Network-based Problem Solving Overview

Here are a set of steps that allow you to work with other people elsewhere to tackle Challenges, using the diversity made available by the network as a way to increase the chances of developing useful new approaches to the Challenges.

Steps of Network-based Problem Solving

1. provide a description of how the challenge has been tackled in your own location
2. examine the descriptions provided by people elsewhere who also face the same challenge
   • access the set of descriptions of approaches used in remote locations
   • for each other remote approach to the challenge, decide whether it is the same or different from approaches used locally
   • for the "different" ones, decide whether the approach is applicable or inapplicable-as-is to be applied locally
     • save applicable ones as possible approaches
   • for the "inapplicable-as-is" ones, examine whether it can be modified to make it applicable
     • save those that can be modified as possibly useful approaches
   • analyze the set of possibly useful approaches to see if some of them can form a plausible response to the challenge
3. write up your plausible approach
4. present your plausible approach to local experts
5. take objections raised to solution back to the remote other places that use the same or modified approaches; ask how they deal with those objections