The essence of the problem is clear: basically, it is the difference between what you have/where you are and what you want/where you want to be. In practice, it means knowing what you have to do, what you have to give up or what to avoid. In fact, the real causes of the problem are hidden under many other "obvious" problems which need to be revealed first ... Do you know the strategy of "Five Whys"? In Japanese and gradually also in Western companies, this has been a common approach to problem solving for many years. Japanese managers believe that by answering the fifth "why?" they get to the core of the problem and thus to its solution. Are you unfamiliar with this method? Then think about it along with the Management Issues server which recently publishing an article on this topic.
How to use this method
1. Identify specific problems or issues that your organisation, department or other unit faces. If they are not immediately evident, simply ask around.
2. Categorise the problems according to their similarities and exclude duplication. Create a list with short descriptions but no discussion of the issues.
3. Assign a value to every problem and specify the order in which you want to tackle them in the team. Everyone in the team can attribute a different value to the problem, e.g. from 1 (the most urgent problem) to 6 (a negligible issue). Which of the problems appears to be the most pressing? Focus on it and start with the first "why?".
For example: "Why has the number of customer complaints about the new product increased?" Here, you are at the first response level. Record all the answers you receive and then select one. "Because frequent defects occur.". Start asking again: "Why are there often occurring defects?" And you are on the second response level. Continue this process until the fifth level. Did you find a solution?
If you have more time and want to analyse the problem in detail, then you should look for causes for each answer and ask questions systematically. You may find that more problems have the same denominator. Finding the real cause sometimes takes five minutes and sometimes five days. Sooner or later, with this method, you will discover a causal connection to your problems.
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