Many project managers are biased for results, to a fault. They will try hasty solutions with their customers or staff, and rationalize the process as "sending up trial balloons". I've found that people are generally good for one trial balloon; willing to discuss the reason it won't work. But after one, they begin to wonder why they're doing your work for you.
If a problem has become particularly onerous, it has probably grown to include a number of component issues. Rather than attempting to solve a tangle of problems as if it were just one, take time to untangle them, separating the problem into its smaller components. Experienced project managers understand this axiom:
As you clarify a problem you are solving it.
Once you have the ingredients of a problem, you can more easily grasp the problem and the strategy for solving it starts to emerge. Breaking a problem down makes it easier to prioritize needed actions, and to affix responsibility for needed actions.
Many times, this process of talking about the problem before you talk about the solution reveals simple mis-understandings that can be cleared up with no further action. Other times, further research or discussion is needed to frame the problem in more actionable terms. That's alright, because researching a problem equips you with much of the knowledge that will be required to solve it.
Take time to understand the problem. Doing so will lead you to a useful solution.
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