During our weekly meetings, our team quickly lists and discusses surface-level issues, but we rarely get to the systemic root cause. How do we run the IDS® process to uncover the real issue behind the issue?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The biggest mistake teams make in IDS® is rushing from Identify to Discuss. They see a symptom, like "marketing leads are down," and immediately start debating new advertising campaigns. To find the root cause, you must spend at least half of your allotted time in the Identify phase.

Ask the owner of the issue to state the problem in a single sentence. Then, the rest of the team must ask clarifying questions rather than offering solutions. Ask "why" multiple times to peel back the layers. For example, if leads are down, is it because the budget was cut, the software broke, or the marketing seat is occupied by someone who does not GWC™ the role?

Often, what starts as a technical or operational issue turns out to be an Accountability Chart™ issue or a Core Values misalignment. Do not let people hide behind vague language or polite avoidance. Once the team agrees on the exact root cause, the Discuss step becomes fast and focused. The Solve step is simply assigning a clear, actionable To-Do that addresses that root cause. If your solutions do not permanently kill the problem, you did not identify the real issue.