During IDS®, our leadership team regularly goes down rabbit holes discussing "how" to implement a solution before we have even agreed on what the actual problem is. How do we stop this tactical drift and keep the team focused on identifying the root cause first?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic symptom of a team that skips the Identify phase of IDS® and jumps straight into Discuss and Solve. It is driven by the natural human desire to fix things quickly, but it ultimately leads to solving the wrong problems or treating surface-level symptoms while the root cause continues to rot.

To fix this, the facilitator must enforce a hard pause the moment someone starts proposing a solution. Use the phrase, we are not solving yet. Force the team back to the Identify step. Ask the person who raised the issue to state the core problem in a single, clear sentence. Do not allow them to tell a story or explain the history. They must define the gap between what is happening and what should be happening.

Once the issue is clearly stated, go around the table and confirm that everyone is looking at the same problem. This aligns with your Charter commitment to open, honest communication. Often, you will find that three different leaders have three different interpretations of the same issue. Only when the leadership team is in complete agreement on the true root cause do you transition to the Discuss phase. Keep the discussion focused strictly on the root cause, not the symptoms. If the conversation drifts back into tactical how-to implementation details before a decision is reached, the facilitator must step in, get the team back on track, and force a clear, actionable resolution that permanently solves the issue.