Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

There are many processes available to solving problems and and working situations. Despite all our advances in methods and processes, still the best method in many cases is to focus on the problem, commit resources, and solve it.

Here’s the secret step to solving any problem:

Solve it

I was reminded of this insight today as I learned that the Commodore Amiga computer is 25 years old this week. The Amiga had great graphics performance – unmatched in its age, unmatched for years. How did they provide great graphics? The put a second processor in the box devoted to graphics.

They solved the problem by solving it

They put resources to the problem. They put a processor in the box for graphics, put engineers on the task to make it work, and they made it work. They recognized the problem, paid it the attention it deserved, and solved it.

About six months ago at work we were trying to learn how to respond to a request from a customer. We had received a request, sent a response, and received the equivalent of a “yuck” response from the customer. My boss asked my to look at what happened and try again. What we did wrong was simple. A couple of young engineers had taken 20 minutes out of their busy days to conjure a response to the customer. My boss took 20 minutes out of his busy day to review their work and pass it on to the customer. I revised the answer via two hours of concentrated work. The revised answer was much better. Why? Because I was so much smarter? No. It was simple,

I answered the customer’s question

I was allowed to work on the problem. I was given sufficient, uninterrupted time.

I solved the problem by solving it

One more illustration. Years ago in a seminar on team working, we had an exercise. There were four of us on a team, one piece of paper, two pencils. Each team member had to write their name in the four corners of the paper. We passed the pencils, turned the paper this way and that, and eventually wrote each of our names in the four corners.

Unknown to us, the seminar facilitator had timed us. Now he asked us to do that same faster. We talked a while about what process we would use to go faster. I suggested we merely repeat the exercise but just go faster. We tried that method; it worked. We focused on a problem: write faster. We wrote faster, i.e., we solved the problem by solving it. Focus, apply resources, do it.

We solved the problem by solving it

Yes, there are methods and processes that work better than others. There are situations when it is good to analyze the problem, analyze the method used, analyze alternatives, and select another process.

There are many other situations when “all we have to do” is focus on the problem, commit resources, and solve it.