“When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.” – Anthony D’Angelo
We called it a “roadshow.” In the wake of the release of a major change to military doctrine, senior leaders typically take to the road to socialize the content while framing the context of the changes for audiences. We made the rounds at the Army’s schools and centers, briefed the major warfighting headquarters, and spent time with our nation’s elected leaders.
After a particularly long day shuttling between our nation’s capital and Carlisle Barracks – home to the Army War College – we were gathered in the lounge of the Embassy Suites in Crystal City, reviewing the day’s events while preparing for the following day. One of the most significant changes we were discussing was the Army Design Methodology, which introduced the service to the concept of problem framing, among other things.
That night, my boss said something that defined the challenge we were confronting: “We’re really good at solving problems. We’re not as good at identifying the right problem before we solve it.”
To put it bluntly, we’re really good at solving the wrong problem. Something that doesn’t always sink in until it’s too late.
Problem Framing
A few years later, I worked for a senior leader who started every briefing with the same question: “What problem are we trying to solve?” It was a good, open-ended question that typically set the stage for the coming discussion. If the briefer couldn’t answer the question, then he would excuse the room and have us reschedule for a time when we had a clearer perspective on the root problem we were aiming to solve.
At its core, problem framing helps us to truly understand the problem we think we’re trying to solve. Because problem framing often reveals that we’re addressing the symptoms of a different problem or expending effort on something other than the root problem. As part of a broader, more introspective effort that weaves in building contextual knowledge and hypothesizing potential solutions, problem framing involves understanding and isolating the underlying issues, ultimately identifying and defining the root problem – or problems – to be solved.
It sounds simple enough, but mastering it takes some practice.
The more complex the problems you’re contending with, the greater the need for framing. The challenge was captured perfectly in a 2021 Grounded Curiosity article from Christopher Wooding: “In a complex world, solving problems isn’t easy to start with, but it’s made harder when we aren’t sure exactly what we’re trying to solve.”
In other words, “The first problem we try to solve isn’t always the right problem.”
Problem framing doesn’t lend itself to a checklist, but it can be approached from a process methodology: state the perceived problem, identify the stakeholders, restate the problem from each stakeholder perspective, identify points of convergence and divergence, restate the perceived problem accounting for stakeholder perspectives, and reiterate. When I teach problem framing, my students typically come to two conclusions within 30 minutes – one, complex problems are usually a hot mess of interrelated problems, and two, in most cases, we’re either slapping a band aid on the symptoms of the problem or solving the wrong problem altogether.
Problem Solving
In practice, if you put the heavy mental lifting up front and properly frame the problem, solving it tends to be a much more direct process. That doesn’t necessarily mean it will be easy, just that you have a clearer perspective on the root problem to be solved and a better alignment of effort toward that problem.
Like many young leaders in the Army, I was introduced to the military decision-making process, or MDMP, early in my career. The MDMP is a simple, seven-step process that walks the dog on problem solving, from receipt of mission (the problem to be solved) through mission analysis (the factors influencing the problem) and execution (the solution to the problem). When preceded by a thorough framing effort, the MDMP becomes a powerful tool that might not solve the problems you’re addressing but will definitely put you in a better position to manage them.
When I teach business strategy, I shamelessly use a process that in many ways mirrors the MDMP while weaving in problem framing as a precursor. And, instead of seven steps, I reduce it to four.
- Framing is about understanding the problem and the environment while visualizing both the problem and potential solutions from multiple perspectives. Framing is an ongoing and iterative process that has a profound influence on problem solving that reflects the dynamic and interrelated conditions of the competitive environment. The operative term is ongoing – it never truly ends. It’s good to remember that.
- Formulating continues to extrapolate from the foundation set by framing, adding detail and nuance until a mature, refined solution exists. That solution acknowledges the necessary changes that must occur in time and space to achieve the desired outcome, and how those changes will be made. If you do it right, formulation will answer the fundamental question: How will you solve the problem?
- Executing transforms the planned solution into action to achieve a desired and measurable outcome. Successful execution rests on the ability of leadership to drive the process, make key decisions at critical junctures, and execute the planned solution efficiently, effectively, and consistently. In practice, that translates to on time and on budget, while managing the unexpected events and obstacles that inevitably present themselves.
- Assessing is the process of gathering and evaluating evidence of progress and performance during execution, in essence measuring progress toward the planned solution within the desired time frame. Effective assessment includes both quantitative (observation-based) and qualitative (opinion-based) indicators. Assessment is also something that is often forgotten in the revelry – euphemistically called “high-fiving over the conference room table” – after a planned solution is formulated.
The world is a messy place filled with complex problems. Immigration seems relatively basic on the surface until you subject it to framing, at which point you begin to see how much more there is to it below the surface. The same proves true with many other issues, from homelessness to national security to the global economy. Spend a few hours mapping out the nature of those issues and you end up with a variation on the PowerPoint slide from hell.
We make problem-solving a lot harder than it needs to be. Problem-solving isn’t black magic. It isn’t something that can be managed with a Ouija board and chicken bones. It takes some sweat equity to get right, but by putting in the hard work up front we get a much better return on the investment of time and effort.
