We seem to be discussing and solving the exact same operational issues every three or four weeks in our Level 10 Meetings, meaning our solutions are temporary band-aids rather than permanent fixes. How do we diagnose why our IDS process is failing to kill these issues for good?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If the exact same issue is showing up on your Level 10 Meeting™ Issues List every few weeks, it means you are not actually executing the "S" in IDS® correctly. You are likely solving the symptoms rather than the root cause. This often happens because the team is in a hurry and settles for a quick, superficial To-Do rather than digging deep.

To break this cycle, the next time this recurring issue is brought up, the facilitator must halt the conversation. Do not allow the team to discuss the same solutions they tried last time. Instead, use the "five whys" technique to dig down to the structural root cause.

Often, you will find that a recurring issue is actually a people issue, a process issue, or a structure issue. It might be that someone is sitting in the wrong seat on your Accountability Chart, or that a core operational process is not being followed by everyone.

Once you identify the true root cause, the solution might require a major change, such as rewriting a process or adjusting a Rock. That is fine. A permanent solution that takes more effort is always better than a temporary fix that wastes your team's time week after week.