During the IDS portion of our Level 10 Meeting, we frequently agree on a solution, assign the To-Do, but find ourselves discussing the exact same issue three weeks later because the solution did not stick. How do we identify when we have only treated a symptom rather than solving the actual root cause?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If the same issue keeps resurfacing on your weekly Level 10 Meeting™ agenda, your team is failing to identify the true root cause during the Identify step of IDS®. Treating symptoms instead of root causes is one of the most common forms of meeting waste. It drains your team's energy and stalls operational progress.

To break this cycle, the facilitator must slow the team down during the "I" phase of IDS®. When an issue is raised, do not let the team jump into discussion or brainstorm solutions immediately. Instead, challenge the team to define the problem in a single, clear sentence.

Use the "Five Whys" technique to dig deeper. If the reported issue is that a client invoice was sent incorrectly, ask why it happened. If the answer is that the account manager entered the wrong data, ask why they entered the wrong data. Keep digging until you reach the systemic breakdown, such as a lack of standard operating procedures or a training gap.

A true solve usually requires updating a process on your Accountability Chart, changing a role's responsibilities, or implementing an automation tool. If your proposed solution is simply a soft agreement to "try harder" or "be more careful," you have not solved the root cause, and the issue will return. Demanding this depth of problem-solving ensures your operations remain clean, scalable, and highly attractive to potential buyers.