We have several critical issues that have been sitting on our weekly Level 10 Meeting Issues List for weeks because we lack the necessary data to solve them. How do we handle complex issues that require research without letting them clog up our weekly short-term list?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When an issue sits on your short-term list for multiple weeks, it creates operational drag and drains team energy. This usually happens because you are trying to solve a complex problem without the proper facts.

To break this cycle, you must stop trying to solve the entire issue in one sitting. Instead, use the IDS process to identify the exact data you are missing. Once you know what information you need, create a weekly to-do for a specific team member to gather that data.

After the to-do is assigned, move the issue off your short-term list and place it on your long-term Issues List, which is your parking lot for items that cannot be solved today. This keeps your weekly list clean and focused only on things you can actually resolve right now.

Once the designated team member completes the research and gathers the data, they will bring the findings to the next meeting. At that point, you can move the issue back to the short-term list and make an informed, permanent decision.

By forcing this discipline, you prevent your team from having the same circular debate week after week. You replace speculation with data, which leads to faster, more confident decisions.