Things I learned from TAM 08: The SimplEx Problem Solving

Yes, SimplEx. It is not a typo, continue reading ...

During the TAM 08, we ran a couple of sessions about defining some of our challenges in MAS and finding innovative ideas to overcome them. What we did in the TAM 08, was a very simplified version of the Simplex tool often used for problem solving.

Going through the discussions about the challenges facing Tarbiya in the American context and discussions regarding our success in promoting MAS and recruiting people for our cause, I found out that many of us are very good in finding the facts and defining the problem. Many of us are actually very good in proposing ideas and even presenting a vision of what things will look like when the problem is solved. What we really need to improve at and develop skills in is finding solutions, selecting the best solutions, making sure stakeholders buy into that solution, and putting this solution into action. Maybe the sessions in the TAM were not long enough to allow participants to continue the cycle. Or, maybe, the TAM is not a place for excution in the first place. Nevertheless, I find this pattern very common throughout my life.

Many of us know, love, and excel in the first part of the Simplex, that is Simple. We need to be able to know, love, and excel in the second part of the Simplex, that is Ex. We need to move beyond analysis and vision to actions and plans.

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