A different explanation. A better next question.
See how I would approach three familiar business situations: slow progress, missed promises and learning that does not transfer into work.
How to read these examples
These are fictional scenarios demonstrating my approach, rather than reports of client engagements or achieved results.
The alternative explanation in each example is a hypothesis. Evidence might support it, point elsewhere or show that the first explanation was right.
Illustrative scenario
Everyone is busy. Customers are still waiting.
A growing business has a backlog of customer requests. The first suggestion is to recruit more people.
- The first explanation
- The team does not have enough capacity.
- What I would examine
- Trace a few requests from arrival to completion. Look at queues, repeated checks, handovers and decisions awaiting approval. Ask the people doing the work where requests stop moving.
- An alternative to test
- The constraint could be waiting between steps rather than the time needed to do the work. More people may add another handover without removing the delay.
- A small practical experiment
- Trial one owner for a defined request type, agree which decisions they can make and review outstanding items in a short daily check.
- What would count as progress
- Compare elapsed completion time, time spent waiting, errors and workload. Continue, adjust or stop based on what the trial reveals.
Illustrative scenario
A delivery problem that starts with the promise.
A business repeatedly disappoints customers even though its team works hard to meet commitments. The first suggestion is tighter performance management.
- The first explanation
- The delivery team needs more discipline.
- What I would examine
- Compare the customer's expectation, the proposal, the handover and the team's available capacity. Look for assumptions that became commitments without being checked.
- An alternative to test
- The team could be inheriting a promise it cannot reliably fulfil. The issue may sit between commercial decisions and operational reality.
- A small practical experiment
- For one type of new commitment, introduce a short feasibility check and a written handover naming assumptions, dependencies and ownership.
- What would count as progress
- Track commitment changes, clarification requests, rework and customer feedback. Check whether the change prevents confusion without slowing straightforward decisions.
Illustrative scenario
The training happened. The work stayed the same.
A business invests in a course, but sees little change in day-to-day practice. The first suggestion is a more advanced course.
- The first explanation
- People still do not know enough.
- What I would examine
- Ask participants to apply one skill to a real task. Look at the time available to practise, manager expectations, feedback and the incentives around existing routines.
- An alternative to test
- The skill gap may be real, but a lack of practice and support could also prevent learning from becoming useful capability.
- A small practical experiment
- Choose one task, protect a small practice window, pair participants for feedback and involve a manager in reviewing the work produced.
- What would count as progress
- Examine the quality of the work, confidence applying the skill and continued use after the practice period. Use the evidence to decide whether further training is needed.
Bring the situation. We can examine the explanation.
A Problem-Solving Sprint applies this kind of reasoning to one agreed challenge, using your context and evidence.