What do sunscreen and a formalized problem-solving process have in common?

The perpetual illusion of not needing them.

And then…after…the sting of regret.

FRAMEWORK OBJECTIVE: TO MAKE SURE YOU SOLVE THE RIGHT PROBLEM.

Yes…immersing in this process adds a little time…5-10%…but it safeguards against spending 50% or more on solving the wrong problem.

Example…a Malaysian healthcare challenger brand knew it had trouble due to patient surveys consistently reporting an unpleasant waiting room experience.

What to do?

For months middle-management held meetings to gather more intell, as well as thoroughly brainstorm solutions. Staff training, mood music, more TVs, better magazines? After much deliberation and time-consuming development the decision was finalized to present a new interior design scheme…one that was more expressive, more resonant, with the brand and a delight for the eyes.

What happened next? Shy of a mass-firing, the furious CEO’s response to the pitch was:

Absolutely not…just reduce patient wait time to a bare a minimum with technology based logistics!

How did this happen?

Problem Solving is the ability to…

Frame
the right problem
Deconstruct
it into actionable parts
Prioritize
the most relevant facts
Decide
a course of action

Now, onto the framework that all the big consultancies, like: Bain, McKinsey, and Oliver Wyman use because great business thinking and conversations follow an efficient, easy-to-follow structure.

Effectively steering you away from gut reaction or analysis-paralysis, this hypothesis driven approach organizes your thinking into only two parts:

Step 1/Define the Problem

by setting up a well-conceived prompt that catalyzes clarity toward understanding the problem frame. The problem frame describes the prioritized lens in which to look through for understanding what’s most relevant…even trackable/measurable…and includes:

a] situation: who/why/when/where
b] the complication or the what/why making it challenging
c] most salient question? the one that, when answered, leads to the most effective or optimal solution

Chances are you’ve been involved on a project where the problem frame has already been decided. Ultimately, the frame is like the problem’s core identity…DnA…and maybe the most illusive part, early on in the process, to identify. Being wide open in the beginning regarding the problem essence sets you up best…consider, iteratively, as much as possible. If you swing/miss on the problem frame you’ll never get to the right question…much less the right answer.

Step 2/Resolve the Problem

by looking through the problem frame to formulate the right question that will lead to the right answer. And, on top of that, identify an indicator that validates how you know you’re right vs wrong.

a] a hypothesis or what you think the answer is
b] along with supporting reasons/facts that prove or disprove it.

A hypothesis/support model structures thinking before jumping into the overwhelming sea of data…and surfaces assumption and bias. Plus by disassembling the problem wall into discrete more modular bricks…your client is forced to further clarify/prioritize their objectives before you’re well down the road. In this step you might even see you need to reframe the problem.

So by, first, decomposing the work, you’re less likely to flow into an unproductive solution stream.

Here’s a few examples of Step 1…posing the right questions:

Seems easy but remember the dissatisfied customers in the waiting room?

Mid-mgmt solved for:
‘How do we make the waiting room experience better?’
CEO solved for:
‘How do we make the customer wait less?’

And even both of these questions would benefit from increased parameters like: when?, how much?, why?

As for their divergent problem framing aspect, one solution involves a pretty big capital improvement spend across a facilities network vs the other a single, centralized, one-and-done tech upgrade…it’s easy to see why rock solid problem solving (sunscreen) is critical to effective decision-making, budgeting, and efficiency.

Even utilizing this process you can still miscalculate the framing of the problem but, what it does do that a gut response cannot, is organize the quest much more clearly:

Decomposes the Work: unbundles complexity by identifying the key components of your recommendation
Prioritizes the Work: where to focus vs not enables quicker/better decisions

It’s also a tool that affords quick fluid movement and works best under circumstances like:

some familiarity with the situation
time pressure
elevated complexity
problem provability with data or observations

Breaking it down a bit more, here’s some things to keep in mind when probing both your question and answer, which should be done quickly and iteratively, before sticking:

Regarding assumptions or unconscious bias, once you’ve narrowed to say 1-3 scenarios, quickly get into the reasons.

But wait…where do I start?

There’s 50 things I could start with…this is too much, there’s no way I can do everything that needs to be done! We have too much data or will take forever to find this data...

So at this point remember the ‘80/20 Rule’…

identify the most impactful issues
focus on efficiently finding the best answer
what high-quality data do I have in hand
what is the right level of detail

To effectively think ‘80/20’ ask…

what absolutely must happen/go right in order for my hypothesis to be correct?
what will be the main concerns be to the person I need to convince?
how strong will my overall hypothesis be if all 3 reasons are proven to be true?

EXAMPLE USE CASE: STARBUCKS

OK…a lot to take in so let’s look at an actual use case for applying all this.

And here’s all the behind the scenes validation for the reasons.

So now you can provide a summary of your work in a clear, concise email format like this:

PRO TIPS

start with the easier questions first
always give attention to what has changed?
breakdown really complex problems that have multiple issues into: demand, financial, cultural
qualitative data helps parse a sentiment like anxiety which translates into a need for more efficiency, a quantitative data point!
sometimes the big name agencies actually create 2 teams to vet different YES/NO hypotheses to generate increased insights and ultimately convergence resolution between the 2 POVs. This approach is used often when the results don’t reflect what senior management wants it to say. Ha!
a great resource for even more on communicating complex and/or strategic information is Barbara Mento’s book, The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking, & Problem Solving.

SUMMARY

A great problem solver…

understands the context/bigger frame in order to ask the right question
[in]validates their hypothesis with data and evidence
is 80/20 and doesn’t try to boil the ocean
feels comfortable being proven wrong
turns insight into action quickly

And for sure this applies to your personal life too :]

So if everything in business [and life] is a choice, a decision must always precede.

Get into the groove of making your decision-making slightly more rigorous because two steps forward, and potentially only one back, is just so much better than the other way around.

Add this tool to your everyday to help yourself and your team work more efficiently.

Never forget the sunscreen…annoying at the beginning but a lifesaver in the long game :]

#process #processframework #problemframing #problemsolving #bigdata #decisionmaking #strategy #complexity

I learned this framework from Jenny Tung/Partner and Global Head of Bain Academy Bain in earning my Digital Strategy Certification as an enrolled member of the Section: Business Education Masterclass Platform founded by Scott Galloway.

Frmwrk 01: CULTIVATE A Problem Solving MINDSET