Our Level 10 Meetings feel highly productive, but we keep seeing the exact same operational problems reappear on our short-term Issues List every three to four weeks. How do we stop patching symptoms and start solving root causes?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When the same operational problems keep appearing on your weekly Issues List, it means your team is solving symptoms rather than root causes. This is a common failure in the IDS® process, where teams rush through the Identify phase because they are eager to start discussing and solving.

To break this cycle, your facilitator must slow down the meeting during the Identify phase. Do not allow the team to start discussing solutions the moment an issue is read. Instead, ask deep, probing questions to uncover the real issue.

Ask: why is this happening? When they give you an answer, ask why again. You often need to ask why three or four times to get to the structural or personnel issue at the bottom of the stack.

For example, a missed sales target is rarely just a sales problem. It could be an outdated marketing process, an unworkable pricing structure, or a seat on your Accountability Chart that is occupied by someone who does not GWC™ their role.

Only when the team is in agreement on the actual root cause should you move to the Discuss and Solve phases. A true solution permanently resolves the issue so it never returns. Taking the time to IDS® properly prevents meeting waste and builds a highly scalable business that runs on clean, permanent operational solutions.