{"id":1872,"date":"2017-08-24T16:27:23","date_gmt":"2017-08-24T20:27:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/osborne\/?p=1872"},"modified":"2021-12-23T06:23:16","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T11:23:16","slug":"solving-the-right-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.osborne-group.com\/fr\/solving-the-right-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Solving The Right Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just the other day I saw an ad for a fast food chain and was reminded that this particular chain has served square hamburgers for many years, ostensibly so that the cheese will fit properly on top of the burger.<\/p>\n

This is a classic example of not solving the right problem.<\/p>\n

The most important part of a burger is, well, the burger; and while the other components that complete a burger (bun, cheese, condiments, etc.) make a huge difference to the quality of the eating experience, the meat patty is the raison d\u2019etre of the whole thing.\u00a0 It seems wrongheaded to reshape a burger to fit the shape of the cheese, particularly when the whole thing is ultimately served on a round bun.\u00a0 Surely this chain has enough market strength either to use square buns or to buy round cheese to go on round burgers on round buns, which is, of course, the usual, right and proper way to make and serve a burger (with one exception that I will get to later).<\/p>\n

To extrapolate to a business setting, the idea here is that to solve your business problem, you first have to diagnose what that problem is. You have to make sure that you solve the right<\/em> problem.<\/p>\n

On too many occasions, I have met with clients to discuss their challenges and they tell me that their business problem is that they need a Client Relationship Management system, or an Enterprise Resource Management program, or that they need their data to be better organized.\u00a0 Too often, these discussions are based on an incomplete assessment of their current business situation, strategic directions, and organizational capability, coupled with the hope that there is an obvious and straightforward solution that will fix the problem.<\/p>\n

The risks of not solving the right problem fall into two categories. If the issue does not fully get addressed, goals or outcomes are not achieved, and business results are compromised. If the solution is incomplete or inappropriate, budgeted expenditures may not have been well managed – either wasted on the wrong solution or insufficient to cover unplanned expenditures required to fully address the problem.<\/p>\n

When I work with clients, I want to make sure there is a clear understanding of the problem that needs to be solved before deciding on a solution.\u00a0 My starting point is to do to an assessment of the current situation by reviewing all relevant elements: strategic plans and initiatives, organizational and functional goals, staff skills and abilities, policies and processes, and business systems. These activities make sure that the problem is understood (and documented) before the implementation of solutions begin.\u00a0 It\u2019s great if clients have ideas about what sort of solution might help resolve their issues, but without the current situation assessment, nobody knows if that idea will fully address the issue.<\/p>\n

Once the problem has been defined, the second element of solving the right problem is to work with clients to define the outcomes that need to be achieved. I call this \u201cknowing what it looks like when you are done\u201d.\u00a0 We create a description of the desired end state as well as objective and subjective metrics that allow assessment of progress through to completion.<\/p>\n

Kicking off a project by doing these two things allows an organization to be ready to solve the right problem, and achieving the intended results becomes more likely.<\/p>\n

And as for the burgers, unless the chain\u2019s problem was that they didn\u2019t want the cheese to drip onto the grill, they didn\u2019t solve the right problem.\u00a0 And of course, round burgers are appropriate 364 days of the year. One day of the year, however, burgers should be a different shape. No, I didn\u2019t have cheese that fit, but I solved the right problem \u2013 how to commemorate Canada Day with food!<\/p>\n

\"Burgers\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Christy Demont<\/p>\n

Information Technology<\/p>\n

\n

Visit\u00a0<\/em>Osborne-group.com\u00a0<\/em><\/a>for other Principals\u2019 ideas and opinions on a range of topics. The Osborne Group provides interim executive management, consulting and project support across all sectors and over\u00a0a broad scope of service areas.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just the other day I saw an ad for a fast food chain and was reminded that this particular chain has served square hamburgers for many years, ostensibly so that the cheese will fit properly on top of the burger. This is a classic example of not solving the right problem. 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