Are you trying to solve a problem but feel like you are just going around in circles?
Are you trying to solve a problem but feel like you are just going around in circles? Have you ever thought you solved a problem, but nothing really changed? Chances are you aren’t solving the right problem.
Too often in life do we go straight to identifying what the problem is, without really exploring the surrounding world. Let me ask you this – when trying to solve problems, do you speak to your customers before or after you decide what the problem is? If you said after, then its likely you may be looking in the wrong direction and the impacts of this could be catastrophic.
Before confirming exactly what the problem is, you need to discover what’s out there. Get out of your office and speak to your employees, your customers. Spend time watching how they interact with their world. What else do you see? Right now, everything is important and nothing is off the table.
Think you have enough to define your problem now? Think again. With all this new knowledge, we now need to assess what is most important. What are the key areas? You may want to consider how each of the key areas relate to organisational strategy, or the impacts and risks associated with each one. Determine where to focus now and what can wait until later.
If you are thinking this is a lot of work just to work out what a problem is, you’re right – but that doesn’t make it any less critical. Exploring the environment and really understanding pain points is an essential element of problem definition. Without it, we risk not solving the problem, or possibly even making it worse.
At Grosvenor, we are experts in problem definition and problem solving. We add value to our projects by observing and investigating; asking the right questions to truly understand the issue at hand. Through this approach, we have been able to solve problems that some clients didn’t even know they had. If you are keen to get things right, for both your employees and your customers, speak to the experts.