Advanced Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making Training Course – New York, 13–24 Sep 2027

Advanced Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making is a 2-week training course for managers, analysts and project leaders, in which each participant works a live workplace case through to a Decision Recommendation Paper that sets out causes, options, risks and a reasoned choice. Faster markets, ambiguous evidence and crowded agendas punish organisations that jump to familiar fixes or stall in analysis. Jupiter Prime Training delivers this course for experienced problem solvers.

Why Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making Matters Now

Three pressures make disciplined problem solving urgent. Operational problems now cross departments and suppliers, so a fix in one place often moves the fault elsewhere. Executives demand evidence and options rather than a single favoured answer. And teams under time pressure lean on habit and gut feel, where cognitive biases quietly distort judgement. Organisations that frame problems carefully, generate real alternatives and weigh them openly avoid repeat failures and costly reversals; those that do not treat symptoms and revisit the same decisions. The course draws on root cause methods such as the 5 Whys and Ishikawa diagrams, the Cynefin sense-making framework, weighted decision matrices and structured bias checks.

Who Gains Most from Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making

• Managers who own recurring operational or service problems
• Analysts who build the evidence behind management decisions
• Project leaders who resolve scope, schedule and resource conflicts
• Improvement specialists who run problem-solving sessions across functions
• Team leaders who must choose between competing proposals under time pressure

A cross-functional improvement group gains most when several of its members attend together and return with one problem statement format, one ideation routine and one decision matrix logic.

Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making Capabilities

The outcomes follow a single problem from a vague complaint to a defended choice that a sponsor can approve and a team can carry out.

• Specify a problem statement with boundaries, symptoms and success criteria — the sponsor who owns the outcome
• Apply root cause tools to separate causes from symptoms — operations and quality leads
• Design ideation sessions that produce genuinely different options — cross-functional teams
• Weigh options with decision matrices, risk weighting and expected value — budget holders and approvers
• Test conclusions against common cognitive biases and a pre-mortem — steering committees
• Communicate a decision recommendation with rationale and implementation risks — senior decision makers

Key Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making Terms

• Root cause analysis — a family of methods that trace a problem back to the underlying condition which, if removed, prevents recurrence.
• Ishikawa diagram — a fishbone chart grouping possible causes of a problem under headings such as people, process, equipment and materials.
• Divergent and convergent thinking — first widening the range of ideas without judgement, then narrowing them with criteria.
• Weighted decision matrix — a table scoring each option against criteria whose importance has been agreed in advance.
• Cognitive bias — a systematic error in judgement, such as anchoring or confirmation bias, that distorts how evidence is read.
• Pre-mortem — an exercise imagining that a decision has failed, then listing the reasons in order to strengthen it beforehand.

Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making Day by Day

Day 1: The Nature of Complex Workplace Problems

• Cynefin Framework — Simple, Complicated, Complex or Chaotic Situations
• Problem Typology — Gaps, Puzzles and Dilemmas
• Personal Problem-Solving Style Inventory — Habits Under Pressure
• Live Case Selection — Choosing a Problem to Carry Through
• Sponsor and Scope Agreement — Who Owns the Outcome

Day 2: Framing and Defining the Problem

• Problem Statement Canvas — Symptoms, Boundaries and Success Criteria
• Is and Is Not Analysis — Locating Where the Problem Occurs
• Issue Trees — Breaking a Problem Into Testable Parts
• Stakeholder Perspective Mapping — How Others Define the Problem
• Reframing Questions — How Might We Statements

Day 3: Root Cause Analysis

• 5 Whys Technique — Drilling From Symptom to Cause
• Ishikawa Fishbone Diagrams — Grouping Possible Causes
• Pareto Analysis — Focusing on the Vital Few Causes
• Fault Tree Logic — Combinations That Trigger Failure
• Cause Verification Tests — Evidence Before Conclusions

Day 4: Creative Ideation Methods

• Brainwriting and Nominal Group Technique — Ideas Without Dominant Voices
• SCAMPER Prompts — Substituting, Combining and Adapting Existing Solutions
• Analogy and Cross-Industry Borrowing — Solutions From Other Sectors
• Reverse Brainstorming — Finding Ways to Make It Worse
• Idea Clustering and Shortlisting — Affinity Grouping of Options

Day 5: Evaluating Options and Criteria

• Decision Criteria Design — Must-Haves Versus Wants
• Weighted Decision Matrix — Scoring Options Transparently
• Cost-Benefit Comparison — Tangible and Intangible Effects
• Feasibility Screening — Resources, Time and Capability Fit
• Sensitivity Testing — How Weights Change the Answer

Day 6: Risk, Uncertainty and Probability

• Risk Weighting of Options — Likelihood and Impact Scores
• Expected Value Calculations — Comparing Uncertain Payoffs
• Decision Trees — Mapping Choices, Chances and Outcomes
• Scenario Testing — Best, Base and Worst Cases
• Reversible and Irreversible Decisions — Matching Speed to Stakes

Day 7: Cognitive Biases and Judgement

• Anchoring and Confirmation Bias — Spotting Them in Live Cases
• Overconfidence and Planning Fallacy — Realistic Estimates
• Groupthink Signals — Protecting Dissent in Meetings
• Pre-Mortem Exercise — Imagining Failure Before Commitment
• Debiasing Checklists — Questions Before Final Approval

Day 8: Group Decisions and Facilitation

• Decision Rules — Consensus, Majority or Consultative Leader
• Facilitating Problem-Solving Sessions — Roles and Ground Rules
• Handling Conflicting Evidence — Weighing Sources and Gaps
• Delphi Method — Structured Expert Judgement
• Decision Logs — Recording Rationale and Dissent

Day 9: From Decision to Action

• Implementation Planning — Owners, Milestones and Resources
• Pilot Design — Testing Solutions on a Small Scale
• Success Metrics — Measuring Whether the Problem Is Solved
• Contingency Triggers — When to Switch to Plan B
• After-Action Reviews — Learning From Outcomes

Day 10: Practising the Decision Recommendation Paper

• Live Case Root Cause Clinic — Applying Day 3 Tools
• Option Generation Sprint — Applying Ideation Methods to the Case
• Matrix and Risk Scoring Review — Applying Days 5 and 6
• Peer Challenge Panel — Applying Bias Checks and Pre-Mortem
• Decision Recommendation Paper — Final Version for the Sponsor

Applying Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making After the Course

• Run a 5 Whys and fishbone session on one recurring problem with the people closest to it, and verify the leading cause with data
• Score the options for a pending decision on a weighted matrix, hold a pre-mortem with the team and record the rationale in a decision log

Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making Questions (FAQ)

What is creative problem solving and decision making and why does it matter now?

It is a structured way to define a problem, find its causes, generate different options and choose among them with evidence. It matters now because problems cross functions, evidence is often incomplete and biased snap judgements lead to costly repeat failures.

Which roles gain most from creative problem solving and decision making?

Managers who own recurring problems, analysts who prepare decision evidence and project leaders who resolve conflicts gain most. Improvement specialists and team leaders choosing between proposals also benefit.

How does a creative problem solving and decision making course differ from a strategic planning course?

Strategic planning sets long-term direction for the whole organisation. This course works on specific problems and choices at operational and project level, with root cause, ideation, decision matrix and bias tools applied to a live case.

What do you bring back from a creative problem solving and decision making course?

You bring back a documented recommendation for a real problem from your workplace, with its problem statement, verified causes, scored options, risk assessment and the checklists to repeat the process on future problems.

Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making: The Way Forward

The Decision Recommendation Paper first informs the sponsor's decision on the live case the participant brought to the course. Sponsors, finance reviewers and the delivery team use it to approve, fund and launch the chosen option. After its first implementation milestone, the criteria weights and risk scores are worth revisiting, since early results show which assumptions held and which did not.