The Scientific Method of Problem Solving
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While researching, I found only one large survey pertaining to the method
of invention, Joseph Rossman’s excellent book Industrial Creativity
(1930). While the survey is an old one, the basics have remained the same.
This survey questioned 710 inventors (inventing is, after all, one of the many forms of problem solving), asking them to state what methods they followed while inventing. Rossman’s careful analysis reduced their inventing procedures to the list in the left-hand column below. The right-hand column contains the SM-14 ingredients. Note the similarities. |
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Comparison of SM-14 Stages & Ingredients
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| Rossman’s Survey – Method of Invention | The Scientific Method – SM-14 | |
| Observation of need or difficulty | Curious observation | |
| Analysis of the need | Is there a problem?
Goals and planning |
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| Survey of all available information | Search, explore, and gather the evidence | |
| Formulation of all objective solutions | Generate creative and logical alternative solutions | |
| Critical analysis of these solutions for their advantages and disadvantages | Evaluate the evidence | |
| Birth of the new idea – the invention | Make the educated guess (hypothesis) | |
| Experimentation to test the most promising solution; the selection and perfection of the final embodiment by some or all of the previous steps | Challenge the hypotheses Reach a conclusion Suspend judgment |
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| Inventors left “Take action” as understood | Take action | |
| Supporting Ingredients |
Creative Problem-Solving Process
Sponsored by Creative Education Foundation
Current Osborn-Parnes Process: objective finding, problem finding, fact finding, idea finding, solution finding, acceptance finding.
The formula above evolved from the one that Osborn originated and included in the first edition of Applied Imagination in 1953. A revised edition of this excellent book is still in print (available from the Creative Education Foundation, 289 Bay Road, Hadley, MA 01035).
All problem-solving methods are variations of the centuries-old scientific method. This variation is better than most, since it stresses both finding problems and creative idea finding. As a result of the efforts of the Creative Education Foundation, it has been used in thousands of seminars and classes and has been included in hundreds of books. Note that the SM-14 formula is more comprehensive, and the terminology is more explanatory. As part of standardization, I recommend that everyone interested in creative problem solving use the SM-14 terminology.
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| Copyright © 2006-2007, Norman W. Edmund; All Rights Reserved
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