We are checking off plenty of weekly To-Dos, but we find ourselves repeatedly dealing with the exact same operational problems under different names a few weeks later. How do we force our team to solve the root cause during IDS®?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a team repeatedly solves the same problem, it means they are treating the symptoms rather than the root cause. This is a failure of the Identify step in IDS®. It usually happens because the team is in a rush to find a quick, comfortable fix rather than doing the hard, sometimes uncomfortable work of digging deeper. To break this cycle, the facilitator must slow the team down during the Identify step. When an issue is read, do not allow anyone to propose a solution or assign a To-Do immediately. Instead, force the team to discuss what is actually causing the problem. Use the five-whys technique. Ask why the issue occurred, and then ask why to that answer, digging deeper each time. Often, an operational issue is actually an Accountability Chart issue, a training gap, or a broken process. If you only assign a quick To-Do to fix the immediate error, the system will continue to fail. The solution must address the underlying system, not just the human who made the mistake. Before you move to the Solve step, the team must agree on the true root cause. Only then can you craft a permanent solution. This approach might take longer in the short term, but it prevents the same issues from draining your weekly energy and dragging down your company's value.