When we IDS® an issue, our team often wanders into solution drift, discussing hypothetical scenarios and future process changes instead of solving the specific root cause of the immediate bottleneck. How do we keep the team focused on solving the exact issue on the table?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Solution drift occurs when a team avoids the hard work of solving a specific, immediate problem by escaping into comfortable, high-level brainstorming. This is a common trap for leadership teams, especially those with strong Visionaries. It results in long, exhausting discussions that end with no real action steps.

To kill solution drift, the facilitator must strictly enforce the three steps of IDS®: Identify, Discuss, and Solve. The root of the problem is almost always a failure in the Identify stage. If you do not clearly identify the actual root cause of the issue before you start discussing it, the conversation will inevitably drift.

The facilitator must gain agreement on the core issue first. Ask the owner of the issue to state the problem in one sentence, focusing on the specific operational bottleneck. For example, instead of "our marketing is broken," state "we missed our lead target by twenty percent this week because the landing page integration failed."

Once the issue is clearly identified and agreed upon, the Discuss portion must be kept on a tight leash. If a team member starts a sentence with "What if we completely redesigned our entire website next year," the facilitator must immediately intervene. Cut off the hypothetical scenario and bring the focus back to the immediate bottleneck.

Keep the team focused on what needs to change right now to resolve this specific issue permanently. Every IDS® session must end with a clear, actionable to-do. If the discussion does not lead directly to a weekly action item, you have not solved the problem.