I wrote a post on Linkedin related to Problem solving that received good response from the audience (~12000 Impressions). Here is the copy of the post.
Setup:
In a remote village, I recently visited one of my relatives who live in a multi-unit house with four flats spread across two floors. The ground floor serves as the parking and gardening area and houses a borewell switch to meet their water needs. When the switch is turned on, the motor fills the overhead tank, and a voice alarm rings when the tank is full.
Problem:
The issue was that every time the tank ran out of water, someone had to physically go to the ground floor and turn the switch on, waiting for the tank to fill, or coming back to turn it off. This became a problem when multiple residents needed to turn on the switch at the same time.
Solution:
To solve this, the residents called their electrician to install four switches, one in front of each flat.
Assumption:
Both the residents and the electrician assumed that only one person would turn on the switch at a time.
New Problem:
The new problem arose when two residents turned on the switch simultaneously, leading to confusion and wasted time.
e.g., Resident 1 realizes that the tank is empty. He switches ON and goes back, expecting alarm to notify when tank is full.
Resident 2 also realizes that the tank is empty. He switches ON (Thus nullifying the Switch 1 ON - effectively making it OFF).
Now both are waiting for the tank to get filled.
Constraints:
1) Unlike Tier I/II cities this a remote village which has limited skilled labor and technology. Any Automated service installation and post installation support is usually poor.
2) Usually for an entire locality, there is one electrician available on demand basis.
3) I didn't get chance to speak to electrician, so I don't know what other constraints he had.
I found this problem amusing, interesting and enforcing logical thinking. I too ended up offering them a solution :P
My Solution:
I suggested connecting a zero-watt bulb near a common area, visible from all the flats and switch location. The residents could then ask the electrician to connect the switch line to the bulb. This way, when a resident decides to turn on the motor, they can check the bulb to see if it's already in use.
In conclusion, one of the key takeaways for me is the importance of clear communication and understanding assumptions in problem-solving.
What are your thoughts on the situation and what solution would you suggest? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section, including imaginative or humorous suggestions.
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