Keep Digging

The first cause you find to a problem is probably not the last cause or even the main cause. Keep digging.

-- doug smith

Keep Digging

The root cause of your problem is probably deeper than you suspect.

Keep digging.

-- doug smith

 

Problems Leave Clues

Check each problem for clues to its cause and be careful about distracting expectations.

It may not be what you thought it is. Dig deeper.

-- doug smith

If Your Have the Same Problem Over and Over...

If you have the same problem that you had a year ago you have not yet found the real problem.

-- doug smith

How to Analyze Root Cause Using Mind Maps

The Five Why's is a famous and useful tool for conducting a root cause analysis in problem solving. I've applied the idea of asking why five (more or less) times to get at the root cause and applied it to mind mapping. Since many problems have more than one cause, applying the process to a mind map keeps the door open for identifying many possible causes. While any one may appear to be the root cause, it is only in comparing all of them that you can clearly see the best opportunity. Here's the process that I use:

1. Start your mind map by writing your problem in the center. (In the example above, Stairway Accidents is the problem.)
2. Radiat out reasons why there is a problem. What are the causes? What causes that cause? ("what causes" is as useful as "why" and without the emotional turmoil.)
3. For each cause, ask why it's true or what causes it. Why that cause? What causes that - and radiate out your answers.
4. Some "what causes that" may produce more than one response. This is another reason why the mind map approach works so well. Simply branch out more causes.
5. If a cause emerges as too expensive to solve at present, place a dollar-sign on that trail. More dollar signs, if you like to embellish, for even more expensive causes to fix. 
6. If a cause appears only manageable and not within your influence to solve, put an "X" at the end. You may choose to avoid attempting to solve these.
7. The most likely cause behind it all AND one within your influence and budge to solve, draw a double line path and put a star at the end. This is your best solution opportunity.
8. Create a dotted circle around the original problem circle. Write your goal or key action/focus in this new surrounding circle.

Folly

It doesn't solve a problem to curse its cause.

-- Doug Smith

Understand Your Problem

Have you ever tried to solve a problem that you didn't fully understand?

How did that turn out? Whenever I try to solve a problem that I don't fully understand I'm not happy with the results. I solve the wrong problem. Or I solve a symptom of the problem but not the root cause.

We need to go deeper. We need to take the time to understand what's going on. We need to understand our problem before we solve it.

It's counter-productive to solve a problem we don't understand.

Let's take the time to figure out what's going on. Let's understand our problem first, and then set about coming up with possible solutions.

Do you understand your biggest problem today?

-- Doug Smith

Front Range Leadership: High Performance Leadership Training

doug smith training: helping people communicate more effectively

What have you learned today?

Face Your Hidden Truths

Do you ever hide from yourself?

That might sound silly, but I think I've done it. We hide from ourselves when there is something about a problem that we need to solve that is really more about the choices we make that what is happening to us. In other words, sometimes we cause our own problems.

We break our own diets. We ignore our own exercise regimen. We avoid the people on our team we most need to talk with. We keep conversations light that need to go much, much deeper.

We don't do these things all the time, but when we do, they contribute to (and even cause) the problems in front of us.

To solve our toughest problems we must be willing to face our own hidden truths.

What kind of hidden truths? That's up to you.

-- Doug Smith

Front Range Leadership: Training Supervisors for Success

doug smith training: how to achieve your project goals

Find Your Problem's Secret Ingredients

Did you know that many problems have two secret ingredients?

No, it's not a special sauce or patented process. The secret ingredients are two things that hide under all the symptoms and cloud a problem solvers focus on the situation.

Centered problem solvers figure out what are the secret ingredients and how they are effecting the ideas being created, the pain being felt, the reactions of the people involved. Very often there are two secret ingredients:

Problems have one or both: a solution and/or a viable use.

Sometimes people don't want to solve what is framed as a problem because it already serves their needs. They like it. A person may not see the injustice in unequal distribution of resources if they have all the resources they need. A person may not see hunger as a problem if they eat in fine restaurants every night. A person may not see unhappy customers as a problem if the work is easier when the customer goes away.

The viable use could even be sensible, useful, and correct. Identifying something as a problem doesn't mean that it IS a problem, and certainly not for everyone.

That's why centered problem solvers stay curious. That's why to solve a problem on a long term basis (I'm hesitant to say forever) it's useful to figure out what the secret ingredients are. Your secret ingredients might vary, but they are probably there. What will you do about them?

-- Doug Smith

Front Range Leadership: Training Supervisors for Success

doug smith training: how to achieve your project goals