write one practical pledge on an index card or sticky note about what they will personally do differently in upcoming team problem-solving (for example: 'I will ask for data before agreeing to a fix'). Have participants read their pledge aloud around their table, or invite 3 whole-room shares before closing.

Debrief questions

• Which step of the 4-step framework felt most unnatural to execute under time pressure?
• How did pushing for unconventional 'What if we' ideas change your view of the original problem statement?
• What specific barrier will our team need to watch out for in next week's regular meetings?

Finished output: A documented problem definition, evaluated action plan, and individual action pledges recorded on flipcharts and sticky notes.

Remote

Run via video call with digital breakout rooms. Use an online whiteboard tool with six distinct canvas zones: warm-up gallery, barriers board, framework reference, subgroup practice workspaces, 'What if' canvas, and pledge board. Keep breakout rooms to 3 to 5 people and use an automated broadcast timer for phase transitions.

Hybrid

Pair in-person participants at table stations with remote participants joining designated laptop stations, or create separate all-remote subgroups and all-in-person subgroups. Use an online digital whiteboard so both room cohorts and remote participants post sticky notes to the same shared canvas.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may choose any fictional character, non-comic figure, or ordinary occupational role for the warm-up, or pass entirely.
• Sticky-note writing allows silent individual processing before verbal table sharing.
• Pledges may be kept on a private note or added to the shared board anonymously.

If the session gets stuck

A subgroup gets trapped debating the problem definition and fails to reach idea generation.

Enforce the segment timer. Direct the table to write their two competing problem statements side by side, choose the simpler one by quick thumb-vote, and move to idea generation immediately.

Participants reject unconventional 'What if' ideas during Step 5 by claiming policy constraints.

Remind the room that Step 5 is exploratory. Direct them to suspend implementation rules for 8 minutes and look for the underlying principle behind the wild suggestion.

Terms used here

• 4-Step Framework: A four-stage problem-solving sequence: Define, Generate, Evaluate, and Implement.