Module 6 · Solving problems · Lesson 4 of 5

Options, assumptions and small tests

Generate more than one idea, name what you are assuming, and test it cheaply.

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The idea

When a problem appears, the mind usually jumps to the first reasonable solution. Generating alternatives means deliberately producing more than one — ideally several very different ones — before choosing. The second or third idea is often better than the first.

Every solution rests on assumptions: that people will respond a certain way, that something costs what you think, that you will have time. Many plans fail not because the idea was bad but because an assumption was wrong. Naming your assumptions lets you check the riskiest ones first.

Experimenting is the cheapest way to check. Instead of committing fully, try a small version: one conversation instead of a whole new approach, one week instead of a year, one product instead of a shop. Small tests turn guesses into knowledge.

Why it matters

Choosing from several options leads to better solutions than taking the first that comes along, and testing assumptions early saves you from building a lot on something that was never true.

See it happen

Bola wants to earn extra money and plans to start selling handmade jewellery online, buying materials and building a website.

The first read

She is good at making jewellery and people compliment her work, so a proper online shop seems like the obvious next step.

With this idea

She lists four options, including teaching jewellery workshops. Her biggest assumption is that strangers will pay for her pieces, so she tests it by selling ten at a weekend market. They sell out, and several people ask about workshops — which she tries next.

What changed

She generated alternatives and tested her riskiest assumption cheaply before committing.

Easy to get wrong

• Judging ideas while generating them. Get several on paper first; evaluate afterwards.
• Running experiments without deciding what would count as a result. Decide in advance what you will look for.

What this rests on

Practical wisdom. A widely used way of working. Useful to try — not a scientific law.

Try it: Four options, one test

1. Write a problem you are trying to solve.
2. Write four different ways to solve it — include at least one unusual idea.
3. For your favourite, write the assumption it most depends on.
4. Write a small, cheap test for that assumption.

Reflect

• What assumption is your current plan built on that you have never checked?
• When did a second or third idea turn out better than your first?

Use it in the coming days

Run one small test of an assumption behind a current plan this week, and write down what you learned.

Where to do it: My Goals

A small test can sit as a step under the goal whose assumption it checks.