Have you ever heard the expression a problem well stated is a problem half solved?
This expression is usually credited to Charles Kettering but do you think it's true? I would say yes and no.
Creating a problem statement is certainly a great way to start addressing an issue. Take emotion, blame and solutionising out of the equation, be factual and objective, and ask yourself some basic questions.
So how do you start? Well, we will need some help from a fish, a fish? Yes a fish, but we will get to that later, so let’s get into it.
In our fast-paced world we're constantly hitting problems and because we're under pressure to deliver we often jump straight into possible solutions. It's an instinctive reaction, particularly if you're a manager or a team leader.
But without clear understanding of why they're happening you can end up chasing your tail.
Now, problem statements help you to get to and clarify the root cause as it shows you how to break down the problem.
Ask yourself the following four questions, but remember, take all emotion out of this don’t, place blame anywhere or on anyone and be factual and objective. Gather as much data as you can surrounding the problem and then run through these questions.
First, identify the problem, so ask what is the problem. State it factually and objectively.
Second, provide context for the problem, so ask where is the problem observed, when was it first observed, how is the problem observed, and how often is it observed.
Thirdly state the consequences, so ask why is it a problem and who or what is impacted.
Fourthly define the objective, so ask what does success look like, what is the desired end result. Setting a clear vision for the desired outcome gives you a tangible target to aim for.
Run through these questions a few times and refine your answers, if you can't answer any of them you need to gather more data. Once you're happy set up a session with colleagues connected with the problem and share your problem statement draft.
You're seeking consensus with your problem statement here, you need to brainstorm to reach a hypothesis with the group. You can use the five why’s approach here to help, an over simplification, but ask why five times on each question until the answer becomes clearer.
But it's extremely important that you have the right people in the room for this, if you don't consider multiple viewpoints you may end up going down a rabbit hole. So don't ignore stakeholders views and don't forget to ensure that you're aligned with corporate strategy, don't misalign with organisational goals.
Once you’ve reached a consensus on the problem statement it's then time to run a root cause analysis session.
There are many types of root cause analysis but remember our fish? How can that help us?
Well our fish is actually a fishbone, it's the fishbone technique for root cause analysis.
The fishbone technique is a cause and effect diagram, it helps brainstorming to identify possible causes of a problem by sorting ideas into useful categories.
It's a visual way to look at cause and effect, it's a more structured approach than some other tools available.
A problem statement or effect is displayed at the head or mouth of the fish, possible contributing causes are listed on the smaller bones under various cause categories.
A fishbone diagram can be helpful in identifying possible causes for a problem that might not otherwise be considered by directing the team to look at the categories and think of alternative causes.
Now to use a fishbone diagram follow these steps.
Place the agreed problem statement at the mouth of the fish
Agree on the major categories of causes of the problem which are written as the branches from the main arrow
Brainstorm all the possible causes of the problem and ask why does this happen
As each idea is given the facilitator writes the causal factor as a branch for the appropriate category.
Causes can be written in several places if they relate to several categories. Ask again why does this happen about each cause, write sub causes branching off the cause branches.
Continue to ask why and generate deeper levels of causes and continue organising them under related causes or categories.
This will help you to identify and then address root causes to prevent future problems.
Some tips here:
Use the fishbone diagram tool to keep the team focused on the causes of the problem rather than the symptoms.
Consider drawing your fishbone on a flip chart or large dry erase board or something like Mural, Miro or Microsoft Whiteboard if you're working remotely.
Make sure to leave enough space between the major categories on the diagram so that you can add minor detailed causes later.
When you're brainstorming causes consider having team members write each cause on sticky notes going around the group asking each person for one cause, continue going through the rounds getting more causes until all ideas are exhausted.
Encourage each person to participate in the brainstorming activity and to voice their own opinions.
The five why’s technique is often used in conjunction with the fishbone diagram, keep asking why until you get to the root cause, well no more than five times.
To help identify the root causes from all the ideas generated consider a multi voting technique such as having each team member identify the top three root causes, ask each team member to place coloured sticky dots on the fishbone next to what they believe are the root causes that could potentially be addressed.
Problem statements and fishbone diagrams are a great start to fixing a problem, it's half solved already!
But hold on a minute, there's another expression you may have heard of;
Can't see the wood for the trees
Sometimes when we are emotionally invested with a problem we miss the bigger picture because we focus too much on the detail.
Design Thinking can help us. It's an approach to help broaden our thinking by asking questions such as, where is the market heading, what are our customers doing, what do they want, how do they feel, what are our competitors doing.
Research and data is critical in order to answer these questions, personas and empathy maps can be very useful in uncovering the less obvious.
Remember Toys R Us, Blockbusters and Nokia? They are classic examples of not using this approach.
They failed to see the danger of companies like Amazon, Netflix and Apple as they focused too much on the smaller detail and maintaining the status quo.
A Design Thinker would be much more likely to say ‘a problem well stated could lead to something new and exciting’.
So collaborate, communicate make new connections and build better and deeper relationships with other teams, leadership and stakeholders to get a wider perspective, and maybe, just maybe, spot the wood hiding in the trees.
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