Rhythm · Proving to Growing
Solving problems instead of discussing them
You put whatever's stuck on one list, find the real cause, and close every issue with a decision and an owner.
Does this sound familiar?
- The same problem is on the agenda for the third week running, and everyone says what they said last week.
- A meeting ends with 'let's keep an eye on it', and nobody knows who's doing what.
- You sort out a complaint, and a month later the same complaint comes back from another client.
- You only hear about problems at the coffee machine, not when they started.
- Every problem lands with you, and the team waits for you to fix it.
Who it's for, and when
For founders and teams who talk about the same problems every week. It matters as soon as you have a regular meeting and the problems aren't getting any smaller. In Proving a lot still gets solved by a few people at one table; a list already helps there, but IDS with a team only pays off once more people have a say.
The model
In most companies problems get discussed, not solved. Everyone has something to say about them, it feels like work has been done, and next week they're back.
It starts with one list. Anything that's stuck goes on it the moment it gets stuck: a client dropping off, a process that jams, a decision that keeps hanging. Anyone can add to it. If it's not on the list, the team can't solve it.
Then you solve them one by one with IDS: identify, discuss, solve. You don't start at the top. First you pick the three that matter most right now. Solving those often takes care of a few others too.
Whoever runs the meeting keeps an eye on the steps and the time; they don't have to come up with the answer. The owner of a decision is whoever does the work, and that's by no means always the founder. The lesson A meeting that's about something covers when you do this: in the weekly meeting, IDS comes after the numbers and the priorities.
Gino Wickman, Traction (2007): the issues list and IDS, identify, discuss and solve. Asking why until you reach the cause comes from Taiichi Ohno's five whys at Toyota.
Identify
What's the real problem? Whoever raised the issue says it in one sentence. Ask why it happens, then ask again, until the team says: yes, that's it. 'Quotes are left hanging' is a symptom; 'nobody follows up on a quote' is a cause.
Discuss
Everyone says once what they know and what they think. If you've got something new, speak. If you agree, say so in one word.
Solve
A decision: what happens, who does it and by when. Often that's a task. If it no longer matters, you drop it on purpose and write down why.
Pitfalls
Writing down the solution instead of the problem
'We need a new CRM' is a solution. The problem might be that leads go missing. Write down what's stuck; the solution comes out of the conversation.
The founder solves everything
Everyone looks at you, and you give the answer. Then every issue becomes your task, and the team only brings you problems. First ask what the person who raised it would suggest.
Waiting for certainty
You put off the decision until you know everything. Most decisions can be reversed. Make them, and check in a few weeks whether it's working.
Long term as a graveyard
Anything awkward goes to long term and never comes back. Go through that list every quarter: pick it up or drop it.
Watch and read
From Wickman's own organisation: identify, discuss and solve in three minutes.
Watch on YouTubeJohn Shook walks through an example from Taiichi Ohno: how to keep asking until you reach the cause.
Watch on YouTubeMost decisions can be reversed, so you can make them quickly. That helps at the solve step, when the team keeps talking because nobody's sure.
Watch on YouTubeTo go further
A chapter from EOS's book Issues about the list itself: what belongs on it and how you keep it up to date.
Watch on YouTubeRead
Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business
Gino Wickman · 2011 · ISBN 9781936661831
The chapter on issues: one list of problems, and IDS to solve them. First published in 2007; this is the BenBella Books edition. Short enough to read in a weekend.
View the bookApply it
- 1
Put everything that's stuck on the list
Ask everyone to write down their issues in one sentence: the problem, not the solution. A KPI that's off track or a priority that's stuck belongs on it too. Whatever needs discussing this week goes under short term, the rest under long term.
- 2
Pick the three that matter most
Don't start at the top. Look over the list and pick the three that would make the biggest difference once solved.
- 3
Let whoever raised it go first
They say the problem in one sentence and what they'd suggest themselves. You keep asking until you get to the cause, and give your own answer last.
- 4
Close with a decision and an owner
What happens, who does it, by when? Write it down as the outcome. If it no longer matters, drop it on purpose and add the reason.
Examples
Ready to use: one issue in ten minutes
Who: whoever's at the table in the meeting. Whoever runs it keeps the time; whoever raised the issue owns it. Ready beforehand: the issue is on the list in one sentence, as a problem. 0 to 3 minutes, identify: whoever raised it says the sentence. Ask 'why?' two or three times. Stop when everyone says: that's it. 3 to 7 minutes, discuss: everyone once, only what's new. 7 to 10 minutes, solve: what happens, who does it, by when? Read it back out loud. Settled afterwards: the outcome is on the issue, with an owner and a date. If there's a task, it sits with the owner. If it starts going round in circles: 'What are we deciding, and who's doing it?'
Quotes left hanging
An installation company has spent weeks discussing how long quotes sit with clients. Asking why shows that nobody follows up, because nobody knows whose quote it is. Decision: whoever writes the quote follows it up within three days. Owner of the agreement: the head of sales, from Monday.
Complaints about late delivery
A wholesaler gets complaints about delivery times. The first idea is an extra driver. Asking why shows that orders placed after three o'clock aren't picked until the next day, while the client thinks they'll go the same day. Decision: the three o'clock cut-off goes on the website and in the confirmation email. Owner: the sales office, by Friday.
Do this in your own business
Everything up to here is free. What you fill in for your own business, you keep in Boldcaster.
- Go to the Issues list. On the Issues list you put what has to come up this week under Short term and the rest under Long term. When you close an issue you choose Resolved or Dropped, and under What was decided? you also write who's doing it and by when.
- You look back on a situation from your own work. Only you can read what you write.
- You set a date with yourself, and on that day the app asks how it went.
- You assign the lesson to your team and see who has done it.
- The quiz counts towards your progress, and you see which lesson comes next.
Four weeks free. You'll land straight in this lesson.
Quiz
8 situations. You need 6 of 8 right. You can try again at any time.
1.A planning problem is on the agenda for the third week running. Everyone says what they said last week. What's missing?
2.A colleague puts on the issues list: 'We need a new CRM.' What do you do?
3.You've handled a complaint about a wrong delivery properly. A month later the same complaint comes in from another client. What's happened?
4.There are twelve issues under short term and you've got an hour. How do you start?
5.The team isn't sure about a new way of handling intake and wants another week to gather information. The decision is easy to reverse. What do you do?
6.In the meeting everyone looks at the managing director for every issue, and he takes every action on himself. What does he change?
7.An issue has been under long term for two quarters. Nobody's bothered by it any more. What do you do?
8.Over coffee, a team leader mentions that a regular client is thinking of leaving. In the meeting he says nothing about it. What should have happened?
Nothing is saved here. In the app, the quiz counts towards your progress.
Read next
- Looking back on the month · You fill in your monthly reflection so that something comes out of it: you start with what you wanted last month, look for the cause of every gap, and choose a focus you can tick off in four weeks.
- The A-player matrix · You know who carries your team, and what you'll do with each of them.
- The quarterly session · Every quarter you hold a half-day session with your team. It closes off the priorities, draws the lessons from them, and ends with a few new priorities and the KPI targets for the next quarter.
Not sure where to start? Take the growth scan