The Place of Wicked Problems in Engineering Problem Solving: A Proposed Taxonomy

Abstract

The engineering method is one of the key features of defining and identifying engineers. Engineering education overwhelmingly relies on well-structured problems to teach students the deductive process of breaking down problems into their components in order to find solutions. However, many of the problems facing society are not well-structured. This paper presents a taxonomy of different types of problems that engineers face based on both the structure of the problem (i.e., whether it is well-structured or ill-structured) and whether there is a previously identified solution space. The taxonomy includes four types of problem: Routine problems that are well-structured with established solutions; originative problems that are also well-structured, but have no established solution; Process-oriented problems that are ill-structured, but there are established solutions and methods for finding solutions; and Wicked problems that are ill-structured and have no pre-defined solutions. A study of the types of problems incorporated in engineering curricula in eight engineering programs is presented. The results show that there is an overwhelming reliance on well-structured problems, with an average of 95.4% of engineering courses using well-structured problems. Process-oriented problems are represented in an average of 5.6% of courses. originative problems are given in an average of 9.0% of courses. Wicked problems are not represented in any of the engineering courses.