Introduction
The means-end analysis problem-solving strategy was introduced in General Problem Solver (Newell & Simon, 1963). It involves dividing the problem that needs to be solved into subproblems and working on each one to find a solution to the main issue.
The concept of means-end analysis
Today I am going to apply the concept of means-end analysis to solving the problem of cleaning up a dirty house. The house has two floors. It consists of two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom on the first floor, and two bedrooms and one bathroom, and an office on the second floor. The condition of the carpets is especially bad in the living room and one of the bedrooms on the second floor.
Dirty carpets in the four bedrooms, in the living room, and the office upstairs, dirty floors in the bathrooms, kitchen, as well as dirty bathtubs and toilets are the initial state of the problem space. There is also dust on the furniture that needs to be taken care of.
The goal state could be identified as having a clean house. The goal state could be reached by dividing the problem of a dirty house into subproblems and finding a separate solution to each one. The intermediate problems could be cleaning up the first floor, and the second, or cleaning up each room separately.
Currently, the subproblems can be characterized by their existing states. Different interventions could be applied to each sub problem’s existing state to separately solve each one. If there would be one action that would solve the problem once and for all, I would implement it immediately. However, even concerning the subproblems, there is no such action that could be taken.
Each sub-goal required to solve the subproblem would include vacuuming the carpets and dusting the furniture in the living room, two bedrooms on the first and two on the second floor, as well as in the office. The sub-goal of having a clean bathroom would require washing the bathtub on the first and the second floor, as well as cleaning the toilets. The floor in the bathroom also requires washing. Concerning the kitchen, its floor needs a good washing, and so does the kitchen sink, which also appears dirty.
It turned out that in the kitchen there were additional tasks required to reach the subgoal of a clean kitchen and clean bedroom, as the kitchen had an enormous number of dirty dishes that I had to take care of, as well as in both bedrooms on the second floor the beds were not made. Therefore, I needed to additionally make the beds so that I could have neat bedrooms.
Conclusion
After four hours of hard work, I have managed to execute my plan. It was a complete success. I discovered that using a simple technique of means-end analysis I could evaluate as well as improve my problem-solving skills and strategies. From the point of view of efficiency, the plan was effective, and the means-end analysis has helped to divide what appeared to be a difficult problem into subproblems that would be easier to solve. Even if it was impossible to find an immediate solution to the subproblem, I could divide this subproblem into few more sub subproblems that would allow removing the constraints of achieving the subgoal.
References
- Newell, A. and Simon, H. (1963). GPS: A program that simulates human thought. In
- Computers and Thought (Feigenbaum and Feldman, Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Week 7 Lecture