A Manifesto on Problem Solving

I have a natural tendency to be a helper, a problem solver. It drives my wife crazy when I try to solve her problems and she "only wants me to listen." I've long considered the question "what are my essential elements to effective problem solving?" What follows is my distilled "Manifesto on Problem Solving." I strove to keep it simple, straightforward, focused, and easy to remember.

1. DON'T SOLVE PROBLEMS THAT DON'T EXIST
   
2. SOLVE THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SYMPTOM
   
3. CONTINUALLY TRIAGE
   
4. SEEK THE SIMPLEST SOLUTION
   
5. MAINTAIN THE VISION
   
6. START EVERY SOLUTION WITH THE INDIVIDUAL: YOU
   
   

To explain in detail:

1. DON'T SOLVE PROBLEMS THAT DON'T EXIST
   It sounds obvious, but it can be easy to forget and can be a temptation for those of us that enjoy developing "cool" solutions. Before I delve into lengthy and possibly expensive solutioning (in time and money), I want to make sure the problem I'm trying to solve really IS a problem. Especially if you're in the business of developing solutions, this is critically important, even to the point of being an ethical imperative where spending your client's money is concerned.
   
2. SOLVE THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SYMPTOM
   Make sure you're finding the real problem, not just what initially is presented as the issue. This can take a bit of critical thinking and investigating, but can be done rapidly in conversation. I see a breakdown in this area often in organizations, especially when the root cause may be difficult to confront, e.g., an organizational culture issue rather than a process issue. One of my favorite models for this root cause analysis is the "Five Whys" of Sakichi Toyoda. Keep asking "why" each symptom happened until you reach the root cause.
   
3. CONTINUALLY TRIAGE
   Always ensure you're solving the most critical issue now. The triage concept originated with French Army field medics in World War 1, and has undergone many evolutions since then, but the original elements are the same and can be applied metaphorically to any problem situation. A more modern version for use in catastrophes categorizes patients (in order of triage importance) as:
   1) those most in need of immediate care,
   2) those whose required treatment can be delayed,
   3) those likely to live, regardless of treatment, and
   4) those likely to die, regardless of treatment.
   Translated to business problems, this can be done by quickly bucketing problems into: "Now", "Next", and "Someday." Continually triaging, and prioritizing within each bucket, is the key.
   
4. SEEK THE SIMPLEST SOLUTION
   My best friend is a sage in this area. I went to him one time in college because my elbow was hurting when I moved in a certain way. I said "it hurts when I do this." His response: "Well then don't do that." SIMPLE. Humans naturally add detail to anything. We find simplification far more difficult than elaboration. The simplest solution to a problem is often the easiest to implement, and will keep you focused on solving the problem rather than finessing the solution.
   
5. MAINTAIN THE VISION
   Never lose sight of the goal, the vision of what you, your system, or your organization is trying to accomplish. Post it somewhere visible. Begin solutioning every time with the question "does fixing this problem serve our goal(s)?" If not, put it in the "someday" bucket.
   
6. START EVERY SOLUTION WITH THE INDIVIDUAL: YOU
   When you follow this tenet, problems will be solutioned at the most basic level possible and have the best chance of remaining targeted and simple. Think about your home life: if you have a clogged drain, are you going to call the federal government for help? Of course not, that would be ridiculous. You're going to go to the store and buy drain cleaner, because you understand that's all you need. (Although if you did ask the government for help, you might see a costly commission convened to study the curve of drain piping and its effect on debris-filled water flow contributing to clogging. Maybe new regulations for plumbing would be enacted.) If you don't have the means to solve the problem, then and only then escalate it to your boss, or your municipality. Performing the same means check at each successive level will ensure that the only problems that bubble to the top of the hierarchy (like national defense to the federal government) will be those that truly must reach that level to be solved.
   

What tenets for effective problem solving do you ascribe to? Do you have something to add to the list? As always, I welcome your comments.