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What is a problem-solving framework?
The problem-solving framework is a set of tools and techniques used to identify the cause of a problem and find the right solutions.
These frameworks use both rigorous data analysis and heuristics (mental shortcuts that let you apply what you already know in a new situation), which is useful when detailed research isn’t practical.
7 frameworks to find potential solutions to complex problems
There are plenty of frameworks that organizations use to solve problems. Here are 7 that we find most suitable for product teams at SaaS companies.
1. McKinsey’s Problem Solving Framework
McKinsey’s structured problem-solving approach is ideal for SaaS product teams looking to tackle complex challenges and drive growth.
The process consists of 7 steps:
- Define the problem: Work with all stakeholders to clearly outline the challenge to solve.
- Break down the problem: Use tools like hypothesis trees and the MECE principle (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive) to deconstruct the problem into manageable chunks.
- Prioritize issues: Focus on high-impact, easy-to-implement solutions by using a prioritization matrix like value vs. effort.
- Develop hypotheses: Form hypotheses to guide data analysis and ensure focus on the most likely solutions.
- Analyze data: Use a data-driven approach to test hypotheses, validate assumptions, and uncover insights.
- Synthesize findings: Summarize insights using the pyramid principle—start with the key recommendation supported by detailed analysis.
- Communicate: Present clear, concise recommendations and solutions to stakeholders; make sure they understand the reasoning and data behind them to secure their buy-in.
2. Root Cause Analysis
Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a powerful problem-solving technique that focuses on identifying the underlying cause of an issue rather than just addressing the symptoms, which is essential to prevent recurring problems and ensure long-term improvement.
RCA consists of 5 key stages:
- Define the problem: Clearly articulate the issue, whether it’s a product bug, customer complaint, or poor metric performance.
- Collect data: Gather relevant information to understand the scope and impact of the problem.
- Identify possible causal factors: Analyze the data to find factors that may have led to the issue.
- Identify the root cause: Keep digging deeper into the causal factors—using techniques like 5 Whys—to find the underlying issue that caused the problem.
- Recommend and implement solutions: Develop actionable recommendations to tackle the root cause, put them into action, and monitor performance to ensure the problem doesn’t come back.
3. CIRCLES method for problem-solving
The CIRCLES method was created by Lewis C. Lin, known for his best-selling book Decode and Conquer. It’s a go-to problem-solving framework for companies like Google because it’s versatile and lets product managers solve all kinds of problems.
CIRCLES stands for the 7 steps it takes to solve a problem:
- Comprehend the situation: Understand the context and details of the problem you’re trying to solve.
- Identify the customer: Define your target audience.
- Report the customer’s needs: Conduct user research to define customer pain points and requirements. Record them as user stories.
- Cut, through prioritization: Use a framework of choice to pinpoint the most critical issues.
- List solutions: Brainstorm solutions that address the customer’s needs.
- Evaluate tradeoffs: Weigh the pros and cons of possible solutions, considering their impact, riskiness, and feasibility.
- Summarize recommendations: Choose the best solution and clearly explain your decision.
4. The Phoenix Checklist
Developed by the CIA, the Phoenix Checklist is another solid framework.
It consists of sets of questions grouped into different categories. Going through the checklist allows the agent… I mean the product manager to view the problem from multiple perspectives and come up with innovative solutions.
Here are some of the questions to ask at different stages of the process:
- Clarify the need: Why is solving this problem necessary? What benefits will come from addressing it?
- Gather information: What information do you have? Is it sufficient? What are the unknowns?
- Frame the problem: What are the limits of the problem? What are the constants?
- Break down the problem: Can you distinguish the different parts of the problem? What are the relationships between the different parts of the problem? Can you describe the problem in a chart?
- Leverage past solutions: Have you seen this problem before? Can you use solutions to similar problems to solve this problem?
- Visualize solutions: What’s the best outcome you can imagine? What’s the worst? The most probable?
5. Lightning Decision Jam
Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) is another effective problem-solving framework.
It consists of 9 steps, each of them time-boxed, so the team moves through the process quickly and efficiently.
Here’s the breakdown of the 9 steps:
- Start with the problems: Identify and write down the problems that need addressing.
- Present problems: Each participant presents the problems they’ve identified.
- Select problems to solve: Use a prioritization method to choose the key problems to focus on.
- Reframe problems: Convert the selected challenge into an actionable problem statement. For example, “How might we streamline the onboarding process to reduce user drop-off and increase completion rates?”
- Produce solutions: Brainstorm and generate solutions for the reframed problems.
- Vote on solutions: Use dot-voting or a similar method to prioritize the solutions.
- Prioritize solutions: Finalize the top solutions based on voting.
- Decide what to execute: Choose which solutions to act on immediately.
- Turn solutions into actionable tasks: Break down the chosen solutions into clear, actionable tasks with ownership and deadlines.
6. DMAIC
DMAIC is a problem-solving tool from the Six Sigma methodology, one of the best quality-improvement frameworks used across different industries. Not just the automotive sector for which it was initially developed.
The name is an acronym for the 5 main stages of Six Sigma projects:
- Definition stage: Identify the problem, collect the necessary people and resources, and capture the Voice of the Customer. To ensure the solution aligns with customer needs.
- Measure phase: Map out the process and measure current performance to establish a baseline for improvement.
- Analyze stage: Use data to identify the root causes of the problem and highlight any waste or non-value-adding activities.
- Improve stage: Generate, test, and optimize solutions. And plan for implementation if the tests are successful.
- Control phase: Ensures that everyone follows the new processes and assesses the outcomes to ensure long-term improvement.
7. The Fishbone Diagram
The Fishbone Diagram, aka the Ishikawa Diagram or Cause-and-Effect Diagram, is a tool used to identify the root causes of a problem—by visually organizing potential contributing factors.
Why the name?
The diagram looks like a fish skeleton, with the “head” representing a particular problem and the “bones” —categories of causes.
Common cause categories include:
- People: Human factors or workforce issues.
- Processes: Workflows or procedures that may cause problems.
- Materials: Input materials or resources that could affect outcomes.
- Equipment: Software or technology involved in the process.
- Environment: External factors like market trends, competitors, regulations, or workspace conditions.
- Management: Leadership, policies, or decision-making practices.
By using a Fishbone Diagram along with techniques like 5 Whys, you can systematically brainstorm and drill down into the various factors contributing to the problem and gradually identify the root cause.
How to choose the right problem-solving framework?
To choose the right problem-solving framework, consider the problem’s complexity, time constraints, and the level of stakeholder involvement.
- Simple problems: Use quick tools like 5 Whys or the Fishbone Diagram for fast root cause analysis.
- Complex problems: For multi-layered issues, opt for structured methods like Root Cause Analysis (RCA) or McKinsey’s 7-Step Framework to cover all angles.
- Time constraints: If time is limited, the Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) helps make rapid decisions. For more thorough exploration, frameworks like The Phoenix Checklist offer a comprehensive approach.
- Stakeholder involvement: If multiple departments or customers are involved, frameworks like CIRCLES or McKinsey’s Framework align cross-functional teams and customer insights.
- Recurring issues: Use RCA to prevent repeated problems.
- Creative challenges: For innovative solutions, The Phoenix Checklist encourages diverse perspectives.
The essential elements of the problem-solving process
Having looked at a few of the most popular frameworks for solving problems, why don’t we look at the steps that they have in common?
Ramp Up Your Problem-Solving Framework with Code-Free Tools in Userpilot
Identify and understand the problem with user research
First, it’s necessary to identify and understand the problem.
To do that, conduct solid user research and capture the Voice of the Customer (VoC).
How to do it?
You can track user in-app behavior, run in-app surveys, conduct interviews, and analyze user social media feedback and online reviews.
To get a complete picture, collect both quantitative and qualitative data.
Brainstorm ideas to develop solutions
There’s no problem-solving framework out there that wouldn’t include brainstorming of some sort.
And there’s a good reason for that: it’s one of the most effective ways to generate a lot of different solutions in a short time.
To make the brainstorming sessions effective, give all your team members a chance to contribute. Your software engineer may not be the most vocal team member, but it doesn’t mean she has nothing to offer, and not recognizing her input can be costly.
The Delphi method and silent brainstorming are techniques that prevent groupthink and the less outspoken team members from being talked over.
No matter how ridiculous or outrageous some ideas may seem, don’t discard any unless they’re completely irrelevant. It’s not the time to evaluate ideas. Just come up with as many of them as possible.
Decide on a solution and implement it
Having brainstormed solutions, evaluate them and choose the one that solves the problem better than others. And put it into practice.
Even the best ideas are not worth much if you can’t implement them, so pay attention to this stage.
Solving difficult problems often requires big changes, so prepare your team or your customers. Take your time, and focus on explaining the rationale for change and the benefits that it brings.
Make sure to provide the right training to your staff and support your users with onboarding and product education to reduce friction once the new solution goes live.
Collect feedback after the implementation process and evaluate its success
Once you implement the solution, collect feedback to assess its effectiveness.
Is it solving the problem? Does it help you achieve the objectives? If not, how can you modify it to improve its success? If yes, is there anything else that would provide even more value?
You can do this by asking your users for feedback, for example, via a survey.
In addition to gathering feedback actively, give your users a chance to submit passive feedback whenever they feel like it.
In case of organizational changes, monitor whether the new processes or tools are used. Being creatures of habit, people tend to relapse to their old ways easily, often without realizing it.
Frequently asked questions about problem-solving frameworks
You still with me? Awesome!
I’m nearly done. Let’s finish with answers to a few problem-solving FAQs.
What are the benefits of using standard methods to solve complex problems?
Standard methods provide a structured approach. This means a more thorough and consistent analysis, a deep understanding of the problem, a lower risk of missing important factors, and more reliable, data-driven solutions.
Using proven frameworks also helps you track progress, improve collaboration between stakeholders, and ensure the solutions are sustainable.
What is the ideal problem-solving framework?
There isn’t one.
The choice of framework depends on factors like the problem’s complexity, urgency, and your team’s workflow. Simple issues may need quick methods like 5 Whys, while more complex ones require detailed frameworks like McKinsey’s 7-Step Process.
What are the 4 P’s of problem-solving?
The 4 P’s are Problem, Plan, People, and Process.
First, clearly define the Problem. Next, Plan your approach and ensure the right People are involved.
Finally, execute and refine the Process to solve the problem effectively.
Conclusion
The above frameworks guide problem solvers through the process of defining the problem, identifying causes, generating and implementing solutions, and assessing their impact.
To implement them in SaaS, product managers usually need the right tools, like Userpilot.
If you’d like to learn how Userpilot can help you capture the voice of the customer, analyze the data to identify root causes, help design user-centered solutions, and collect both active and passive feedback to test their effectiveness, book a demo!
Ramp Up Your Problem-Solving Framework with Code-Free Tools in Userpilot
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