It is easy to become absorbed by the detail and miss the real issue.

For example, design and engineering maybe asked to design a better kettle. The design team start by looking at each constituent of a kettle, the heating element, the water container, the switch etc. The usual questions would be asked e.g. "How can the heater be improved?" "Can a different type of water container be used?"

Although this approach produces good results it is unlikely to yield a totally revolutionary concept.

An alternative method would be to ask "What is The Function of a kettle?" To which the answer is something like "To provide boiling water for domestic use". This strategy may yield an entirely different set of solutions and perhaps an original concept.

It is important to ask the correct question at the outset.

If you are facing a problem and there is no sign of a break through, ensure you have all the facts concerning the issue and then try to forget  it for a while (often easier said than done). In many cases, the next morning or a couple of days later, say after a relaxing weekend, an answer will become apparent.

There are a number of theories which explain why this may work which suggest that the brain sometimes processes ideas in the background, often doing a better job without conscious intervention.

By questioning ordinary, everyday things it may be possible to see issues or problems which remain hidden. As Plato said "Necessity Is The Mother of Invention". If there is no perceived need there can be no solution or "A need or problem encourages creative efforts to meet the need or solve the problem.".