Problem-Solving Skills and Critical Thinking Course

Lesson 1 • Cognitive Biases and Mental Shortcuts

Identifies the most impactful biases that distort professional judgment. Learners recognise bias triggers before applying debiasing strategies later.

Lesson 2 • Standards of Good Reasoning

Introduces clarity, accuracy, relevance, depth, and fairness as universal reasoning standards. Provides the evaluative criteria used throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Self-Assessment of Thinking Habits

Guides learners through a structured audit of their current reasoning strengths and gaps. Results create a personal development baseline for the course.

Lesson 4 • The Thinking Process Unpacked

Maps the stages from perception to judgment, showing how information becomes a conclusion. Learners trace their own reasoning paths for the first time.

Lesson 1 • Logical Fallacies in Practice

Catalogs the most common formal and informal fallacies encountered in professional settings. Learners practise detecting and countering each fallacy type.

Lesson 2 • Deductive and Inductive Reasoning

Contrasts the certainty of deduction with the probability of induction and their appropriate uses. Learners apply both forms to workplace scenarios.

Lesson 3 • Structure of an Argument

Breaks down claims, premises, and conclusions as the building blocks of any argument. Connects directly to the reasoning standards introduced in Chapter 1.

Lesson 4 • Building Persuasive, Logical Arguments

Synthesises deduction, induction, and fallacy awareness into constructing compelling arguments. Prepares learners for evidence-based communication in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Decomposing Complex Problems

Teaches issue trees and MECE decomposition to break large problems into solvable parts. Builds the analytical structure needed for systematic problem-solving.

Lesson 2 • Validating the Problem Frame

Provides methods to test whether a problem frame is accurate before committing resources. Prevents premature solution-jumping by embedding a validation checkpoint.

Lesson 3 • Why Problem Definition Matters

Demonstrates how misdiagnosed problems waste resources and produce failed solutions. Motivates rigorous framing as the highest-leverage problem-solving activity.

Lesson 4 • Gathering and Clarifying Information

Covers techniques for collecting relevant data and asking clarifying questions before framing. Ensures problem definitions rest on verified information, not assumptions.

Lesson 1 • Hypothesis-Driven Problem Solving

Applies the consulting-style approach of forming and testing hypotheses to guide analysis efficiently. Reduces wasted effort by focusing investigation on the most likely causes.

Lesson 2 • Overview of Problem-Solving Models

Surveys major frameworks including design thinking, PDCA, and the McKinsey problem-solving approach. Establishes criteria for choosing the right model.

Lesson 3 • The Design Thinking Process

Walks through empathise, define, ideate, prototype, and test as a human-centred problem-solving cycle. Emphasises iteration and user feedback as quality controls.

Lesson 4 • Root Cause Analysis Methods

Covers fishbone diagrams, fault tree analysis, and the five-whys method for diagnosing causes. Connects to problem framing by ensuring solutions target real causes.

Lesson 1 • The Role of Creativity in Problem Solving

Positions creativity as a disciplined cognitive skill, not a personality trait. Dispels myths that block professionals from engaging in creative problem-solving.

Lesson 2 • Analogical and Metaphorical Thinking

Uses analogies and metaphors to transfer solutions from unrelated domains into the current problem. Builds cross-domain thinking as a repeatable creative skill.

Lesson 3 • Brainstorming and Ideation Methods

Covers classic brainstorming, brainwriting, SCAMPER, and mind mapping for generating ideas. Learners practise facilitating and participating in productive ideation sessions.

Lesson 4 • Evaluating and Selecting Creative Ideas

Applies convergent thinking tools to filter and prioritise ideas generated in ideation. Bridges creative output to the decision-making process in the next chapter.

Lesson 1 • Decision-Making Fundamentals

Defines decision quality independent of outcome and introduces the decision-making cycle. Establishes the evidence-based mindset as the chapter's core theme.

Lesson 2 • Risk, Uncertainty, and Scenario Planning

Covers risk identification, probability-impact mapping, and scenario planning for decisions under uncertainty. Prepares learners for complex, high-stakes choices.

Lesson 3 • Avoiding Decision Traps

Identifies sunk-cost fallacy, escalation of commitment, and framing effects as common decision traps. Learners apply debiasing protocols to protect decision quality.

Lesson 4 • Gathering and Evaluating Evidence

Teaches source credibility assessment, data triangulation, and distinguishing correlation from causation. Directly applies the reasoning standards from Chapter 1.

Lesson 1 • Finding Leverage Points

Applies Donella Meadows' leverage point hierarchy to identify high-impact intervention sites. Learners prioritise interventions based on systemic influence rather than ease.

Lesson 2 • Archetypes of System Failure

Introduces common system archetypes such as fixes that fail, shifting the burden, and tragedy of the commons. Learners recognise these patterns in professional contexts.

Lesson 3 • Introduction to Systems Thinking

Defines systems, boundaries, stocks, flows, and feedback loops as the vocabulary of systems thinking. Contrasts systemic analysis with the linear thinking addressed in earlier chapters.

Lesson 4 • Feedback Loops and System Behavior

Explains reinforcing and balancing loops and how they produce growth, stability, or oscillation. Learners diagram real organisational systems using loop notation.

Lesson 1 • Measuring Problem-Solving Effectiveness

Introduces metrics and feedback mechanisms for evaluating the quality of problem-solving outcomes. Learners design personal performance indicators for ongoing self-assessment.

Lesson 2 • Building a Learning Organisation Mindset

Connects individual critical thinking habits to team and organisational learning culture. Learners identify how to model and spread evidence-based thinking in their teams.

Lesson 3 • Integrating Core Skills into Practice

Synthesises critical thinking, logic, framing, frameworks, creativity, decision-making, and systems thinking into a unified workflow. Learners map their own integrated process.

Lesson 4 • Applying Skills to Strategic Challenges

Presents complex, multi-layered strategic scenarios requiring the full range of course skills. Learners practise navigating ambiguity, competing priorities, and incomplete data.