Most businesses jump straight to solutions before they even understand the problem. They implement fixes that don't work because they're focusing on the wrong thing. Here are the ten questions you can ask to diagnose the core problem before choosing to propose a solution.
The Questions
1. "What changed right before this problem started?"
Problems don't appear randomly. Something had to trigger it. If you find the trigger, you can isolate the problem.
2. "Is this problem new, or has it always been here?"
New problems have "new" or recent causes. Old problems are embedded in your systems.
3. "Does anyone benefit from this problem existing?"
If a problem persists and someone or some department is incentivized to keep it or benefit from it, you NEED to find them.
4. "What are we calling this problem?"
How we label a problem directly leads to how we determine solutions. For example: "People problem" = firing people. "Systems problem" = fixing systems. Choose carefully how you label.
5. "How do we know this is actually a problem?"
Feelings aren't facts. Read that again! What's the measurable impact? If you can't measure it, you can't fix it.
6. "Who else is affected by this problem?"
Problems always have a ripple effect. Find all the downstream effects before you solve it.
7. "What/How have we already tried to solve this problem?"
If previous fixes have already failed, why did they fail? Document attempts and don't repeat failed solutions.
8. "What would happen if we did nothing?"
Not every problem needs to be solved. Some problems resolve themselves. Some are isolated and have little to no impact. Some just aren't worth the cost to fix.
9. "What's the root cause, not the symptom?"
Ask "why" five times. Keep digging until you hit the real cause. Have someone else ask "why" five times.
10. "What does success look like?"
If you can't define success, you can't know when you've achieved it or solved the problem.
The Key Insight
At the end of the day, solving the right problem slowly always beats solving the wrong problem quickly.
My PATT Method Pillar Focus: PERSPECTIVE 👁️
Which question do you find most useful for diagnosing your business problems?