Some problems with problems

Remember the good old days when many of our problems were well structured and had a simple answer? Teachers gave us problems and we had to figure out the answer. How much is 2 plus 7? What’s the capital of Norway? Simple problems, simple solutions.

Too bad life isn’t quite so straightforward.

Life is not a textbook

Here are some complications that we face in the “real world.”

• You think you have a problem, but you are not sure. Face it, some problems are almost invisible. Customer satisfaction and employee morale are examples that come to mind. Are they happy and satisfied or not?
• You know you have a problem, but you don’t know why. For example, same-store sales are dropping. Marketing sees the problem as lack of advertising. Merchandizing sees a problem with product mix. What’s the real problem? No one really knows. But they have a solution.
• You know what the problem is, but you don’t know where to start. Suppose you are challenged to move your manufacturing plant.  Where do you start?
• The problem keeps changing shape. You see this often in big information technology projects. The more the client learns about the system the more they want to modify it.

Problem with problems: they’re not always obvious

You think you have a problem, but you are not sure. Face it, some problems are almost invisible. Customer satisfaction and employee morale are examples that come to mind. Are they happy and satisfied or not?

Sometimes the only way to find out if you have a problem is to go and look for it. Talk with your customers and employees before they abandon you and your business.

Problem finding is often the starting point to problem solving.

Problem with problems: tunnel vision exists

You know you have a problem, but you don’t know why. For example, same-store sales are dropping. Marketing sees the problem as lack of advertising. Merchandizing sees a problem with product mix. What’s the real problem?

We see problems through the lens that we use most often.

What to do? Spend the time finding the root cause(s). There are proven ways to determine root causes of problems. Use them.

Problem with problems: complexity

You know what the problem is, but you don’t know where to start. Suppose you are challenged to move your manufacturing plant from Gurnee, Illinois to Phoenix, Arizona within the next six months. Where do you start?

This big problem is really a collection of interrelated problems that can be handled separately and then integrated into a big plan. You might break it into categories such as:

• Customers and their patience during the move.
• Products and inventory at both locations.  
• Information technology – new systems?
• Workforce: hire, fire, severance pay?
• Facility size and layout.
• Policies and procedures.
• Logistics of moving inventory, people, and equipment.
• Etc.

Problem with problems: they’re dynamic

The problem keeps changing shape. You see this often in big information technology projects. The more the client learns about the system the more they want to modify it.

You may need to freeze the problem at a point in time or at a point of design. “This will be the Beta version. All other requests will be considered after this version is stable and running.” Freezing a problem is one way to structure the problem for resolution. OK, my head is spinning.