The Wicked Problem Solving Method™
The visual method for solving wicked problems.
Wicked Problem Solving is a methodology, like Lean or Agile, for the people who want a proven way to think, decide, and lead. Developed and refined through thirty years of solving real problems inside organisations like NASA, Nike, and Pfizer, the WPS method is now available as a professional certificate course for the first time.
A trusted method used by:
The WPS Method
Underneath Wicked Problem Solving is a simple system anyone can learn and run. A set of principles that drive collaboration, a library of activities, "Plays" that put those principles into action, and the visual workspaces where the work happens.
Built on Plays
At the heart of WPS is the Play, a structured, time-bound activity teams run to work through a specific problem, generate options, or reach a decision. Every Play combines a visual workspace, a set of key questions, and clear tasks that move groups from where they are to where they need to be. The method comes with a library of Plays for the situations teams face most, plus the framework to design your own.
Your Brain is Built for This
Roughly a third of the cortex is dedicated to visual processing. When ideas become visible on a wall, a map, a sticky note, teams see patterns, test assumptions, and make decisions with greater clarity. WPS is built around how cognition actually works.
Three Proven Principles
Three principles drive every Play and every WPS engagement: lead with key questions, make thinking visible, and engage with clear tasks. Each one solves a specific problem teams already have. Questions give the work focus, visible thinking turns abstract ideas into something you can move and refine, and clear tasks turn passive bystanders into active participants. Getting all three right is the difference between collaboration that produces real outcomes and collaboration that produces another meeting.
Who It's For
Managers & Team Leaders
You run meetings and own outcomes. WPS gives you a repeatable system to turn group work into focused sessions that produce real decisions.Short description of this audience.
Consultants & Facilitators
You guide others through complexity. WPS gives you a distinctive visual method that builds client credibility, delivers outcomes they can see, and sets you apart from consultants selling the same frameworks.
Decision Makers
You own outcomes that require real alignment, not just agreement in the room. WPS gives your team a visible, repeatable structure for decisions that transform organizations.
The Founder
The Mind Behind the Method
Tom Wujec is the creator of the Wicked Problem Solving® system, a visual thinking framework refined over thirty years with the world's most complex organizations. He is a Fellow at Autodesk, a founding professor at Singularity University, and one of the few people to have spoken at TED multiple times, with talks viewed more than 15 million times.
Before WPS, he helped bring Maya and SketchBook Pro to market at Alias and Autodesk. Maya won an Academy Award for transforming filmmaking; SketchBook Pro is now used by 40 million designers.
Across more than 400 keynotes and workshops with Fortune 500 leaders, one pattern kept surfacing: the teams that solved the hardest problems were the ones who could make their thinking visible. That insight became Wicked Problem Solving.
Meet the WPS Team →“You don't solve hard problems by talking more. You solve them by making ideas visible.”
The Learning Experience
A Method Designed for How You Actually Learn
Five research-backed principles that close the gap between understanding a method and being able to use it with confidence.
For Organizations
Bring Wicked Problem Solving to your organization
Wicked Problem Solving has helped Nike, NASA, and Fortune 500 teams work through their hardest decisions. Our team partners with you directly, designing custom keynotes, workshops, and playbooks around your goals and your people.
EXPLORE ORGANIZATIONS →Keynotes
Founder Tom Wujec and WPS Fellows deliver custom keynotes on emerging technology, business innovation, and creative collaboration, built around your audience and the moment you're trying to create.
Workshops
Tailored visual workshops that align teams on the hardest decisions. From small executive offsites to large conference engagements, every session is designed around your specific challenges.
Training & Playbooks
License our course for your teams and create custom visual guides, digital or physical, that embed the WPS method into your team's day-to-day work and live on long after the engagement ends.
Adopted Across Industries
Trusted By Teams At
Common Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is Wicked Problem Solving?
Wicked Problem Solving is a visual thinking system that teams at Nike, NASA, and Fortune 500 organizations use to align on complex decisions and run meetings that actually move work forward. The method was developed by Tom Wujec over thirty years of work with the world's most complex organizations, and now lives across online courses, the WPS book, physical playbooks, card decks, and live workshops led by Tom and the WPS team.
Who is WPS for?
WPS is for anyone who leads, facilitates, or owns the outcomes of group work. Our learners are managers running team meetings, consultants facilitating client workshops, product leaders leading cross-functional projects, and educators teaching collaborative skills. The shared trait is wanting a system you can actually pick up and use, rather than another framework that sits on a shelf.
How is WPS different from other facilitation methods?
Most facilitation methods give you principles to apply on your own, while WPS gives you a structured library of visual activities (called "plays") that teams can pick up and use the same day, so the method shows up in the work rather than living in a binder. Each play is a small, repeatable tool that makes thinking visible, surfaces what's actually at stake, and moves a group from open discussion to clear decisions and ownership.
Where should I start with WPS?
Meeting Mastery is the best entry point for most people. It's our flagship online course, designed to teach the foundational methodology you can apply to meetings -often the most frustrating and underused group environment at work. Beyond the course, the wider WPS system includes books, physical card decks, downloadable playbooks, and live workshops run by Tom and the WPS team for teams and organizations.
How long does Meeting Mastery take and what's included?
The full course runs about 90 minutes across more than 40 short video lessons, designed so you can move through them at your own pace and fit lessons between meetings. Your purchase includes the WPS Playbook, 12 Meeting Maps, the WPS Play Cards deck, and a certificate of completion, so you have everything you need to run a better meeting the same week you start.
How long do I have access, and is there a money-back guarantee?
You get six months of full access from the date of purchase, with the freedom to revisit any lesson any time. The course also comes with a thirty-day money-back guarantee, processed in full with no questions asked.
Do you work with teams and organizations?
Yes. WPS has worked with Fortune 500 teams, government agencies, and Fortune 100 leaders across more than 400 keynotes and workshops worldwide. We offer enterprise licensing for teams of any size, custom workshops led by Tom and the WPS team, and longer adoption programs for organizations bringing the method in as a durable capability. Visit our organizations page to explore engagements and start a conversation.
Have a different question?
We're always happy to help. Send a note to hello@wickedproblemsolving.com and someone from the WPS team will get back to you within one business day.