Ingredient 1. Identify the Root Cause

101 Design Ingredients to Solve Big Tech Problems — by Eewei Chen (9 / 125)

👈 Part 1 Ingredients to Get You Started | TOC | Understand Customer Needs 👉

Step back to see why it really isn’t working.

“It isn’t that they can’t see the solution. It is that they can’t see the problem.”
— Gilbert K. Chesterton, writer

The Problem

Teams constantly fire-fight instead of tackling bigger issues because companies want instant gratification: any result as long as it immediately satisfies stakeholders and customers.

The Solution

Solve the real big issues, and you’ll solve related ones too.

• Ask questions. I like asking “five whys.”[4] Start with why a specific problem exists and note the main reason. Next ask why this main reason exists. Do this at least four more times, questioning the last main reason each time. The last problem is a possible root cause you should address.
• Prioritize. In most situations there are multiple root causes,[5] so prioritize which ones to tackle based on urgency, size of impact, subsequent problems solved, dependency, and ease of resolution.