Last week, I discussed spotting, or identifying, the problem or problems. This week, I conclude with identifying what is causing the breakdown and showing why the system approach to problem solving is the best solution.

Now it’s time to check on the cause of the breakdown. We check in on a number of areas. The system, the resources, the conditions.

The questions to ask are:

Is, or was there, an existing system? As in, a documented system that needs adjusting. Every business runs on systems. However, most of them in most businesses are informal. What I mean by a formal system is one that’s documented. There is actually a documented way of doing this.

If there was a system in place, is it written down, or is it in people’s heads? Is it the actual steps of the system, the timing or the standards?

Does the system have the right resources that it needs to produce the results and meet the standards? Resources could be money, time, information, equipment, staffing, supplies, or facilities. Continue reading →

Last week, I left off with the steps of no blame problem solving. This week, I focus on spotting, or identifying, the problem or problems.

Spotting problems early puts the advantage in your court. Is there a problem, or what’s bothering you? You can’t do anything about a problem unless you know about it. The big problems are easy to detect and you don’t need any help detecting those. Or do you? Often, in fact, usually a big problem is really a tangle of interrelated, smaller problems. And a small problem can be bunch of even smaller problems. The way to deal with them is to untangle them and solve them one at a time. And the question is, how can you untangle a complicated mess of problems so that you can solve one at a time? The key to the puzzle is results. You identify the results that are unsatisfactory. A great question here is…what’s the result I’m not getting? If there’s a result you want that you’re not getting, then there is a problem.

Here’s how it works. A business is a system of systems. Systems within systems within systems. Each system produces a result. And that result feeds into other systems. The first step is to identify the system where the unsatisfactory result shows up in the business. And then you trace back through the systems feeding into that system until you find the one that’s operating as it should be and is producing the results it’s supposed to be producing. Continue reading →

The key to systemic thinking is to focus on effective ways of detecting problems and finding constructive ways of dealing with them.

If you don’t know what’s standing in your way, how are you ever going to overcome it? The daily people problems, frustrations and irritations all feel like insurmountable challenges standing in the middle of your road to success. But they are not to blame. The fault actually lies with missing systems.

I’m going to show you how to identify those missing systems that are the root cause of all your frustrations. How to have your people engage in the process and become part of the solution, not part of the problem. And how to sharpen your detection skills and find out that problems are brilliant opportunities in disguise. Continue reading →