{"id":517286,"date":"2019-01-04T16:47:18","date_gmt":"2019-01-04T15:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devoteam.com\/expert-view\/understanding-the-problems-technology-is-solving\/"},"modified":"2019-01-04T16:47:18","modified_gmt":"2019-01-04T16:47:18","slug":"understanding-the-problems-technology-is-solving","status":"publish","type":"expert-view","link":"https:\/\/devoteam.info\/en-pt\/expert-view\/understanding-the-problems-technology-is-solving\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the problems technology is solving"},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/em> John Menzies<\/strong>, Enterprise Architect, Integration & Architecture, Devoteam<\/p>\n

January 2019<\/p>\n

We live in a world that is so focused on delivery, the destination so to speak. We don\u2019t know what we have around us, point A, and we\u2019re trying to run off to point B. Intellectually we already know we need to understand the problem we\u2019re trying to solve before we try to solve it, but in practice do we really do this? Why is everyone so interested in providing solutions to the point that most people I speak with on a daily basis don\u2019t understand what problem they\u2019re trying to solve? I, too, am guilty of this.<\/p>\n

Do we listen?<\/h4>\n

When we enter into a discovery piece of work, how often have you gone in with an outcome already in mind? How often do you only process the points of a discovery that will support your preconceived idea of what the solution should be (confirmation bias)? When trying to identify a problem we must be prepared to listen completely, change our mind and learn along the way. If you find yourself jumping to the conclusion you\u2019ve stopped listening, you\u2019re not processing.<\/p>\n

Play back what you\u2019ve heard<\/h4>\n

The first few times you do this it\u2019s going to feel a little odd. Paraphrase what you\u2019ve heard. By continually replaying what you\u2019ve heard you will absorb more about the problem. The group you\u2019re working with also gets an opportunity to hear, possibly in another way, the problem presented again. Questions can be asked, and discussion ensues.<\/p>\n

By playing back the problem you also get to measure how engaged the group is in understanding and owning the problem. There is nothing surer of failure than driving to a solution where the problem isn\u2019t a) well understood or b) owned. In my years of managing teams of developers I\u2019ve learnt that nothing is more powerful than a team owning a problem. Solutions that are thrust upon people often fail to obtain traction through to resolution. Problems that are properly identified and owned fail to stay unresolved.<\/p>\n

Have you engaged your audience?<\/h4>\n

As a client engaging in a conversation with a consultant, or vendor, I was often sceptical, feeling that the other party had an agenda which often resulted in low value conversations. As a Consultant I struggle to demonstrate that my motives are to help the client, to overcome the perception they already have of my intentions. The genuine starting position of understanding is hard to establish, it seems to be a low trust position. Through building relationships, getting to know the other people in the relationship, these preconceived ideas of what the other party is bringing to the situation you can all get on the same page and move forward together.<\/p>\n

Have you found the Root Cause?<\/h4>\n

A problem can only be solved completely if the root cause is known. There are many different techniques for doing this. One that I\u2019ve found most effective, and at times extremely uncomfortable, is the \u201c5 Whys\u201d developed originally by Sakichi Toyoda and subscribed to by Toyota in their manufacturing plants. Every time someone provides what they believe to be the reason why something is a problem we should then question why that is the problem. Often when doing this you\u2019ll find that the real cause is not the first answer that comes to mind. This approach will fail if the analysts around the table do not have an open mind. Watch out for egos when working through this stage, I\u2019ve found personally that it can be the biggest obstacle to finding the root cause.<\/p>\n

Great, you\u2019ve found the Root Cause. What Next?<\/h4>\n

A solution may present itself very quickly once the root cause is known, but I\u2019d like to provide some quick points to keep in mind when honing the solution to your new root cause:<\/p>\n