creative-problem-solving — independently scanned and version-tracked by SaferSkills.
SaferSkills independently audited creative-problem-solving (Agent Skill) and scored it 100/100 (green). The audit ran 55 deterministic rules across Security, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Transparency, and Community; it found 0 high-severity and 0 lower-severity findings. The full rule-by-rule trace and per-finding evidence are below. Free, methodology-open.
Findings & checks · 0 flagged
Every scanned point with the score it earned and what moved between them.
First recorded scan — no prior version to compare against.
The primary manifest — the file an agent reads to learn what this artifact does.
Generate breakthrough solutions using structured creativity techniques matched to problem type. Forward-looking, divergent thinking — complements critical-intuition (backward-looking, convergent).
Use when:
Do NOT use when:
critical-intuitioncritical-intuitionprioritizationcritical-intuitionWhat type of problem are you solving?
├── Stuck in conventional thinking / mental block
│ └── Lateral Thinking -> random entry, provocation, escape assumptions
├── Need systematic exploration of solution space
│ └── SCAMPER + Morphological Analysis -> structured ideation
├── Strategic or competitive problem
│ ├── Incentives/misaligned actors -> Game Theory -> Nash equilibrium, incentive alignment
│ └── Fundamental constraints -> First Principles -> question everything assumed
├── Organizational/team dynamics
│ └── Systems Thinking -> feedback loops, leverage points, second-order effects
├── Choosing between generated options
│ └── Decision Frameworks -> expected value, Pareto optimization, reversibility test
└── Need to evaluate existing ideas, not generate new ones?
└── Use critical-intuition insteadExtract the real problem beneath the stated one:
Challenge assumptions explicitly. List all implicit assumptions and question which can be removed.
View the problem through multiple lenses before solving:
For techniques, read references/reframing-techniques.md.
Generate diverse solutions using matched creativity techniques:
| Problem Type | Technique | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mental blocks | Random entry, provocation, escape assumptions | references/lateral-thinking.md |
| Systematic exploration | SCAMPER, morphological analysis, cross-domain transfer | references/ideation-techniques.md |
| Strategic innovation | Game theory, first principles, systems thinking | references/strategic-frameworks.md |
Evaluate generated solutions with strategic frameworks:
For frameworks, read references/strategic-frameworks.md.
Synthesize into actionable recommendations:
Apply decision frameworks: expected value for uncertainty, Pareto for trade-offs, real options for flexibility, reversibility test for one-way vs. two-way doors.
For frameworks, read references/decision-frameworks.md.
| Signal | Use Technique | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "We've tried everything" | Lateral thinking + inversion | Break the pattern by forcing random connections |
| "We need more options" | SCAMPER + morphological analysis | Systematically explore combinations |
| "Competitors react to our moves" | Game theory | Map incentives and equilibrium outcomes |
| "Why do we even do it this way?" | First principles | Strip to fundamentals and rebuild |
| "Teams are blocking each other" | Systems thinking + game theory | Find incentive misalignment and leverage points |
| "What's the best approach?" | Expected value + reversibility test | Quantify trade-offs and identify safe-to-reverse options |
| Anti-Pattern | Problem | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Skipping Step 1 (deep understanding) | Solutions address stated problem, not real need | Always extract: "What is the underlying goal?" and "What happens if we do nothing?" |
| Jumping to a single "best" answer | Short-circuits divergent exploration; misses high-leverage unconventional options | Generate 5-10 alternatives before converging; ask for approaches with trade-offs, not "the answer" |
| Not sharing what has already been tried | Skill regenerates solutions already rejected | Provide prior approaches and why each failed in your prompt |
| Critiquing instead of generating | Asking "critique this plan" triggers analysis, not ideation | Use this skill for generating alternatives; use critical-intuition for critique |
| Abstraction without grounding | Game theory analysis too abstract to map to concrete actions | Name specific actors, specific moves, specific payoffs; ground in real people and teams |
| Skipping feasibility assessment | Generated ideas are inspiring but have no implementation path | Never skip Step 4 (analysis) and Step 5 (recommendation); every idea needs feasibility check |
| Assuming constraints are real | Ghost constraints narrow solution space invisibly | Explicitly label each constraint as "verified" or "assumption" and challenge assumptions |
| Creative thinking without rigor | Unconventional ideas fail in real-world strategic complexity | Always pair generation (this skill) with analysis (game theory, Bayesian reasoning, systems thinking) |
What to include in your prompt for best results:
| Input | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| What you have already tried + why each failed | Prevents regenerating rejected solutions |
| Real constraint vs. assumed constraint | Identifies ghost constraints to challenge |
| Who the relevant actors are | Game theory needs named players with real incentives |
| Your resources and advantages | Asymmetric strategy depends on knowing your strengths |
| What "success" looks like | Enables expected value calculation and decision criteria |
Template prompt:
We have been trying to [solve problem] for [duration]. Approaches we've tried: [list each with why it failed]. The constraint we're working within: [describe, noting which are assumptions]. Our resources/advantages: [list]. Stakeholders involved: [who has influence]. Help me find approaches outside our current thinking.references/lateral-thinking.md — Random entry, provocation, escape assumptions, concept fanreferences/strategic-frameworks.md — Game theory, first principles, systems thinkingreferences/reframing-techniques.md — Abstraction shifts, perspective rotation, constraint manipulationreferences/ideation-techniques.md — SCAMPER, morphological analysis, TRIZ principlesreferences/decision-frameworks.md — Multi-criteria analysis, expected value, bias mitigation~30 seconds. Free. No account. Every finding cites a rule and a line of evidence.