Problem statement

After years of working in process improvement, I’ve noticed a recurring pattern: people spend more time finding solutions than truly understanding the real problem. It’s as if there’s an urgency to act without questioning whether we’re addressing the root cause or just a symptom.

This even happens in our personal lives—when our child cries, we rush to put on a band-aid without even asking what happened. Unfortunately, we’ve been taught that solving problems is how we add value.

Here are three tricks to identify when we’re only addressing a symptom and how to avoid it:

1. Schedule two separate meetings: one to define the problem and another to find the solution. This prevents the team from assuming a problem too quickly and jumping into solutions within five minutes.

2. Ask attendees: What do you know about this problem that others in this room might not? This forces people to think and explain how they perceive the issue.

3. Finally, when you think you’ve defined the problem, ask yourself: Will this solution fix the issue permanently?

"Companies and individuals waste a huge amount of time solving the wrong problems. It’s much easier to treat symptoms than to diagnose the disease, to put out fires rather than prevent them."

— Clear Thinking, Shane Parrish