Creative Engineering of Desirables

by Gopal Ramasammy-Cook (Career-Creative Coach, ZestWare)

Although the term Creative Problem Solving is far more common, I prefer Creative Engineering of Desirable Outcomes or just Creative Engineering of Desirables. Admittedly, this does not roll as smoothly off the tongue, and may be criticized for being "merely semantic". (As an aside, I consider "merely semantic" to be strongly oxymoronic - the field of semantics deals with meaning itself, and there's nothing "mere" about that.)

But my main reason for preferring the latter phrase is that the words I use have a strong influence on my thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors, and Engineering of Desirables moves me out of problem thinking, and into possibility thinking. But enough of my ranting and raving for now.

In their excellent book, Strategies for Creative Problem Solving (Second Edition), H. Scott Fogler and Steven E. LeBlanc describe five building blocks for a Creative Problem Solving heuristic:

• Define the Problem (or Desirable Outcomes) to be sure we are clear about what the actual problem or true desirables are.


• Generate Solutions using techniques such as brainstorming, futuring, analogies, blockbusting etc.


• Decide Course of Action using techniques such as situation appraisal, problem analysis, decision analysis, and potential problem analysis.


• Implement the Solution by creating a plan, allocating time and resources, and carrying the process through to completion.


• Evaluate the Solution to ensure that all criteria were met and no constraints such as ethics, safety, and environmental considerations were violated.

.