Avoid These 3 Problem-Solving Pitfalls

Avoid these pitfalls to get your recommendations implemented.

For you to get good at your problem solving, you need to apply this method to problems you’re working on. And I know it’s going to feel awkward, I’ve asked you to slow down, I’ve added steps to your process. But if you do, you’re going to be much more likely to solve for the root cause. You can’t skip these early steps of the process. And the more you apply the method, the more comfortable you’re going to be with it, the faster it’s going to go, and the more effective it will be in your problem solving.

Pitfall 1: Not Pinning Your Problem

Now, there are some major pitfalls out there. The first is in that pinning the problem step. People want to rush right past it, and I personally have a bias towards rushing past it. I have to remind myself to stop and be disciplined about answering all of the questions and writing a really well-scoped problem statement. Because candidly, the times I haven’t, I’ve regretted it.  I’ve regretted it because as I would go through the problem solving, I would uncover things that I would have found out much earlier if I had been disciplined about pinning the problem.

Pitfall 2: Analysis-Paralysis

The second pitfall is analysis-paralysis. We all like Excel. I like getting in there, making the graphs, the pivot tables, and the charts. It’s fun. You get the numbers to add, and it looks really interesting. The problem is, you’re not pulling back up to that higher level and saying, “Have I learned anything from all this analysis? Does the problem still make sense? Is my best guess still my best guess?” And if you do that and you do it regularly and effectively, again, you’re going to waste a lot less time on junk analysis, and more time on solving the actual problem.

Pitfall 3: Stakeholder Resistance

The third thing you’re going to run into–and this is one that I have a really hard time with–is those stakeholders who are resistant to your idea. They’re going to put up the roadblocks, and say, “We don’t want to change,” or “We don’t have the resources,” or “That’s a bad idea.” You’re going to face lot of resistance with your recommendations even if it’s right, even if everybody knows it’s right. Some people are still going to resist, and it can be really frustrating. The key to overcoming that resistance is having a really solid set of facts that you’re going to base your assertions and your recommendations on. So, understand those stakeholders, understand why they’re pushing back on you and what their point of resistance is, and then you can make sure you’re bringing the right facts to the table to get them past that and get your recommendation implemented.

If you can avoid these pitfalls and overcome that resistance, you’re going to be really likely to get your recommendations approved by those stakeholders and implemented to improve your business.

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