Bulletproof Problem Solving

Chapter TwoDefine the Problem

Getting a crystal‐clear definition of the problem you are solving is the critical starting point to bulletproof problem solving. And it should be relatively straightforward. But a surprising number of failures in problem solving originate in poor problem definition. Teams and individuals surge off into data gathering or expert interviews without being very clear about the boundaries of the problem, the criteria for success, the time frame, or level of accuracy required.

This is bound to lead to disappointment. A scattergun approach to data gathering and initial analysis always leads to far more effort than is necessary. And the answers often miss the mark with decision makers whose values and boundaries need to be taken explicitly into account in problem solving planning.

Charles saw this kind of mistake first‐hand in the 1990s when he was running Citysearch, an Internet city guide company that sometimes collaborated with local newspapers and sometimes competed with them. Newspaper companies were the kings of local advertising then and had been for 100 years, despite the earlier advent of first radio and then television. Surely, the little Internet company entrants would be no different?

Charles met with many senior leaders in the newspaper trade during those years and witnessed a kind of arrogance rooted in inaccurate problem diagnosis. These ...