Problem Solving with your team creates amazing buy in to the solutions!
We solve issues all day, every day, because we love our business! We rarely fix things the first time. Often it takes a few goes and sometimes we can’t solve them and need to call in an expert! As a result, we can waste a lot of time if we don’t get it right the first time.
The real art of problem solving is not hit and miss, it is three simple steps which to solve the issue the first time. This reduces wasted effort and will give you peace of mind! Although, convincing some people to not jump to solutions can be challenging!
With a background in business process improvement, running businesses, and years teaching and applying structured problem solving, I’m convinced we waste too much time working on the wrong issues and the wrong solutions.
Let’s dive in to a structured way to solve issues fast because you are better off spending time on scaling your business instead of fixing it!
Read this article or listen to the episode
Problem Solving Overview
Everyone has a solution, but not everyone knows the real issue. Let’s look at the various ways to approach problem solving, with varying levels of success.
The “I know best” approach:
The likelihood of solving a problem when people jump to solutions, or from those that shout loudest, is less than 10%!
The “this is my area” approach:
The likelihood of solving a problem from people experienced in the impacted area, is less than 50%! Now that’s a surprise….or is it?
The “structured problem solving” approach:
The likelihood of solving the issue using structured problem solving techniques is up around 80% and when using data can be as high as a 95% success rate!
Having a business measurement system in place will provide the data you need to resolve issues with confidence. Additionally, it will give you full control of your business.
As you can see from these three very different approaches, “structured problem solving” is clearly the way to go!
If we do not understand the problem, we are likely to jump to solution mode. Once we understand the problem, it is worth applying the structured problem solve approach to fix things the first time, knowing the root cause is identified and resolved!
So what is Structure Problem Solving?
To understand the power of this approach, let’s walk through a well known example and see how the approach uncovers the root cause, and solves it!
The Washington Monument in DC and Pigeon Poop
The PROBLEM: The Washington Monument in Washington DC was becoming increasingly dirty.
The initial SOLUTION applied: $5 million annual cost cleaning the monument with chemicals. The solution appears to make sense, but does it? The trouble was the SOLUTION caused the surface of the monument to deteriorate. This solution didn’t solve the root cause and instead, caused a NEW PROBLEM!!
This doesn’t happen in business does it? Hmmm..
Let’s look at what happened when the leaders applied one of the structured problem solving techniques called the “5 Whys”.
This approach is not dissimilar to the way young children constantly say “but, why?”…”but ,why?” This may be a little annoying at times, but is actually a natural and appropriate way to understand things. Out of the mouth of babes!!”
STRUCTURED PROBLEM SOLVING APPROACH
Working with the original issue, here is the 5 Why’s being applied:
Question 1 – Why was the monument dirty in the first place?
Answer: Pigeon poop
Question 2 – Why so much pigeon poop?
Answer: Lots of pigeon landing in the evening.
Question 3 – Why so many pigeons in the evening?
Answer: Pigeons come to feed on spiders
Question 4 – Why are there so many spiders there in the evening?
Answer: Spiders come out at dusk to feed on insects.
Question 5 – Why are there so many insects in the evening?
Answer: The monument lights coming on at dusk replicate the insects preferred mating conditions.
ROOT CAUSE IDENTIFIED
The monument lights coming on at dusk attracTs the insects, bringing out the spiders, encouraging the pigeons to land, who then eat the spiders and poop on the monument!
Once the root cause was understood, the solution became obvious! Don’t turn the lights on at dusk, turn them on one hour later. As a result, no insects, no spiders, no pigeons, no poop.
The Results:
- Fixed the root cause
- Saved $5 million annually on cleaning and chemicals
- Saved one hour of electricity daily
A no brainer! This structured approach works because it identifies the root cause! It’s a bit of a SLOW DOWN, to GO FAST, APPROACH!! Why would you do it any other way?
Let’s walk through structured problem solving in detail to ensure you solve the REAL problem, not the symptoms!!
Step 1 – Define and Understand the Problem.
It is critical to understanding the problem before diving into problem solving. Look at each problem and document the following attributes:
- The impact on cost, time, or quality
- The frequency the problem occurs
- Who this impacts
- The part of your business experiencing this issue
- The processes in the business relevant to the problem
- Any data relevant to the problem
If you don’t have a clear picture of your business processes, you may benefit from documenting your business model first, because flying blind is simply to risky. Go to Episode 04 | What is a Business Model and why do i need one anyway!
Step 2 – Determine the Real Cause of the problem (the root cause)
Get your team together to work on it with you because they will add value to a brainstorming exercise. This is a great opportunity to develop your team and create a common goal.
Complete the following steps:
- Brainstorm all the potential causes of the problem. Consider all the weird and wonderful reasons it could have occurred. No idea is excluded.
- Vote on the most likely cause.
- For each of the top 3 likely causes, apply the 5 Whys technique demonstrated in the Washington Monument story to uncover the root cause.
Firstly, the real cause will emerge! Secondly, your team will be amazed! And finally, you will save time and money by not working on the wrong problem and more importantly, the wrong solution!
Step 3 – Determine the Solution
If the solution is not obvious after the 5 Whys, you can brainstorm solution options with your team and vote on the best one to apply. However, you may need to remove any roadblocks like costs etc… but again, a great team building session!!
– OVER TO YOU –
Applying this technique, you will solve problems the first time. Consequently, you will save time and money, and a whole lot of frustration!
This is a game changer in the world of business. but only for those that fully embrace every step of the process. Those that can resolve issues on the fly, with a team of people who understand this technique, will grow and scale quickly, bringing incredible value.
A problem-solving mindset will change how you and your time look at issues in your business. Each problem becomes an opportunity to streamline your processes, improve your productivity, and increase your bottom line! As a result, you will feel less stress and have certainty with every decision you make!
BONUS QUICK WIN – WHAT PROBLEM ARE YOU TRYING TO SOLVE?
Imagine if you and your team could stop emotive or knee jerk solutioning in your business. Learning a problem solving technique changes the way we think about our business issues and solutions!
The one question you want to hear around your business is “What problem are you trying to solve?”
This will stop all those unneccessary solutions looking for a problem! Although, it is lovely to have your team using their initiative, teaching them a structured approach so they find the root cause, will save them time. They will learn not to nd don’t implement any changes without asking “what problem are we trying to solve?”
How a Client saved 100’s of Thousands using Structured Problem Solving!
Client was told they needed a $50k computer application to resolve their
business issues. The issue was they were not meeting all deadlines for
large manufacturing jobs. They were about to sign a contract with a software
company. Thankfully, they hadn’t signed yet!! I asked if they could hold off
signing the contract while I ran a workshop with them and their leadership team
to ensure the problem was understood.
They agreed!
A few days later, I walked through the structure appraoch with the team and the business owners. In short, we discovered the root cause: tools were not being tracked across the jobs out in the field and
it was delaying delivery.
The proposed software system was not going to solve this issue. The$50k solution proposed by the software salesman include annual licences, initial and ongoing training costs, and system updates in the future. I’ve seen this a lot, my IT background smelled a rat. System salesmen are brilliant at having a solution
looking for a problem. I am glad I recommended we first understand the root cause before we agree to signing anything!
During the workshop the team came up with a simple solution – to track the
tools using an existing online solution. Too easy, no extra costs, and the team
was completely excited about implementing their own solution!
The end result, was the owners solved their issue, hit their deadlines,
reduced fines applied to delays, and ultimately set their business up for sale…
for millions!! All this without an expensive system.
I love this technique… I hope you do to!!
TO RECAP
Apply this simple method whenever you have a issue impacting your business (or life).
- Define and understand your problem
- Determine the root cause using this structured technique
- Determine the best solution
If you are an active learner, and enjoy sharing the journey with others, join our private facebook community. I will be there actively moderating, sharing additional information, and fostering a community that is safe, supportive and powerful. Think of this as your online mastermind group. Come be a part of it!
See you there!