When we do IDS, our team keeps solving the surface symptoms instead of the root cause. How do we push deeper to identify the real issue behind the issue?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Most leadership teams fail at IDS® because they rush straight from identifying the issue to discussing the solution. They spend five minutes identifying and fifty-five minutes discussing. To solve the issue behind the issue, you must invert this ratio.

Spend 70 percent of your time on the Identify phase. When an issue is raised, do not let anyone offer a solution yet. Instead, ask the owner of the issue to define it in one clear sentence. Then, ask why that problem exists. Continue asking why three to five times to dig past the surface symptoms.

For example, if the stated issue is that a project is late, the surface solution is to work overtime. But if you dig deeper, you might find the real issue is that the sales team is promising unrealistic delivery timelines without consulting operations. That is the root cause. Only when the leadership team agrees on the real, underlying issue should you move to Discuss and Solve.