| name | problem-solving |
| description | Kỹ thuật giải quyết vấn đề có hệ thống khi bị tắc (stuck). 5 kỹ thuật: Simplification Cascades (loại bỏ phức tạp), Collision-Zone Thinking (kết hợp ý tưởng bất ngờ), Meta-Pattern Recognition (nhận diện pattern xuyên domain), Inversion Exercise (đảo ngược giả định), Scale Game (test ở cực đại/cực tiểu). Dùng khi user 'bí', 'stuck', 'không biết giải sao', 'vấn đề phức tạp', 'special cases ngày càng nhiều', 'giải pháp thông thường không hiệu quả', 'cùng lỗi lặp lại nhiều chỗ', 'chỉ có 1 cách duy nhất', 'có scale được không', hoặc cần breakthrough thinking, tư duy sáng tạo giải bài toán khó. |
| argument-hint | [problem description] |
Problem-Solving Techniques
Systematic approaches for different types of stuck-ness. Each technique targets specific problem patterns.
When to Use
Apply when encountering:
- Complexity spiraling - Multiple implementations, growing special cases, excessive branching
- Innovation blocks - Conventional solutions inadequate, need breakthrough thinking
- Recurring patterns - Same issue across domains, reinventing solutions
- Assumption constraints - Forced into "only way", can't question premise
- Scale uncertainty - Production readiness unclear, edge cases unknown
- General stuck-ness - Unsure which technique applies
Quick Dispatch
Match symptom to technique:
| Stuck Symptom | Technique | Reference |
|---|
| Same thing implemented 5+ ways, growing special cases | Simplification Cascades | references/simplification-cascades.md |
| Conventional solutions inadequate, need breakthrough | Collision-Zone Thinking | references/collision-zone-thinking.md |
| Same issue in different places, reinventing wheels | Meta-Pattern Recognition | references/meta-pattern-recognition.md |
| Solution feels forced, "must be done this way" | Inversion Exercise | references/inversion-exercise.md |
| Will this work at production? Edge cases unclear? | Scale Game | references/scale-game.md |
| Unsure which technique to use | When Stuck | references/when-stuck.md |
Core Techniques
1. Simplification Cascades
Find one insight eliminating multiple components. "If this is true, we don't need X, Y, Z."
Key insight: Everything is a special case of one general pattern.
Red flag: "Just need to add one more case..." (repeating forever)
2. Collision-Zone Thinking
Force unrelated concepts together to discover emergent properties. "What if we treated X like Y?"
Key insight: Revolutionary ideas from deliberate metaphor-mixing.
Red flag: "I've tried everything in this domain"
3. Meta-Pattern Recognition
Spot patterns appearing in 3+ domains to find universal principles.
Key insight: Patterns in how patterns emerge reveal reusable abstractions.
Red flag: "This problem is unique" (probably not)
4. Inversion Exercise
Flip core assumptions to reveal hidden constraints. "What if the opposite were true?"
Key insight: Valid inversions reveal context-dependence of "rules."
Red flag: "There's only one way to do this"
5. Scale Game
Test at extremes (1000x bigger/smaller, instant/year-long) to expose fundamental truths.
Key insight: What works at one scale fails at another.
Red flag: "Should scale fine" (without testing)
Application Process
- Identify stuck-type - Match symptom to technique above
- Load detailed reference - Read specific technique from
references/
- Apply systematically - Follow technique's process
- Document insights - Record what worked/failed
- Combine if needed - Some problems need multiple techniques
Combining Techniques
Powerful combinations:
- Simplification + Meta-pattern - Find pattern, then simplify all instances
- Collision + Inversion - Force metaphor, then invert its assumptions
- Scale + Simplification - Extremes reveal what to eliminate
- Meta-pattern + Scale - Universal patterns tested at extremes
References
Load detailed guides as needed:
references/when-stuck.md - Dispatch flowchart and decision treereferences/simplification-cascades.md - Cascade detection and extractionreferences/collision-zone-thinking.md - Metaphor collision processreferences/meta-pattern-recognition.md - Pattern abstraction techniquesreferences/inversion-exercise.md - Assumption flipping methodologyreferences/scale-game.md - Extreme testing proceduresreferences/attribution.md - Source and adaptation notes
