Thinking method · Watanabe, Problem Solving 101

Decomposition that does not overlap

Splitting a problem into parts you can work on separately. When a problem feels large and undifferentiated, and effort is going everywhere at once.

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Splitting a problem into parts you can work on separately.

The steps

1. Write the problem as one sentence.
2. Split it into parts that do not overlap.
3. Check the parts together cover the whole thing, with nothing left outside.
4. Pick the part where evidence would change your mind fastest and start there.

When to use it

When a problem feels large and undifferentiated, and effort is going everywhere at once.

What it will not do

A tidy split of the wrong problem is still the wrong problem. Define first.

Where it comes from: Watanabe, Problem Solving 101. Described in our own words.