Don’t be a “Symptom Solver”!
Don't Be a Symptom Solver
Problem solving seems like one of those nebulous phrases or concepts that don't really mean anything, but when problems are 1) correctly identified, and 2) approached with some structure, logic, and consistency they can be “solved” as opposed to managed.
First things first, you can't solve a problem unless you correctly identify it. I generally use medical industry to explain this, because they (doctors, pharmaceutical companies, etc.) have made a living treating symptoms, but NOT solving any of the underlying problems, or the cause of the symptoms. I guess we can call this “symptom solving”. Take cold medicine for example, it relieves your cold symptoms for a few hours and makes you feel better, but does nothing to cure you of the cold. In fact, scientists don’t even know what causes a cold, because the symptoms are so easy to treat, that they don’t bother “solving the problem”(I won’t get into industry conspiracies of withholding “solutions” to make money on symptom management, and why is my cable bill so high?).
Symptom solving is a dangerous trap; organizations typically take the cold medicine route and just treat the symptoms, but it is important for a good organization to be able to identify their problems and be proficient in root cause analysis, so they can make progress solving the problem, and not constantly throwing money at symptoms. Once a problem is identified, a methodical and logical approach can break it down into digestible chunks to be analyzed for their contribution to the problem. The “breaking down” portion of problem solving is one of the most important because it ultimately produces the variables that need to be tested. Of course to ensure you know what the actual solution is, you will need to test/modify only one variable at a time, to ensure you are isolating the root cause. I like to apply the basic premise of the “scientific method” which has many correlations. While they may be investigating phenomenon or formulating a hypothesis, they are essentially engaging in systematic observation and methodical measurement, and making modifications to hypotheses based on the empirical data obtained. This is simply a data-driven approach to problem solving, where you acquire facts (evidence) and isolate variables. It should not go unstated that continuous monitoring, modeling, and analysis can predict future problems allowing you to correct them before they manifest.
The TSA can be used as an example of symptom solving. To give credit where credit is due, they obviously have a difficult task to balance security and throughput, and satisfy the many stakeholders in aviation security. They have also been attempting to be creative and progressive with recent implementation of TSA Precheck, and, more relevantly, recent solicitations to industry and even crowdsourcing to solve the problem of long security lines at airports. If we think about that problem for a minute, we might come up with solutions such as faster equipment, more screeners, fewer divesting requirements, larger checkpoints, etc. All of which are ways TSA has tried to solve their problems. All of these ideas are intended for the checkpoint to move more quickly…but is speed or space the real problem? If so, we should be fine by now! Well, slow moving checkpoints are not the problem, they are a symptom, so it looks like TSA has been symptom solving for a while now. The real problem is that too many people show up at the checkpoint at the same time, and with a window of several hours, there is no accurate way to predict their arrival. So they end up with a prediction that says….between 8am and noon we will have 6000 passengers show up. There is no way to accurately staff and schedule your checkpoint with information that broad. So instead of symptom solving, TSA should be looking at ways to manage the arrival of passengers at the checkpoint, or, in other words, limit the queue to people who actually need to be there. Make an appointment for screening like other entities with queuing issue. Eliminate the self-selection of lanes, and random arrival times, work with the airlines to schedule screening windows on a per flight basis, etc. Furthermore, TSA, when using crowd sourcing, don’t bound the solution….that automatically mutes innovation.
But I digress, the point is not to solve this problem right now, the point is to stress the importance of identifying the problem, before trying to solve it. Don’t be a victim of symptom solving. Take the time to identify the true problem. What problem are you solving today?
