Brian G's What is the Problem Solving Approach

The problem solving approach is a detailed plan that allows professional writers to take their communication and write it through this five step approach. The main reason that someone would use the problem solving approach is to, “address the entire process of solving workplace problems through communication, from understanding the problem to releasing the document.” (Dobrin 14) The five main parts to the PSA are plan, research, draft, review, and distribute.
The first step in the PSA is to plan out what you are going to be writing. Some of the questions that you will be asking are:
“Establish a purpose for writing
Define the real problem or reason for writing
Consider the delivery of the information
Identify what information you have and what you will need” (Dobrin 14)
This is the very beginning of the problem solving approach. You are gathering base information to prepare to write your paper.

Research is the most important part to the PSA. It is where you will gather the bulk of the information that will be presented in the paper. Some of the things that you will do in the research phase are:
“Determine the information and how to get it
Organize the information that you gathered
Evaluate the information and see if you need more” (Dobrin 14)
At the end of this phase you will have the majority of your information and be able to begin the draft phase of the problem solving approach.

A draft is important because it allows you to see how the paper is coming together. It is the most common part of the PSA that is not done consistently. Most people do not write a draft before they begin to produce the final copy. The draft allows you to:
“Confirm your goals and purposes, document format, and delivery method
Draft the document
Arrange the document
Add information that might help present you information” (Dobrin 15)

After the draft you will begin the review phase of the PSA. This is the last check of how you are solving the problem and how the information is coming. This is where you will be getting feedback from people who have read the paper. You will also revise the paper based on the feedback that you are given. The most important part of the review is to “edit the document to ensure correctness.” (Dobrin 15)

The last part of the problem solving approach is the distribution of the information. This is when you present the information to the audience and get feedback from them on the effectiveness of the paper. You will need to follow up with the audience and make sure that they received the document. This is when you will find out if there is other information that needs to be presented in a later document.

The problem solving approach is an important tool when trying to solve a problem in the workplace. If you follow the PSA you will have a good set of tools that will allow you to provide the desired audience with a well written paper that solves the workplace problem.

References:
Dobrin, Sidney; Keller, Christopher; Weisser, Christian. “Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century” Second Edition. Published by Pearson Prentice Hall 2008