The Chemical Engineering Department at MIT developed a two-week preparatory course for Practice School students, focusing on essential skills such as project management, time management, safety, professional behavior, career development, and problem solving. Among these, the problem-solving module is considered one of the most important for successfully completing the one-month Practice School projects.

You make a difference in the world by solving problems – Sir Richard Branson

Practice School Station Directors Charles Baker and Brian Stutts developed the rigorous 12-hour problem-solving module, drawing on their respective industrial experiences at ExxonMobil and Corning Inc. The module equips students to tackle any assigned project, emphasizing the critical skill of identifying the company’s true problem—which may differ from its initial assumptions.

As an Edward Tufte enthusiast, I collaborated with illustrator Carly Kafuretty to create a single illustration capturing the problem-solving process Charles and Brian teach, building on an earlier post (here) in which I focused specifically on use of hypothesis trees in this process. Here’s the result:

My request to you: Please review this illustration. Have I missed anything? Do I need more emphasis on some things, less on others? Please let me know.

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