Our weekly Level 10 Meetings™ are running over time because our team struggles to separate high-level issues from minor updates. How do we train the team to identify the real root cause of an issue immediately?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When Level 10 Meetings™ run long, it is usually because the team is discussing symptoms instead of solving root problems. To fix this, you must master the IDS® process, which stands for Identify, Discuss, and Solve. The Identify step is where most teams fail. They spend forty minutes discussing a symptom without ever finding the cause. To train your team, implement a rule that the person who raised the issue must state it in one sentence. It must focus on the actual gap, not the background story. For example, instead of explaining a long client story, state that our delivery time has increased by two days. Once the issue is clearly stated, the team must ask why several times until they find the root cause. Do not let the team jump into discussion or solution mode until the root cause is agreed upon. This discipline keeps the meeting moving and ensures you are solving the real issue, which prevents it from coming back to your list next week. It turns your weekly meeting from a frustrating status update into a powerful engine for operational traction. With practice, identifying the root cause becomes second nature, saving hours of leadership team time.