Solving the right problem

A local ice cream shop is losing money. The owner thinks, 'I need more flavours!' Is that the real problem, or just a guess at a solution? Great problem solvers check they are solving the right problem before they rush to fix it.

Three words to know

The slow lift mystery

A building manager kept getting complaints that the lift was too slow. Most people said: buy a faster motor. But the real problem wasn't speed. People were bored while they waited. The fix was to put mirrors beside the lift. People checked their hair, the wait felt shorter, and the complaints stopped. A cheap answer to the right problem beat an expensive answer to the wrong one.

The bike shop backlog

A bike shop had a long queue of repairs. The first idea was to hire another mechanic. When the team looked closely, the mechanics were losing about ten minutes every hour hunting for tools in a messy workshop. The real first step was to organise and label the tool racks. Another person would just have lost tools too.

Ask why five times

To dig down to a root cause, ask 'why?' again and again. Why is the floor wet? The pipe is leaking. Why is it leaking? The seal broke. Why did it break? It was poor quality. Keep going until you reach something you can change.

Try it on your own world

Your local park is always empty, and the council plans a new playground. Before spending the money, you could ask neighbours why they don't visit, check whether the park feels safe and has shade, see if people use another park instead, and look at the lighting and paths. The answer might not be a playground at all.