Problem-Solving

Table of contents

1. Cover
2. Half Title
3. Title Page
4. Copyright Page
5. Dedication
6. Table of Contents
7. Preface
8. Author
9. 1 The Nature of Problem-Solving
   1. Five Large-Scale Problems
      1. Predatory Pricing
      2. Getting Through College
      3. The Climate Issue
      4. Cybersecurity
      5. The Crisis in IT (Information Technology)
   2. Problems from the Author’s Experience
      1. Problems for the Systems Engineer
      2. Top Department of Defense (DoD) Management Problems
   3. Overall Concept of This Treatise
   4. Generic Stepwise Approach to Problem-Solving
   5. Solving Problems is Our Primary Focus; Thinking Supports
   6. Exercises
   7. References
10. 2 Thinking as a Corporate Culture
    1. Thinking as Necessary in Problem-Solving
    2. The Learning Organization
    3. Moving on to Hewlett-Packard
    4. Design Thinking - Change by Design
    5. Annual Reports
       1. Xerox
       2. Amazon
       3. Microsoft
       4. SAS (Institute)
       5. Northrop Grumman
       6. Alphabet (Google)
       7. Intel
       8. Lockheed Martin
       9. Apple
       10. General Dynamics
       11. Raytheon
       12. Leidos
    6. Themes
    7. Exercises
    8. References
11. 3 The Power of the Idea
    1. Innovation Revisited
    2. Better Idea Stories
       1. Netflix
       2. IBM: Watson, Sr. and Jr.
       3. Xerox
       4. Apple
       5. Amazon
       6. Facebook
       7. Google (Alphabet)
       8. Oracle
       9. SAS
       10. FedEx
    3. A Group of Generic “Problems” and “Solutions”
       1. Blockbuster and Netflix
       2. Industry and the DoD
       3. What Business Are We In?
       4. IBM and Microsoft
       5. Dr. Deming and Japan and the US
       6. Xerox PARC and Steve Jobs
       7. Saul Steinberg and Leasco
       8. Coke/Classic Coke, Old Taste
       9. Good Idea, Failed Follow-Through
       10. Acronym for the Individual with Potentially Better Idea
    4. Exercises
    5. References
12. 4 Approaches to Problem-Solving
    1. The “N step” Disciplines
    2. Technical Decomposition/Reductionist
    3. Modeling and Simulation
    4. Lateral Thinking and (Lateral) Problem-Solving
    5. Total Systems Intervention
    6. Generalized/Systems Approach
    7. Design Approach
    8. Expert Systems
    9. Definitive Mathematics and Statistics-Based Methods
       1. Statistics-Based Approach
    10. DoD-Suggested
        1. How is That for Out-of-the-Box Thinking?
    11. Decision Support Systems
    12. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
    13. Exercises
    14. References
13. 5 Think Tanks and Problem-Solving
    1. Federally Funded R&D Centers
    2. Systems Engineering Research Centers
    3. The MITRE Corporation
       1. MITRE Awards over the Years
    4. The Aerospace Corporation
    5. The RAND Corporation
    6. ANSER
    7. IDA
    8. CNA
    9. Energy National Labs
    10. Exercises
    11. References
14. 6 Specific Problems and Their Solutions
    1. The Coin Weighing Problem
    2. Types of Algorithms
    3. The Kalman Filter
    4. The Minimum Computer Step Problem
    5. The Matchstick Problem
    6. The Efficient Message Coding Problem
    7. The River-Crossing Problem
    8. Parameter Dependency Diagramming
       1. The National Aviation System
       2. A Radar Submodel
    9. An Optimal Search
    10. Laplace and Fourier Transforms
    11. Lagrange Multipliers
    12. Allocation of Requirements Errors
    13. A Walk in the Park
        1. The Bottom Line
    14. Exercises
    15. References
15. 7 Great Thinkers and Problem-Solvers
    1. Selected Thinkers and Problem-Solvers and How They Thought
       1. Da Vinci
       2. Einstein
       3. Newton
       4. Descartes
       5. Feynman
       6. Edison
       7. Russell
       8. Hawking
       9. Franklin
       10. Jefferson
       11. Socrates
       12. Saint Augustine
       13. Aristotle
       14. Plato
       15. Darwin
       16. The Bottom Line
    2. References
16. 8 Artificial Intelligence
    1. The DoD Artificial Intelligence Center
       1. The JAIC and AI Technology
       2. Seeing the Forest and the Trees
       3. Overview of Expert Systems
       4. The State of AI in the Enterprise
       5. A Research Agenda
       6. The Future of AI
    2. Exercises
    3. References
17. 9 Group Problem-Solving
    1. GroupThink
    2. The DoD and Group Thinking
    3. Group Decision Support Systems (Software)
       1. Commercial Decision Support Systems
       2. Collaborative Software Systems
    4. Self-organizing and High-Performance Groups
    5. Exercises
    6. References
18. 10 Miscellany
    1. Innovation
    2. Innovation in Colleges and Companies
       1. Fordham Survey
    3. America’s Innovation Strategy
    4. Problem-Solving Strategies
    5. Vision 2030
    6. DARPA
    7. The Eight Disciplines
    8. The Lemelson Center
    9. Military Design Thinking
    10. Appreciative Inquiry
    11. Grounded Theory
    12. Morphological Analysis
    13. The 2 × 2 Matrix
    14. Synectics
    15. Problem-Solving and Re-engineering
    16. Cost Effectiveness
    17. Cost Assessment Data Enterprise
    18. Measures of Effectiveness
        1. MOEs for a Communications System
        2. MOEs for a Transportation System
    19. Leontief Model
    20. Commentary on Systems of Systems
    21. Problem-Solving by Reduced Clock Speed
    22. George Washington University Class Using “Thinking” as Textbook
        1. Courses Meet via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
    23. Exercises
    24. References
19. 11 Summary
    1. Twelve Problem-Solving Approaches
    2. Twelve Thinking Approaches
    3. Another Twelve Thinking Approaches
    4. Exercises
    5. References
20. Appendix A: A Dozen Additional Ways of Thinking
21. Appendix B: Acronyms
22. Index