Creative Problem-Solving: A Guide for Project Managers

Common sense dictates that problems and hurdles are inevitable in project management. But did you know that 85% of those who report organizational hurdles experience burnout and emotional stress due to projects moving too quickly or having unrealistic deadlines?

Several factors intensify these emotional responses, including resource limitations (44% cite this as a top challenge), unrealistic deadlines (31%), poor cross-team collaboration (26%), and insufficient budgets (17%). The outlook is bleak: the emotional toll is significant enough that 37% of project managers consider leaving their profession annually.

When managing a project from start to finish, you’ll definitely encounter a handful of issues along the way. However, it’s just a matter of dealing with these problems and rising above challenges. That said, a creative problem-solving approach is key!

Fret not; This page is a practical guide for every project manager. Read on to learn:

• What creative problem-solving entails;
• How important it is for project management, and,
• How to creatively solve problems as a project manager.

Ready? Let’s dive right in!

What Is Creative Problem-solving in Project Management?

It’s exactly what it sounds like—solving problems innovatively encountered in your project. However, it isn’t just about dealing with any issues that arise. It’s about thinking outside the box to find viable solutions to ongoing problems. It requires creativity and resourcefulness.

For example, your team lacks the time, money, and resources to complete a complex project. An innovative solution is to leverage project management software like Paymo or similar tools. This platform lets you manage your tasks, clients, and invoices all in one place, helping you save time, money, and resources.

Creative problem-solving should be part of your project management plan. It involves four key aspects:

• Issue identification—Identifying the actual problem in your project
• Problem assessment—Understanding the root cause of this problem
• Solution ideation—Brainstorming for creative solutions to your problem
• Actual implementation—Employing concrete solutions to address the problem.

But what are the common problems encountered in project management? For your reference, here are some:

• Financial constraints: It’s safe to say that money is key to a successful project. However, some companies or organizations lack enough funding to finance their project. In fact, over half of these projects fail due to a budget loss.
• Time constraints: A successful project beats the deadlines and is completed on time. However, some projects have delays, with team members experiencing downtime. To help your in-house sales team save time, for instance, consider hiring outsourced SDR services.
• Scope creep happens when you change the project scope without any control protocol. For example, you may add more deliverables to your team members and push back deadlines without making change requests. The same PMI report cites that the scope creep challenge impacts 67% of all projects.
• Resource shortages: These resources can be both human and material. Consider the labor shortage needed for your project and the scarcity of material supplies, tools, and technologies. Over 44% of project managers say the lack of resources is their biggest concern.

Source: Rebel’s Guide to PM

• Team conflicts: A project usually involves various stakeholders, from internal employees to third-party service providers. However, conflicts can possibly arise due to differences, causing potential misunderstandings and delays.
• Unforeseen circumstances: No matter how much you’ve planned and prepared for your project implementation, unexpected incidents can possibly happen. Think of natural calamities like hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes that can disrupt your ongoing project.
• Sudden changes: Change is constant and applies to any project. Your project scope will always need modifications. In fact, changes in organizational priorities and project goals are two of the biggest reasons why projects fail.

The problems mentioned above serve as warning signs for you to prevent project failure. So, you better deal with them early to ensure a successful project. Find out why creative problem-solving is vital in project management below.

8 Benefits of creative problem-solving

In today’s business landscape, project management can be quite complex. It requires creative and innovative solutions to common problems. So, as a project manager, you should stay on top of your project, no matter the challenges coming your way.

As such, companies are investing in project management platforms as their creative and innovative solutions. In fact, its global market could grow from 6.59 billion in 2022 to 20.47 billion by 2030 at a 15.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

The benefits of problem-solving are manifold. That said, here’s why creative solutions are essential for project management:

• Provide concrete solutions. Creative problem-solving isn’t linear; It offers multiple innovative ways to solve problems. Therefore, expect solutions that actually work!

• Foster new innovation. A creative approach doesn’t rely on existing solutions; it brings something new to the table.

• Promote utmost flexibility. Creative problem-solving allows your team to be more flexible and agile, helping your team members employ different creative ways to solve problems for your project.

• Boost efficiency and productivity. Your team needs creativity to be more efficient and productive. The more creative your team members become, the more problems they can solve for a successful project.

• Improve decision-making. Creative solutions make sound business decisions. As a project manager, consider digesting Amazon’s best-selling and most-read books to make informed decisions on existing problems. A creative problem-solving approach!

• Enhance team collaboration. Allowing your team to be creative and innovative in solving problems fosters more engagement. If you give team members the freedom to explore various options, they will be more likely to contribute to your project.

• Manage potential risk. A creative approach solves problems almost immediately before they escalate to bigger issues. For example, you can employ contractor marketing to have people handle recurring projects and avoid workforce scarcity.
• Achieve project success. The ultimate goal of creative problem-solving is successfully completing a project on time. The more creative your team becomes in solving problems, the greater the chance you’ll succeed in your project.

In the next section, discover the key steps for creative solutions in project management.

Tips to solve problems creatively as a PM

Robust project management is crucial to a successful project. However, this success lies in the hands of a project manager. A PM is responsible for leading the team and overseeing various activities, such as the following:

However, as a top-notch project manager, you should be on the lookout for potential issues and address them immediately. In most cases, problem-solving requires creativity and innovation.

That said, here are the crucial steps to take:

1. Keep an eye on potential issues

As mentioned, problems are inevitable in any given project. You might lack funding, need enough workforce, or encounter supply chain disruptions. As a project manager, be wary of potential problems so you can be one step ahead and deal with them head-on.

Rodger Desai, CEO of Prove, recommends developing a comprehensive project management plan.

This detailed blueprint serves as your guide, allowing you to handle the project smoothly and tackle any problems immediately.

For issue identification, Desai suggests the following steps:

• Define project goals. What does your team seek to achieve from this project?
• Set key metrics. What targets (KPIs) do you aim to hit for this project?
• Measure performance. Are you meeting your goals and targets for this project?
• Track progress. How far has your team gone for this project?
• Identify problems. By setting goals and targets and measuring and tracking performance, you’ll see potential problems that need to be tackled.

2. Get to the bottom of the problems

Now that you can identify possible issues in your project, it’s time to understand these problems. This critical step requires a thorough review and analysis of the issues at hand. That way, you know how to solve these problems as creatively as possible.

Gary Hemming, Owner and Finance Director at ABC Finance, highlights some of the problem-solving techniques in project management. “These tools are proven and tested, allowing you to understand the root cause of your problems and align concrete solutions with them.”

For problem assessment, Hemming suggests the following techniques:

• Root cause analysis: This analysis entails asking the question Why five times to drill down into the root cause of your problems.

• SWOT analysis: This analysis lets you assess the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats in your project.

• Six thinking hats: This technique applies Edward de Bono’s effective method to analyze your problems from multiple perspectives, whether emotional, logical, or creative.

• SCAMPER: This method stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other use, Eliminate, and Reverse. It helps improve or modify your project’s existing processes, products, or solutions.

• Lateral thinking: This method requires you to think outside the box. As a project manager, what other creative solutions can you tap into?

3. Bring creative solutions to the table

Now, you’ve reached the most critical part—developing creative solutions for existing problems in your project. Of course, the solutions vary from one issue to another. However, there are many creative ways to solve them.

Take it from Max Tang, CMO at GEEKOM. He has his fair share of tackling various problems with his wall art encountered by some clients. “Problems in financial projects are a dime a dozen. However, it takes some creativity and innovation to solve them and satisfy your much-valued clients.”

For creative problem-solving, here are concrete solutions to common problems:

• Financial constraints: If your project is on a tight budget, consider cost-cutting some expenditures, outsourcing to cheaper providers, crowdsourcing for financial support, and accessing your emergency budget.
• Tight deadlines: Employ time management techniques if your project has strict deadlines. Some popular ones are the Eisenhower Matrix, the Pomodoro Technique, time blocking, the Critical Path Method, and the Agile Methodology.
• Scope creep: To address scope creep in your project, establish clear boundaries, set a change control process, use the MVP approach, ensure regular stakeholder communication, and set a client service contract in place.
• Resource shortages. To address resource shortages, implement the lean technique, cross-train team members, hire freelancers, leverage AI and automation, such as project management software, and work with third-party vendors or service providers.
• Team conflicts: To avoid disputes among your team members, open lines of communication, establish conflict resolution, promote responsibility and accountability, as well as hold team-building activities.
• Sudden changes/ unforeseen circumstances: To address these, take a flexible and agile approach, establish a contingency plan, establish a risk management plan, and have a disaster recovery plan.

4. Track, review, and adjust when necessary

Finally, you’ve reached the last step—seeing if the solutions to your problems actually work. This requires three steps: monitoring your performance, examining your solutions, and optimizing them as needed.

Learn from Grant Aldrich, Founder of Preppy. For project recovery and improvements, Aldrich recommends the following steps:

• Monitoring: Track your performance once you develop creative solutions for existing problems. This will help you determine whether these solutions are actually working.
• Measuring: With your KPIs in place, measure your performance after applying concrete solutions to current problems. This will allow you to see if you’re meeting your goals and targets.
• Adjusting: If your solutions don’t work, it’s time to reexamine your strategies. You might need to be more creative by tweaking your tactics here and there.

Final Words

Problems inevitably arise in project management. Be ready to face them, whether due to a lack of budget, time, or resources. Likewise, be prepared for sudden changes or unexpected circumstances in your project. A creative problem-solving approach is the answer!

As a project manager, follow the key steps for solving problems creatively outlined above. These can be summed up into four: identifying issues, assessing problems, providing solutions, and optimizing action. By taking these crucial steps, you can rise above any challenges.

Ultimately, you can lead a successful project for the benefit of all stakeholders involved!

Are you overwhelmed by problems in your current project? Paymo offers a robust project management solution at an affordable price, aiding you in task management, time tracking, team collaboration, and more.