A problem identified well, is a problem half solved. But, real problems rarely come in neatly packaged formats. Impact rarely comes from accepting problems as they are presented. Going from a struggle or friction to its root cause requires traversing a dangerous path. On this path, there is no shortage of obstacles. Awareness of these hidden obstacles will help increase our chances of reaching the destination. I talk about three below.
As I covered in two earlier posts, there is tremendous waste in software, of time, money and human spirit. Two ways this waste shows up are as failed or zombie products. Both, products-that-have-failed or products-that-have-become-zombies, are a result of companies addressing (i) non-existent problems, or (ii) unclear problems or (iii) low value problems.
There is, however, a lot more to it than just telling people to be problem-centric.
Abuse of Abstractions
Product teams deal with abstractions like features, jobs, requirements, use cases, user stories, design patterns, feedback, etc. These abstractions dilute or hide a customer’s real struggle. With each additional abstraction, it becomes impossible to close the gap between Abstractions-of-the-Mind to Cash-in-the-Bank.
Unfortunately, it has become standard practice to talk in such abstractions. In the absence of problem discovery skills, teams hide behind abstractions. Being too specific about problems can be a career-limiting move.
No Shared Language
The dilutive impact of the abstractions is further compounded by the fact that no one else in the stakeholder ecosystem understands these terms. Product teams throw such terms as jobs, requirements, use cases, etc. as if this is a shared terminology, even for those who have never worked in a Product, Design or Dev team. We do not stop to test this assumption. The absence of a common language creates an obstacle in the collective journey of discovery.
Culture & Leadership Response
Leadership’s response in telling employees to “Fall in love with the problem, not the solution”, is of no use because no one knows what is the problem to begin with or how to find one.
In many companies it may even be taboo to call out and surface problems. Companies with cultures where it is unsafe, taboo or discouraged to make problems visible are usually the first ones to go under. Becoming comfortable with problems is the key. Taiichi Ohno, the Toyota Production Systems pioneer, used to say:
“Having no problems is the biggest problem of all.”
Similar cultural markers exist when employees feel incentivised to jump to conclusions, show responsiveness or “agility” over specificity. The underlying incentive is to simply reinforce what leadership wants to hear.
Good problem definition is key to success. Becoming aware of the obstacles to good problem definition is critical to start improving.
Below Water Level 