MECE Considerations in Problem Solving

Never make wild guesses

• You should formulate your hypothesis by making valid assumptions based on the available data. You should first dig deep into the problem and focus on gaining enough context before formulating a hypothesis.

• You must question your hypothesis at every step until you prove it right. Always remember that it is equally important to disprove a hypothesis as it is to prove it right. 

• While formulating hypotheses, you must involve other members of the team. 

• Some people believe that once you formulate your hypothesis, you cannot change them until you reach the final solution. But this is certainly not true. You should keep refining the hypotheses that you have considered until you reach the final solution.

Never manipulate data 

• Another common mistake people often commit is adjusting data as per the hypotheses that they have considered. What you should do is test all the hypotheses without any bias. 

• You should always consider both qualitative and quantitative aspects while forming your hypotheses.