During our weekly Level 10 Meeting™, we often spend our entire sixty-minute IDS® block arguing over a single issue, talking in circles and never actually solving anything. How do we speed up our resolution rate and stop over-processing issues?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Spending sixty minutes on one issue without reaching a solution is a clear sign that you are not actually doing IDS®; you are just discussing. Most teams fail at problem-solving because they rush to discuss before they have truly identified the root cause of the issue.

To speed up your resolution rate, you must master the "I" phase of IDS®. When an issue is raised, do not let anyone start suggesting solutions yet. The facilitator must ask the owner of the issue, "In one sentence, what is the real problem?" Often, the first issue raised is merely a symptom. You must dig until you find the root cause.

Once the root cause is identified, move to "D" for Discuss. Keep the discussion brief. The rule of thumb is that everyone gets to say their piece once. If people start repeating themselves or rehashing points that have already been made, the facilitator must step in and say, "We are repeating ourselves. We are ready to solve."

Then, move immediately to "S" for Solve. A solution is almost always an action item. Create a specific, clear To-Do for one person to execute within the next seven days. If the issue is too massive to solve in one meeting, the solution is to assign a Rock or form a sub-committee to solve it outside the Level 10 Meeting™.