Solve the Real Problem: The Foundation of an Effective Solution

Albert Einstein famously said, “If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it.” In today’s fast-paced environment, the urge to jump straight into solutions is tempting. But without truly understanding the problem, we risk solving the wrong issue or, worse, creating more problems. 🛑

A graphic I frequently use illustrates this concept perfectly: a person in a boat is staring at the tip of an iceberg, unaware of the massive structure submerged below. This reflects a common pitfall—focusing on the visible symptoms of a problem while missing the bulk of the issue lurking beneath.

In a project I worked on, the company was faced with recurring software defects affecting production. Initially, we treated each defect as an isolated issue, deploying quick fixes to keep things moving. But when we began to measure the true impact—downtime (minimally costing $125K/week), customer dissatisfaction, and strain on internal teams—it became clear that the root problem was much deeper than the defects themselves.

We reframed the approach by asking critical questions like:

• Who can provide more information? 🤔 Gaining insights from stakeholders across departments and customers to understand the full scope.

• Who does it impact? 👥 Recognizing how these defects affected not just the development team, but the entire organization and customer experience.

• How can you quantify it? 📊 Understanding the cost of downtime, lost opportunities, and customer dissatisfaction.

• What factors affect the problem? 🌐 Identifying the underlying causes in the development process, tools, or communication gaps.

• Is the problem relevant to your goals? 🎯 Asking whether solving this issue aligns with the broader business objectives and long-term vision.

By taking the time to define the problem thoroughly, we realized that solving the issue at the feature level wasn’t going to be effective. Instead, we needed to start by developing clear monitors to determine application stability and having communication mechanisms for teams to mitigate the issues appropriately.

Defining the real or right problem is crucial. It means asking the right questions before rushing into a solution:

Key Takeaways:

• 🔍 Define the Problem: Rushing into fixes can be inefficient. Understanding the problem is critical to finding sustainable solutions.

• 💡 Ask Key Questions: Who is affected? Can it be measured? What contributes to the problem? Is it aligned with goals?

• ⚙️ Address the Root Cause: Quick fixes don’t last. Sustainable solutions come from solving the root problem.

• 🚀 Long-Term Results: Taking time to define the right problem leads to stronger, more impactful solutions.

Einstein was right: spend time defining the problem, and you’ll find the solution falls into place naturally.