Step 4: Alternative analysis

Now we have made the problem situation completely explicit by identifying actors involved, their perception on the problem, their goals and criteria and a causal model describing the problem situation, we have to find solutions to the problem.

There are several ways to do this as we describe in this step.

Once we have a list of potential solutions, it is very useful to bring everything we produced so far together in a problem diagram. This is an overview that very quickly shows to everyone involved everything that matters in terms of the problem situation.

Once we have such a useful overview and we have identified potential solutions we have to find out what the effects of all these potential solutions are. As, in the end, someone has to somehow decide with others about what to do to solve the problem.