Problem Solving: God is in the Definition
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"Why are we still talking about this? We know what the problem is. Let's get to work."
I've heard something like that hundreds of times in my working life and I've learned that it includes a very important and characteristically American assumption. Problem definition is not work, only problem solving is work.
That's a dangerous assumption because your definition of a problem limits where you look for solutions. Define it as an "accounting problem," and you won't seek any other kind of solution, for example. It's also dangerous because it's a cultural bias, which means we're unlikely to question it.
If you want to well and truly solve problems, you need to apply some rigor to the definition process while you fight off the tendency to "get to work." Here are some sets of questions you can use to help you.
What do we know? What don't we know? What do we presume? In my experience, a lot of things in the "know" column wind up in the "presumed" column on the first go-around.
When? Where? With/for whom? Does the problem occur? After you've answered this set of questions for the first time, it's a good idea to ask, "Who are the stakeholders?" Then involve them in asking the questions again.
Is this a problem or is it a mess? Russell Ackoff defined a "mess" as a system of problems. Sometimes what you perceive as a single problem is really several problems that interact.
What's the story? This is my favorite problem definition question. Another way to ask it is, "How did we come to be here today discussing this issue?" You'll find that all manner of insights spring from the narrative.
Boss's Bottom Line
Good problem solving depends on rigorous problem definition.
Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.
Wally,
Great post. As a supervisor, I know how easy it is to get caught up in trying to solve superficial problems that are really manifestations of the real underlying problem. These questions will definitely help identify the real problem. Thank you.
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Thank you for those kind words, Eric.
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Thanks Wally-
I liked the different perspective on problem solving. I have been looking at a specific issue in my office that seem to be reoccurring and trying to figure out ways to change our systems to get different results. It seems as though the same issue is a giant time sucker for my team and leads to major frustration for us.
You made me realize that maybe the definition of the problem isn't what I thought and that I need to go much deeper to address and change it. I think all along I have been trying to change the wrong system. I have honestly spent years trying to educate and train my team on how to make this system weakness invisible to our clients. Starting this week, I'm going to attack the system weakness.
Thanks for the insight.
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Thanks, Jenn. You reminded me of two things. The best people I've witnessed doing problem definition use more than one technique. I've never studied this, but it looks to me like the more techniques they use, the more likely they'll get a good definition. BUT, if you're only going to use one technique out of my list, use the story. I think it works well because it's not analysis-oriented, so insights can bubble up and many people can participate in putting the story together. Please come back and let us know how this works out for you.
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It's amazing how many times people will just assume to know the solution to a problem, then go at it full speed ahead only to find weeks later that they spent massive amounts of time and money solving the wrong problem. I've seen this many times, both at work and in my personal life.
Thanks for reminding me to slow down, figure out what the real problem is, find the right solution, then fix the problem. Measure twice, cut once mentality. It's the smarter way to problem solve. And thank you for the ways to start finding what the true problem is.
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Thanks, Lindsey. I actually think a more frequent occurrence is that people proceed the way you describe, but don't recognize that they're working on the wrong problem. Instead they think they've simply failed to come up with a good solution and set off, at full speed, on a different solution to the same wrong problem.
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