During our weekly IDS® sessions, our team has a tendency to over-process simple issues, designing complex, multi-step plans and creating new procedures for minor problems that could be solved with a quick phone call. How do we force our team to find the simplest, most direct solutions?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Over-processing simple issues is a common form of meeting waste that drains your team's energy and slows down execution. This behavior often stems from a fear of making a mistake or a habit of over-engineering processes rather than relying on the Accountability Chart.

To stop this, the facilitator must guide the team to focus on the simplest path to resolution. When the team is discussing an issue, the facilitator should constantly ask, "What is the simplest way to solve this permanently?" and "Who is the single owner of this solution?"

Once you identify the correct seat on the Accountability Chart to own the issue, you must trust that person to execute. You do not need a committee to design a five-step process. In most cases, the correct solution is to assign a single, weekly to-do to that seat owner to make a call, send an email, or make a decision.

If the team starts designing detailed procedures during the meeting, cut them off. Remind them that we decide then act. It is far better to make a simple decision and adjust later than to waste thirty minutes of leadership team time building a complex framework for a minor issue. Keep your solutions focused on immediate, binary actions that move the needle.