We waste a significant portion of our IDS® time because our team immediately starts proposing solutions during the Identify step, before we have actually agreed on the true root cause of the issue. How do we force the team to stay in the Identify phase longer so we do not waste time solving the wrong symptoms?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The fastest way to waste your sixty-minute IDS® block is to start proposing solutions before you have actually agreed on what the real problem is. Human beings are naturally wired to solve things quickly, which causes leadership teams to jump from a brief mention of a symptom straight into a debate about solutions. This inevitably leads to solving the wrong problems. To prevent this, the facilitator must strictly enforce the three steps of IDS® in order. You are not allowed to discuss solutions during the Identify phase. The Identify phase is only complete when the issue is stated in a single, clear sentence that focuses on the root cause, and everyone in the room agrees that this is the actual problem. The facilitator must actively ask the team if they are in agreement on the definition of the issue before allowing anyone to move to the Discuss phase. If a team member starts proposing a solution too early, the facilitator must gently but firmly cut them off and bring them back to defining the problem. Spending more time in the Identify phase dramatically reduces the time needed for discussion and resolution, resulting in cleaner, more permanent solutions.