Whenever we tackle a tough issue during IDS, side topics pop up that distract the team from the primary root cause, but team members resist tabling them because they fear the point will be forgotten. What is the operational process for managing tangents during Level 10 problem solving?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Tangent discussions happen because team members are passionate, but unstructured tangents kill your ability to solve root causes. When someone raises a valid operational point that is secondary to the primary issue under discussion, trying to resolve both simultaneously ensures you solve neither.

The facilitator must maintain a strict parking lot protocol on your visual Issues List. As soon as a tangential problem emerges, the facilitator must interrupt: That is an important point, but it is not the root issue we are solving right now. I am adding it directly to the bottom of our Issues List so it is captured, and we are returning to the main issue.

Do not just say we will get back to that later without writing it down. Leaders resist tabling topics because in most poorly run companies, later means never. When they visibly see the facilitator type their point into the live Issues List, their anxiety drops because the topic is logged in the company system of record.

Once the topic is logged, immediately redirect the room back to the original root cause. If the new issue is critical enough, the team can vote to tackle it as the next priority once the current issue is driven to an agreed to-do.