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Questions On Understanding The Problem Solving

Better Essays

Assessment 1 – Understanding the Problem

Jordan Bird- 149074887
CS1320 – Problem Solving
October 27, 2014

“Hours spent playing with a new software package can save minutes reading the manual”
- Paul Vickers, 2008

Introduction
I have been tasked with taking an as yet unsolved problem in the seeker’s own words. In this paper I am going to take the issue, understand it in my own words, research and speculate to ultimately reach the nature of the solution of solving the problem in the correct manner. Importantly, the nature of the solution is required in this instance and not the actual solution itself as stated in the guide for this assignment . This paper may use possible solutions for examples but the goal here, as first mentioned, is …show more content…

Step one in Vickers’ book is to “understand the problem” – I am going to follow this point via its sub-steps (Vickers takes each main step of the process and sets it into smaller more manageable steps) to provide an outline in solving the issue provided.

Understanding the Problem
Before a plan is even in its preliminary stage, we must actually understand the problem. This is arguably the most important stage of solving an issue as failure to do so could result in the wrong issue being solved, as exampled in the “read it through several times” substage. Therefore these steps are meticulously followed to give the most personally accurate understanding of the problem at hand as possible. To reiterate before the process is followed, this method was published by Paul Vickers

1. “Read it through several times”
Failure to read the problem or task through more than once is a sure way to fail understanding the problem and falling at the first hurdle as it was. When I first read the problem, thoughts of possibilities of solving the problem began to go through my mind. GPS tracking, communication between bicycles, mobile apps with pointers on a satellite map. Detailing these solutions following the rest of the steps Vickers has laid out would have been a great way to show a solution, but would have scored 0%. Almost falling foul to this easy

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