An Invaluable,
Practical Guide for Everyone Involved in Product and Systems Development
About the Book
The fledgling problem solver invariably rushes in with solutions before taking
time to define the problem being solved. Even experienced solvers, when subjected
to social pressure, yield to this demand for haste. When they do, many solutions
are found, but not necessarily to the problem at hand.
Whether you are
a novice or a veteran, this powerful little book will make you a more effective
problem solver. Anyone involved in product and systems development will appreciate
this practical illustrated guide, which was first published in 1982 and has since
become a cult classic.
Offering such insights as "A problem is a difference
between things as desired and things as perceived," and "In
spite of appearances, people seldom know what they want until you give them what
they ask for," authors Don Gause and Jerry Weinberg provide an entertaining
look at ways to improve one's thinking power. The book playfully instructs the
reader first to identify the problem, second to determine the problem's owner,
third to identify where the problem came from, and fourth to determine whether
or not to solve it.
Delightfully illustrated with 55 line drawings, the
book conveys a message that will change the way you think about projects and problems.
Reviews
"This is one of the funniest, yet helpful books in print. The
authors do a great job in making difficulties into anecdotes while providing helpful
and valuable advice."
—Charles Ashbacher posted on Amazon.com
"In a highly readable evolution, the authors
present insights on problem identification and practical
approaches which will be of immeasurable aid to
the manager.
"Although the material is serious, the treatment
is neither stodgy nor unnecessarily technical. It
is a down-to-earth approach to the managerial problems
of the '90s."
—Jim Van Speybroeck Data Processing Digest
"Another
wonderful and whimsical book from Gerald Weinberg and Donald Gause."
—Barry Kornfeld Sound Bytes
"Full of great little tips and tricks. . .
. at just over 150 pages it is easy to digest. It
serves as a great introduction to problem solving.
"If there is one thing I learned from Are
Your Lights On? it is that people don't do a
very good job at problem solving. Like usability,
while problem solving seems so obvious in retrospect,
it is actually quite difficult. . . .
"As Don Gause and Gerald Weinberg point
out, each solution is the source of the next problem.
It is very likely that you are only working on a
few links in an entire chain of problems. The scope
of your problem must be chosen with great care.
"Are Your Lights On? is a great book
and I highly recommend it."
—John S. Rhodes WebWord.com
"Almost all of our training and
experience is focused on how to get the answer;
how to find a solution to a well-defined problem.
In real life, most of our time is spent trying to
fit the current mess around us into something that
looks like a problem we might know how to solve.
In Are Your Lights On? Gause and Weinberg
offer one of the few books (and fortunately one
of the best) on ways that you might go about investigating,
understanding, and defining what you are dealing
with to turn the present mess into a problem that
can, in fact, be solved."
—Jim McGee
consultant and author of the weblog McGee's Musings
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order this book by credit card directly from Dorset House in New York,
please call (800) 342-6657 or (212) 620-4053, weekdays, 9am to 6pm. Alternatively,
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and fax to (212) 727-1044.
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DORSET HOUSE PUBLISHING CO., INC.
353 West 12th Street New York, New York 10014 USA
1-800-DH-BOOKSor 212-620-4053, fax 212-727-1044
