• University of Leeds
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  • Institute of Coding logo

Decision Making: How to Choose the Right Problem to Solve

Build problem-solving skills and learn how to make an effective plan to tackle real-life and workplace decisions.

4.8 (15 reviews)

3,855 enrolled on this course

Decision Making: How to Choose the Right Problem to Solve

4.8 (15 reviews)

3,855 enrolled on this course

  • 3 weeks

  • 3 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

  • Duration

    3 weeks

  • Weekly study

    3 hours

  • 100% online

    How it works

  • Unlimited subscription

    $244.99 for a whole yearLearn more
Overview
Syllabus
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Learn how to solve problems and formulate plans to get colleagues on board

When you’re presented with multiple problems at once, how do you decide which one to solve first? On this two-week course, you’ll learn how to sharpen your decision-making and problem-solving skills so that you can quickly resolve issues.

You’ll learn how to face challenges both in and out of the workplace by cultivating critical skills to help you identify the best possible solution.

What’s more, you’ll learn how to create a detailed plan to persuade others that your ideas will work.

Develop problem-solving techniques

You’ll evaluate your existing problem-solving skills and learn how to build on them to be more successful.

Experimenting with useful techniques for decision-making such as SWOT analysis, you’ll learn how to identify the real, underlying problems of a situation and how to set priorities when everything seems urgent.

Create a business case alongside industry experts

Once you’re able to identify a problem and understand it, you’ll learn how to explore the benefits and drawbacks of various solutions as well as the methods to minimise risks.

With this information, you can produce a persuasive plan that shows your solutions are the best. You’ll also create a business case that will be peer-reviewed so you can receive feedback on your ideas.

By the end of this course, you’ll have the knowledge and skills to tackle real-world problems and be able to persuade others that your solutions will work.

Download video: standard or HD

Skip to 0 minutes and 7 seconds Ryzard Akita: Life is full of problems. And some of them can be solved through the right kind of design for the products we use every day. The question is, which problems do you try to solve first? And how?

Skip to 0 minutes and 20 seconds Decision Making: How to Choose the Right Problem to Solve is a course to help you cultivate essential problem solving skills for your career. This course is part of a program of three courses in the solving problems with technology strand from FutureLearn, the Institute of Coding and the University of Leeds Join us to discover and develop your problem solving skills to solve a range of issues that most of us face in the workplace and beyond. You experiment with useful techniques for making decisions and setting priorities when everything seems urgent. And you’ll find out how a bit of planning can help you persuade everyone in your workplace that your solutions are the best.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Finding and defining problems

    • Welcome to the course

      In these steps, you will find out what you’ll be learning this week and who will be guiding you through the course. You’ll also begin to unpick what problem-solving actually means, by reflecting on the last problem you encountered

    • Problem-solving skills

      In this activity you will identify the kinds of skills that help people to solve problems, and reflect on your own problem-solving strengths and talents.

    • Approaching a problem

      This activity explores a five-step method to help you approach a problem you might have. You'll be introduced to this method and then reflect on how this relates to your current experience.

    • Defining a problem

      Defining your problem is crucial to developing a solution. This activity looks at ways to define the real problem and analyse the context in which you're developing solutions.

    • Summary

      In this activity you’ll reflect on what you’ve covered, and assess what you can learn from the SWOT analysis you've completed.

  • Week 2

    Assessing your solutions

    • Welcome to Week 2

      This week you will look at how to assess the solutions you come up with. You'll follow Shona as she analyses which idea would be best to help solve her problem.

    • Choose the best solution

      This activity looks at how you can develop more ideas for solving the problems you’ve identified, and how you can evaluate the best ideas.

    • Looking for risks

      In this activity you will explore how evaluating risk can help your solutions be successful.

    • Summary

      In this activity you’ll reflect on what you’ve covered, and identify what you can learn from your SWOT analysis.

  • Week 3

    Understanding and selling your solution

    • Welcome to Week 3

      This week you’ll investigate how to think about the wider impact of your ideas, and produce a strong plan to show how your idea will work in the real world.

    • Pitching your idea

      How can you make a persuasive case for your solution? In this Activity you’ll explore how to estimate resources and measure success.

    • Making your plan

      In this activity, you’ll make your own plan to solve a problem.

    • Summary

      You’ve nearly reached the end of the course, so these steps will help you reflect on what you’ve learned.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Evaluate personal skills for problem solving
  • Describe how problems exist in wider contexts
  • Develop an idea to approach a real life problem
  • Explore methods to minimise risk and turn ideas into plans
  • Explain the importance of the wider impact when proposing solutions
  • Produce a plan that persuades others your solution will work

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for people who want to build confidence in making informed decisions and using digital technology to communicate with others in the workplace.

It will be useful to you if you would like to boost your problem solving and digital skills and improve your career prospects.

If you’d like to further your knowledge, you may be interested in these courses. They’re from the same provider and share similar subjects and overall learning outcomes:

Who will you learn with?

Kim Plowright

I'm a creative digital producer and product manager, and helped establish the National Film and Television School’s first digital producing course. I have a secret double life as an artist.

Who developed the course?

University of Leeds

As one of the UK’s largest research-based universities, the University of Leeds is a member of the prestigious Russell Group and a centre of excellence for teaching.

Click Start

This course is part of Click Start, a nationwide training programme developed by the Institute of Coding (IoC) , a national collaboration of universities, employers and charities and funded by Nominet – the public benefit company and guardians of the .UK namespace.

Institute of Coding

The Institute of Coding (IoC) is a national collaboration of employers, universities, and charities, on a mission to provide people from all walks of life with access to digital learning and career opportunities.

Endorsers and supporters

funded by

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Best Value - learn more, save more!

Subscribe & save

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$54/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible
Continue & Upgrade

Start learning today

Free

Try this course - with limits

  • Limited to 3 weeks

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 2 November 2026 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 2 November 2026 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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