8.6.2 Adapt your strategy to overcome difficulties
Often plans run into difficulties because of unforeseen problems or changing circumstances. For example, you may be running over your deadlines, the resources or support you were expecting are unavailable to you, or your personal circumstances may have changed. Plans are only a means to an end, however. If you run into difficulties, take some time to think about what effect they will have on your plans, and what changes you may need to make to your overall strategy to achieve the outcomes you are aiming for.
Time out
Use your Skills File to record any difficulties or changes in circumstances, how they affect you and what you intend to do about them.
Activity: Monitoring your progress
For this activity you will need to print out the Skills Sheet, ‘Monitoring your progress’: click here [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] to open it.
On the Skills Sheet, briefly summarise and reflect critically on your progress in developing your problem-solving skills by considering:
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what problem-solving techniques did you use to help you achieve your goals;
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what feedback, help or advice you requested and received on your performance in using problem-solving;
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what decisions and choices you made about the approach, methods and techniques you used, as you worked on your problem-solving skills; how effective were your choices in working towards your goals?
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what changes, if any, you made to your strategy and plans as your work progressed. Justify briefly any changes you have made.
Refer to the figure below for an example of a completed Skills Sheet for this stage of the key skills framework.
