The following 3 Thinkies help get unstuck when solving a problem by reframing the solution.
Pattern: You’re stuck solving a complex problem.
Transformation: You solve a more general problem of which your specific problem is a special case.
The basic idea for More General Solution comes from mathematics, where it occurs frequently. In algebra you have the specific problem of finding the root(s) of an equation. Proving that every non-constant polynomial equation has at least one root in the complex numbers provides insight into the methods required to find root(s) of particular equation.
We applied More General Solution at Lifeware, where we have to frequently calculate insurance premiums. Actuarial math can be fiddly & complex. However, once we had a composable set of probabilistic cash flows, we could just tack those pieces together with high confidence.
You have to be careful that More General Solution doesn’t become a rabbit hole. Operating in the general space feels good—high leverage, low feedback. So yes pursue More General Solutions but stay attached to the original problem you were trying to solve. Once it’s solved, consider carefully how much more you want to invest in your More General Solution.
(A bonus of More General Solutions is that they open up new options. Once we had probabilistic cash flows, we could compose entirely new insurance products that would have been too difficult to implement otherwise.)