A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.

indd 1 5/9/16 10:34 AM

 Praise for Be a Great Problem
Solver – Now!

‘Adrian Reed delivers comprehensive advice backed up by

practical examples and relevant techniques. This is a well-
organised book that provides an excellent toolkit for business
problem-solvers.’
Debra Paul, Managing Director, AssistKD

‘At last, a book that transforms a minefield of problem-solving

theories into easily understood concepts that absolutely
anyone can apply within both their work and personal lives.
Compelling, relevant and, ultimately, essential reading.’
John Hackett, Managing Director and Organisational Change
Alchemist, Franklin-Hackett Ltd

‘A very enjoyable and pragmatic book for the most junior

and senior executive who is often confronted with tricky
daily problems and looking not just for a quick solution, but a
strategy and approach to the solution.’
Stephen Ashworth, President and CEO, International
Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA)

‘Adrian offers a clear, step-by-step process, supported by

proven techniques, visuals and hands-on tips to help you shift
from solution building to problem solving. Inspiring for people
new to the BA role, a solid reference for experienced ones.’
Filip Hendrickx, Business Consultant and Speaker bringing
Lean Startup to established organisations, altershape

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 1 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 ‘If you are looking for a practical, structured way to solve any
problem, this is your book. One of the best skills it teaches is
how to make sure you are working on the right problem in the
first place!’
Kupe Kupersmith, President, B2T Training

‘An essential and highly accessible compendium of sensible

and logical tools and techniques.’
Will Noble, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Human
Systems International (HSI)

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 2 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 Be a Great Problem Solver – Now!

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 3 21/04/16 7:50 pm

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 4 21/04/16 7:50 pm
 Be a Great Problem
Solver – Now!
The 2-in-1 Manager: Speed Read – instant
tips; Big Picture – lasting results

Adrian Reed

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 5 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 Pearson Education Limited
Edinburgh Gate
Harlow CM20 2JE
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1279 623623
Web: www.pearson.com/uk
First edition published 2016 (print and electronic)
© Blackmetric Business Solutions Limited 2016 (print and electronic)
The right of Adrian Reed to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by
him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The print publication is protected by copyright. Prior to any prohibited reproduction,
storage in a retrieval system, distribution or transmission in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, permission should be
obtained from the publisher or, where applicable, a licence permitting restricted
copying in the United Kingdom should be obtained from the Copyright Licensing
Agency Ltd, Barnard’s Inn, 86 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1EN.
The ePublication is protected by copyright and must not be copied, reproduced,
transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way
except as specifically permitted in writing by the publisher, as allowed under the
terms and conditions under which it was purchased, or as strictly permitted by
applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a
direct infringement of the author’s and the publisher’s rights and those responsible
may be liable in law accordingly.
All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of
any trademark in this text does not vest in the author or publisher any trademark
ownership rights in such trademarks, nor does the use of such trademarks imply any
affiliation with or endorsement of this book by such owners.
Pearson Education is not responsible for the content of third-party internet sites.
ISBN: 978-1-292-11962-5 (print)
978-1-292-11965-6 (PDF)
978-1-292-11964-9 (ePub)
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for the print edition is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for the print edition is available from the Library of Congress
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
20 19 18 17 16
Cover design by Two Associates
Print edition typeset in 10pt Scene Std by SPi Global
Printed in Great Britain by Henry Ling Ltd, at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, Dorset
NOTE THAT ANY PAGE CROSS REFERENCES REFER TO THE PRINT EDITION

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 6 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 To Larraine: For the advice you gave me on a cold, hostile,
Rochester morning that I remember to this day.

To Dave: For leading by example and for creating memories that

will never fade.

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 7 21/04/16 7:50 pm

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 8 21/04/16 7:50 pm
 Contents

About the author xvii

Introduction xviii
Acknowledgements xx

Chapter 1 AVOID THE SOLUTION TRAP 1

Speed read 3

1.1 What’s wrong with a knee-jerk solution? 3

1.2 Think holistically 4
1.3 Structure your problem-solving approach 5
1.4 Scour the stakeholder landscape 6
1.5 Slow down to speed up: be prepared for
challenge 7
1.6 Uncover constraints 8
1.7 Be concise yet precise: introducing the
one-page problem canvas 9

Big picture 11
1.1 What’s wrong with a knee-jerk solution? 11
1.2 Think holistically 15
1.3 Structure your problem-solving approach 17

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 9 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 Contents

1.4 Scour the stakeholder landscape 20

1.5 Slow down to speed up: be prepared for
challenge 24
1.6 Uncover constraints 27
1.7 Be concise yet precise: introducing the
one-page problem canvas 31

Chapter 2 THINK PROBLEM BEFORE SOLUTION 37

Speed read 39

2.1 The importance of ‘why’ 39

2.2 Defining a problem or opportunity
statement 40
2.3 Encourage divergent and convergent
thinking 41
2.4 Get to the root of the problem 42
2.5 Consider the external environment 43
2.6 Consider multiple perspectives on
the problem 44
2.7 Gain consensus and move forward 45

Big picture 47
2.1 The importance of ‘why’ 47
2.2 Defining a problem or opportunity
statement 51
2.3 Encourage divergent and convergent
thinking 54
2.4 Get to the root of the problem 57
2.5 Consider the external environment 60
x

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 10 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 Contents

2.6 Consider multiple perspectives on

the problem 63
2.7 Gain consensus and move forward 66

Chapter 3 DEFINING THE OUTCOMES: WHAT

DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? 69

Speed read 71

3.1 Encourage outcome-based thinking 71

3.2 Start with the end in mind: define critical
success factors 72
3.3 Make it measurable with key performance
indicators 73
3.4 Attain balance with the balanced business
scorecard 75
3.5 Revisit and consider constraints 76
3.6 Ensuring organisational alignment 77
3.7 Assess different perspectives on outcomes 78

Big picture 81
3.1 Encourage outcome-based thinking 81
3.2 Start with the end in mind: define critical
success factors 84
3.3 Make it measurable with key
performance indicators 87
3.4 Attain balance with the balanced
business scorecard 89
3.5 Revisit and consider constraints 93

xi

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 11 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 Contents

3.6 Ensuring organisational alignment 96

3.7 Assess different perspectives on
outcomes 99

Chapter 4 ASSESSING SCOPE AND IMPACT 103

Speed read 105

4.1 The danger of ‘scope creep’ 105

4.2 Know the difference: impacted,
interested and involved 106
4.3 Understand the problem situation 107
4.4 Find the roles and goals 108
4.5 Make it visual with a business use
case model 109
 4.6 Set the priorities 110
4.7 Set the boundaries of scope 111

Big picture 113

4.1 The danger of ‘scope creep’ 113
4.2 Know the difference: impacted,
interested and involved 116
4.3 Understand the problem situation 119
 4.4 Find the roles and goals 122
4.5 Make it visual with a business use case
model 125
 4.6 Set the priorities 130
4.7 Set the boundaries of scope 132

xii

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 12 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 Contents

Chapter 5 SOLUTIONEERING: GENERATING

SOLUTION OPTIONS 135

Speed read 137

5.1 Keep the outcomes clearly in mind 137

5.2 Get together and imagine multiple
solutions 138
5.3 Start evaluating solutions: create a
‘long list’ 139
5.4 Getting specific: short list the best 140
 5.5 Consider doing nothing 141
5.6 Compare the short-listed options 142
5.7 Validate and make a recommendation 143

Big picture 145

5.1 Keep the outcomes clearly in mind 145
5.2 Get together and imagine multiple
solutions 147
5.3 Start evaluating solutions: create a
‘long list’ 150
5.4 Getting specific: short list the best 154
5.5 Consider doing nothing 157
5.6 Compare the short-listed options 160
5.7 Validate and make a recommendation 162

xiii

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 13 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 Contents

Chapter 6 BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER:

THE ONE-PAGE ‘PROBLEM CANVAS’ 167

Speed read 169

 6.1 Being concise and precise: building

the canvas 169
6.2 Gaining consensus 170
6.3 The canvas as an internal sales tool 171
  6.4 Gain commitment 172
6.5 Plan the next steps 173
6.6 Beware risks 174
6.7 A problem canvas is a great place to start
(but the hard work is yet to come) 175

Big picture 177

6.1 Being concise and precise: building
the canvas 177
6.2 Gaining consensus 183
6.3 The canvas as an internal sales tool 185
  6.4 Gain commitment 189
6.5 Plan the next steps 192
  6.6 Beware risks 196
6.7 A problem canvas is a great place to start
(but the hard work is yet to come) 201

xiv

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 14 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 Contents

Chapter 7 MAKING SURE PROBLEMS

STAY SOLVED: IMPLEMENTING,
MEASURING SUCCESS AND
PIVOTING 205

Speed read 207

7.1 What happens after the problem canvas

is written? 207
7.2 Compare and prioritise problems 208
7.3 Inspire action: keeping up the
momentum to implement a solution 209
7.4 Get ready to measure success 210
7.5 Stay close to ensure problems don’t recur 210
 7.6 Seek further opportunities to tweak
and pivot 211
7.7 Embed the practice of continuous
improvement 212

Big picture 215

7.1 What happens after the problem canvas
is written? 215
7.2 Compare and prioritise problems 217
7.3 Inspire action: keeping up the
momentum to implement a solution 221
7.4 Get ready to measure success 225
7.5 Stay close to ensure problems
don’t recur 230

xv

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 15 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 Contents

7.6 Seek further opportunities to tweak

and pivot 233
  7.7 Embed the practice of continuous
improvement 236

Conclusions and next steps 241

References and further reading 243
Index 245

xvi

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 16 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 About the author

Adrian Reed is an enthusiastic business analyst

and consultant who loves working with others to
solve tricky problems. He is Principal Consultant
at Blackmetric Business Solutions, a niche
business analysis training and consulting firm
based in the UK. He speaks internationally on
topics related to business analysis and problem
solving, and enthusiastically believes in the benefits of good
problem definition and business analysis.

For more information about Adrian’s company, visit www.

blackmetric.co.uk

You can read Adrian’s blog at www.adrianreed.co.uk

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 17 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 Introduction

We live in a fast-moving world where problems, threats and

opportunities must be assessed, prioritised and dealt with as
quickly as possible. Yet problem solving is inherently complicated –
rarely do problems exist in isolation. It is quite possible to solve
a problem in one area and cause a brand new (potentially) worse
problem somewhere else. It would be equally possible to solve a
problem in a way that we think is fantastic – but that our
stakeholders hate or that is out of alignment with our external
business environment.

This is made all the more tricky by the fact that people often fall
in love with potential solutions – before they have identified the
problem they are actually trying to solve. Perhaps our boss comes
in on a Monday morning and announces that we need to kick off
a new project to purchase and implement a brand new IT system
which will be the ‘silver bullet’ to solve all of our organisational ills.
If we (and they) have not identified the problem or opportunity
that they are trying to address, then we are likely to be heading
for disappointment. Anyone who has wasted money on a shiny
gadget (that looked great in the shop), only to find that it didn’t
change our lives can probably relate to this. We buy a ‘solution’ to
the wrong problem!

This highlights that holistic problem-solving skills are crucial for

any leader or manager. Yet it can be difficult to know where to
start. In writing this book, I set out to bring together and discuss a
practical set of tools and techniques that can be used to analyse
problems in a consistent way. They certainly aren’t the only

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 18 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 Introduction

tools available – but I have found them to be effective, useful

and productive. More importantly, this book covers a process for
problem solving, based around a one-page ‘problem canvas’. You
are completely free to use this canvas in your own organisations,
and a downloadable copy is available at the book’s website
www.problemsolvingbook.co.uk. You’ll find other useful links and
resources there too.

This book is designed to be a practical reference guide, and one

that you’ll refer to time and time again. I hope you find it useful,
enjoyable and that it helps in your problem-solving efforts.

All the best,

Adrian Reed
Principal Consultant,
Blackmetric Business Solutions
[email protected]

xix

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 19 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the following for permission to reproduce

copyright material:

Photos
Photo on p. 3 © BamboOK/Shutterstock; photo on p. 5 © Img
Raj/Shutterstock; photo on p. 6 © 3Dstock/Shutterstock;
photos on pp. 7, 25, 174 and 197 © Gunnar Pippel/Shutterstock;
photos on pp. 8 and 76 © Sashkin/Shutterstock; photo on
p. 9 © Mmaxer/Shutterstock; photo on p. 12 © PhotoSmile/
Shutterstock; photo on p. 20 © Alina Ku-Ku/Shutterstock; photos
on pp. 28 and 39 © Marekuliasz/Shutterstock; photos on pp. 40,
52, 172 and 201 © Michael D. Brown/Shutterstock; photos on
p. 41 and 44 © VLADGRIN/Shutterstock; photo on p. 42 © Orla/
Shutterstock; photo on p. 43 © SergeyDV/Shutterstock; photo on
p. 45 © Vector-RGB/Shutterstock; photo on p. 48 © Rashevskyi
Viacheslav/Shutterstock; photo on p. 57 © Tuulijumala/
Shutterstock; photo on p. 60 © Marafona/Shutterstock; photo
on p. 72 © Scrugglegreen/Shutterstock; photos on pp. 73 and
84 © Olivier Le Moal/Shutterstock; photo on p. 77 © A1Stock/
Shutterstock; photo on p. 97 ©Jojje/Shutterstock; photo on
p. 105 © Tan Kian Khoon/Shutterstock; photos on pp. 106 and
231 © Lord and Leverett/Pearson Education Ltd; photo on p. 108
© dadabosh/Shutterstock; photo on p. 109 © Mack2happy/
Shutterstock; photo on p. 111 © Worker/Shutterstock; photo
on p. 113 © 123rf.com; photo on p. 119 © Minerva Studio/
Shutterstock; photo on p. 122 © David Lee/Shutterstock; photo
on p. 130 © Mauro Saivezzo/Shutterstock; photos on pp. 137 and

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 20 21/04/16 7:50 pm

 Acknowledgements

145 © Lightspring/Shutterstock; photo on p. 138 © nasirkhan/

Shutterstock; photo on p. 141 © Dimec/Shutterstock; photo on
p. 142 © Roobcio/Shutterstock; photo on p. 143 © Veerachai
Viteeman/Shutterstock; photo on p. 148 © Palto/Shutterstock;
photo on p. 158 © Sergii Korolko/Shutterstock; photos on pp. 160
and 218 © Nelson Marques/Shutterstock; photo on p. 162 ©
JohnKwan/Shutterstock; photo on p. 170 © Zphoto/Shutterstock;
photos on pp. 171 and 186 © StockLite/Shutterstock; photo on
p. 173 © ALMAGAMI/Shutterstock; photo on p. 175 © John Foxx
Collection/Imagestate; photo on p. 184 © iQoncept/Shutterstock;
photo on p. 190 © cybrain/Shutterstock; photo on p. 207 © rnl/
Shutterstock; photo on p. 208 © pedrosala/Shutterstock; photo
on p. 209 © mypokcik/Shutterstock; photo on p. 210 © Andrey_
Kuzmin/Shutterstock; photo on p. 211 © Syda Productions/
Shutterstock; photo on p. 212 © push-to-grave/Shutterstock;
photos on pp. 213 and 237 © Gines Valera Marin/Shutterstock;
photo on p. 221 © volk6/Shutterstock.

Figures
Figures on pp. 4 and 16 © Assist Knowledge Development Ltd;
figures on pp. 22 and 23 from A Guide to the Business Analysis
Body of Knowledge, 3rd edn, © 2015 International Institute of
Business Analysis. All rights reserved. Material produced with
permission from IIBA; figures on pp. 18, 33, 34–5, 59, 169 and
180–1 © Blackmetric Business Solutions; figure on p. 55 adapted
from Wilkins, A. and Archer, J., ‘Creative Problem Solving – The
Swiss Army Knife for BAs’, a presentation at the BA conference
Europe 2011; figure on p. 90 reprinted by permission of Harvard
Business Review Press, from Kaplan, R. S. and Norton, D. P, The
Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy Into Action. Copyright
© 1995 by the Harvard Business Publishing Corporation, all rights
reserved; symbols used in figure on p. 110 adapted from Podeswa,
H., The Business Analyst’s Handbook, 1e © 2009 Delmar Learning,
a part of Cengage Learning, Inc. Reproduced by permission, www.
cengage.com/permissions

xxi

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 21 21/04/16 7:50 pm

A01_REED9625_01_SE_FM.indd 22 21/04/16 7:50 pm
 Chapter 1
Avoid the solution trap

1.1 What’s wrong with a knee-jerk solution?

1.2 Think holistically

1.3 Structure your problem solving

1.4 Scour the stakeholder landscape

1.5 Slow down to speed up: be prepared for challenge

1.6 Uncover constraints

1.7 Be concise yet precise: introducing the one-page

problem canvas

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 1 20/04/16 8:12 pm

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 2 20/04/16 8:12 pm
 SPeeD reAD
1. Avoid the solution trap

1.1 What’s wrong with a knee-jerk solution?

In a fast-moving business environment, we are often under
significant pressure to solve business problems quickly.
Yet a trap awaits the unprepared. So many businesses
make knee-jerk decisions that compound rather than solve
their problems. Newspapers are littered with stories of
business initiatives that have failed, and organisations
that have lost money and even their competitive edge by
pursuing ill-advised decisions or solutions. These failures
can occur for many complex reasons, but one common
cause is that organisations make an early decision on what
route to take without carrying out sufficient analysis. We
can avoid this trap by making sure we address the root
cause of the problem (rather than just the symptoms or
effects), and by keeping a constant guard against selecting
a solution too soon.

Source: BambOK/Shutterstock

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 3 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

Do this
Ask whether you are being presented with a pre-supposed
solution, rather than the root problem. Ensure the right people
have been involved with defining the problem, and use the
techniques in this book to delve further to understand the root
cause and to discover possible solutions.

1.2 Think holistically

Organisation

Information &
technology
People Process

Source: Assist Knowledge Development Ltd

Organisations can be complex environments, and by solving

a problem in one area we may inadvertently cause a problem
elsewhere. For instance, solving a problem that enables more
sales to be made is only useful if the production and dispatch
departments have capacity to fulfil those orders! Successful
problem solving relies on holistic thinking and the ability to think
beyond the immediate problem area. Using the ‘four-view’ model of
the business (people, process, organisation and technology) can
help. It is likely that a change in any one of these areas may have
knock-on impacts on the others – a new IT system may require
training (people) and may alter the way the work is carried out
(process). Thinking across teams and departments is also crucial.
4

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 4 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Speed read

Do this
Consider problems (and potential solutions) from multiple angles,
including how they involve or will impact people, processes, the
organisation and IT.

1.3 Structure your problem-solving approach

There is value in taking a structured approach to problem solving.
It isn’t necessary to use a complex or laborious problem-solving
process, but it is very useful to consider a problem from three angles:
• Why: Why is the problem important? Why does it need to be
solved now?
• What: What needs to change? What are the core requirements?
What is the scope and scale of the problem-solving initiative?
• How: How could the problem be solved? How many options are
available?

A range of techniques are available that help us understand more

about the problem, these are described in more detail throughout
this book.

Source: ImgRaj/Shutterstock

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 5 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

Do this
Step back and take a calculated approach to problem solving.
Taking time to plan the approach will save time in the long run.

1.4 Scour the stakeholder landscape

Problems don’t exist in a vacuum, and it’s important that we
understand who else is interested or impacted by the problem
that we are examining. In large organisations, problems may
have many stakeholders, and it’s important that we plan
our stakeholder engagement strategy. When it comes to
stakeholder management, think ICE: identify, categorise and
engage.

We start by identifying the likely stakeholders, and putting

together a list. It is worth considering the relative levels of
influence they hold, as well as how impacted they are by the
problem. Also consider their attitude. Are they supportive, neutral,
or might they actively object to any problem-solving activity? This
allows us to categorise the stakeholders, perhaps using a
traditional stakeholder grid (as explained in the ‘Big picture’
section). Once they are categorised we can plan how and when to
engage them.

Source: 3Dstock/Shutterstock
6

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 6 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Speed read

Do this
Cast the net wide to ensure you have found and engaged the
relevant stakeholders. Ensure stakeholders are identified,
categorised and engaged.

1.5 Slow down to speed up: be prepared for challenge

Whilst there is clear benefit in taking a structured approach to
decision making, it is likely that we’ll come under pressure from
our business stakeholders to hit the ground running. There can
sometimes be a reluctance to spend time on problem analysis
activities, as it may be seen as ‘abstract’ and wasteful. Whilst this
type of feedback from our stakeholders could be seen as
problematic, we can use it to our advantage. It shows that they
are engaged, and are keen to see the problem solved. By showing
them the benefit of the problem-solving approach, we can ensure
that they are fully on board. We can explain that it won’t waste
time – and in fact, it may save time in the long run. Whilst we may
be slowing down temporarily, this is so that we can hit the
accelerator with confidence once we’ve found the best solution
option.

Source: Gunnar Pippel/Shutterstock

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 7 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

Do this
Consider how you will handle resistance or challenge to a
structured problem-solving approach. Consider using a problem
canvas (discussed in Section 1.7 and Chapter 6) to illustrate the
stages of a problem-solving process.

1.6 uncover constraints

As we uncover more about a problem, we’ll want to start thinking
about ways to solve it. Yet, it is highly likely that there will be some
factors that constrain the solutions that can be considered. It
is likely that we’ll have limited time, money and resources – and
suggesting a solution that is in the wrong ballpark will crush our
credibility. It’s important that we surface constraints early, so we
can make consistently credible recommendations. Constraints
could include factors such as:
• Time
• Cost/resources
• Quality
• Scope
• Technology
• Business process
• Organisational structure
• Legislation/regulation

Source: Sashkin/Shutterstock
8

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 8 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Speed read

Do this
Understand what genuinely cannot shift or budge. Ensure that
any proposed solutions fit within these boundaries.

1.7 Be concise yet precise: introducing the one-page

problem canvas
Distilling a problem definition down onto a single sheet can help
ensure that everyone involved is ‘on the same page’ and has a
consistent and coherent view on the problem we are trying
to solve. The problem canvas is one way of achieving this and
provides a template where the problem statement, the scope and
the likely solutions can be displayed and validated. The template
(shown in the ‘Big picture’ section) is designed to show just enough
information about the problem, and it is also a useful prompt or
‘aide-memoire’, helping us to ensure we have considered the
relevant angles. A soft copy of the template can be downloaded
from www.problemsolvingbook.co.uk

Source: Mmaxer/Shutterstock

Do this
Use the problem canvas template to develop a succinct
definition of the problem, desired outcomes and to provide a
list of possible solution options. Build this document iteratively
and share it with your team and your stakeholders.

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 9 20/04/16 8:12 pm

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 10 20/04/16 8:12 pm
 Big Picture
1. Avoid the solution trap

1.1 What’s wrong with a knee-jerk solution?

Why
Many of us have probably worked with a co-worker or manager
who has asked us to focus on delivering a solution rather
than analysing the problem. In many ways, this is completely
understandable – after all, in a fast-paced business environment,
being able to solve problems quickly is essential. It might mean
that we clinch an important deal or we usurp our competitors.
Yet, counterintuitively, if we move before we have an adequate
understanding of the problem we are trying to solve, we might
fall into a trap and face serious consequences. We might end up
recommending, implementing or buying a solution that just isn’t
right for our business – we might implement the wrong solution
for our problem. Or even worse, we might find that different
colleagues and stakeholders had a different interpretation
on precisely which problem we are trying to solve – leading to
conflict, delays and further expense. All situations that are best
avoided!

The situations above describe knee-jerk reactions to problems. So

often, problems are far more complex than they appear and the
first solution that we imagine might not be the best one. Here are
just a few examples:
• Effect rather than cause: Imagine that you are asked to look at
streamlining your company’s complaints-handling process, as
your organisation can’t respond to complaints quickly enough.
Whilst this would undoubtedly be possible, it would be far more
beneficial to understand why people are complaining, and
address the root causes (so that they don’t need to complain
in the first place!).

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 11 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

• A solution looking for a problem: So often, we unconsciously

fall in love with a particular idea or solution, so much so that we
doggedly pursue it, even if it isn’t fit for our needs. Anyone who
has ever bought a shiny gadget, only for it to fall very quickly
into disuse will have felt this pain. With a £30 smoothie-maker,
this is inconvenient enough. When a business spends millions
on an IT system that doesn’t meet its needs, the effects can
be crippling.
• We’re not on the same page: Perhaps different people in the
organisation have a subtly different interpretation of the
problem we’re trying to solve. Different people might have
different motivations too, and without a careful appreciation
of this we might end up disappointing some or all of our
stakeholders!

Source: PhotoSmile/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
Lack of problem analysis can lead to significant wasted
expenditure. To quote just one example: In around 2004, the UK
government kicked off a project which aimed at making significant
changes to the infrastructure used to handle emergency calls
made to the fire and rescue service. The project aimed at providing
more resilience and efficiencies, and focussed on consolidating
the number of call centres required to handle the calls. As the
project progressed, significant problems emerged – and then in
2010 the project was scrapped. Government reports show that
12

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 12 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

the minimum amount of money wasted was £469 million, and to

make things worse it appears not a single objective was achieved.
It has been suggested that the solution that was being delivered
was significantly over-specified and not appropriate to the actual
needs of the country. Or, to put this differently, it may have been
aiming to solve the wrong problem. It is a complex case, with many
contributing factors, but it certainly appears that there were
cheaper and more appropriate options available.

This is not a unique example. A government report went on to

state:

‘The issues leading up to this failed project are by no means

unique or isolated. Government IT projects can appear to take
on a life of their own, continuing to absorb resources without
ever reaching their objectives.’
(National Audit Office, 2011)

Whilst this example is taken from the public sector, there are
similar failings in the private and third sectors too – although they
are not always as visible. Failures of this type can affect all types
of decision – from day-to-day operational decision making, right
through to multi-million procurement decisions. Spending time up
front to ensure that we’re solving the right problem, when paired
with good project management and business analysis, can help
us to avoid these types of extensive failures.

How
Next time you are presented with a problem, override your
subconscious mind’s desire to jump on the first available solution
and encourage those around you to take a step back. Rather
than pursuing a knee-jerk reaction, use the techniques outlined
in this book to ensure that everyone is on the same page and to
search and evaluate a range of solutions. Ask yourself questions
including:
1. Am I being presented with a solution, rather than a problem?
2. Have the right people been involved to define this problem?

13

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 13 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

3. Is this the root cause, or do we need to delve further?

4. Does this problem really have to be solved right now, or do we
have time to consider options?

Utilise the techniques described throughout this book to delve

further.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
National Audit Office, 2011. The Failure of the FiReControl Project.
London: NAO.

14

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 14 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

1.2 Think holistically

Why

‘Holistic: Characterised by the belief that the parts of

something are intimately interconnected and explicable only
by reference to the whole.’
(Oxford Dictionaries, n.d.)

To drive the best outcome when problem solving, it’s important

that we consider the problem situation holistically. Problems are
often complex and messy, with many interconnected parts. What
is presented to us as, say, a technology-related problem might
actually be much wider ranging.

So often even a small incremental change to one part of a business

can have much broader knock-on effects. By solving our localised
problem, we might cause significant problems elsewhere.

Imagine a sales team that are desperately trying to drive up their

sales volumes. They stock a brand new product, and the market
loves it. They take hundreds of orders – and the sales revenues
sky rocket. This sounds like good news – but if the procurement
team couldn’t buy the stock quickly enough, or if the dispatch
process couldn’t handle the volumes, then we’d be setting
ourselves up to fail! Success in one area is fruitless if a problem
is transferred elsewhere, and it’s important that we consider
the wider landscape (which may span teams, divisions or even
organisations).

Knowledge briefing
In the seminal book Business Analysis (Paul, Cadle and Yeates,
2014), Debra Paul refers to a four-view model of a business, and
encourages us to consider problem situations from the angles
of people, process, organisation and information technology. It
is very useful to consider this model when assessing a problem
situation. It’s also important to consider that a change in any one
of the four areas is likely to impact the others.

15

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 15 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

Organisation

Information &
technology
People Process

Source: Assist Knowledge Development Ltd

How
For example, automating a process may involve additional IT,
re-training (people) and may even involve organisational structure
changes (organisation). The four-view model can help us take a
holistic approach by considering:
1. People: How are people rewarded, appraised and motivated?
Could the targets they are set be contributing to the
problem? What other metrics might be more appropriate? Is
everyone adequately trained and up-to-speed on any relevant
systems?
2. Organisation: Does the organisational structure help or hinder?
Are there structural issues that contribute to the problem?
3. Process: How are the underlying business processes affected,
impacted or involved in this problem? Are there process
improvement opportunities? Where are the ‘bottlenecks’ and
constraints? Who is involved in the process?
4. Information and technology: How is information technology
currently used? What sort of systems are used, and are there
any disconnects? Is there an opportunity for improvement?
Are the existing systems used appropriately – or could they
be used in additional or different ways?

16

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 16 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
Oxford Dictionaries, n.d. Oxford English Dictionary. [Online] Availa-
ble at: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/
holistic
POPIT™ Model, from Paul, D., Cadle, J. and Yeates, D. (eds), 2014.
­Business Analysis. Third Edition. Swindon: BCS. Copyright and
­trademark of Assist KD Ltd.

1.3 Structure your problem-solving approach

Why
When the heat is on, and when a problem is seemingly urgent, it can
be very comforting and natural to reach out for the first available
solution – without considering the problem any further. In some

17

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 17 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

circumstances, this might be the best approach – if you’re on a

sinking ship then you probably haven’t got much time to evaluate
your options and making a quick and decisive decision may save
you. However, often urgency is an illusion – and by structuring our
problem-solving approach we can break through this illusion and
ensure that we achieve the best possible outcome.

Knowledge briefing
A problem-solving process provides us with a repeatable method
of considering and analysing the problem situation. It forms the
backbone of our problem analysis activities – of course, we can
expand and embellish it where necessary, but it provides us with
a re-usable framework. Bedding in and establishing a framework
ensures that everyone involved has a common understanding of
what will take place, and what will happen next at each stage.
Importantly, taking a structured approach to problem solving can
ensure that we take a step back, and help us and our stakeholders
avoid falling for a knee-jerk solution.

How
We don’t need a complicated or laborious process, in fact it can
be useful to structure problem-solving activities around three
important questions:

Understanding a problem
WHY? WHAT? HOW?

Problem definition

Source: Blackmetric Business Solutions

1. Why: It is important that we understand why there needs to

be a change to the status quo. If a problem exists, why does it
need to be solved? Why is it so urgent, and why does it demand
our attention now? Why is there even a problem in the first
place – has the root cause really been identified?

18

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 18 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

2. What: It’s also important that we understand the scope and

scale of the problem; or to put it another way, it’s important
that we know what needs to change. Referring back to the
four-view model mentioned in the previous section, which
processes, people, IT systems or organisational structures are
we changing? Which others might be impacted?
3. How: Alongside understanding why and what, it is also
important that we understand how the problem can be solved.
This involves imagining and evaluating solution options, and
may involve presenting a recommendation to our stakeholders.
Perhaps a process change will help solve the problem, or a new
IT application, or a combination of changes.

Chapters  2–7 cover some really practical techniques for

understanding and documenting the why, the what and the
how.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

19

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 19 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

1.4 Scour the stakeholder landscape

Why
It is likely that different stakeholders in our organisation will have
different perspectives on a problem – and some may see the
problem very differently to others. In order to really understand
a problem, it’s crucial that we understand and consider these
perspectives. Before we can understand these perspectives,
we need to scour the landscape and identify the relevant
stakeholders.

Source: Alina Ku-Ku/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
It is worth taking a step back and reflecting on what we mean by
stakeholder. A stakeholder can be defined as:

‘A group or individual with a relationship to the change, the

need or the solution.’
(Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) guide v3)

In essence, a stakeholder is anyone with an interest in the problem

we are trying to solve or the solution we are trying to create. They
might be internal or external to our organisation, and they may or
may not support our problem-solving efforts. It is crucial that we
identify them.

20

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 20 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

How
It is worth considering the wider stakeholder landscape and to
look beyond the obvious subjects. Ask questions including:
1. Who might be involved or impacted?
2. Who might have authority or power over the situation?
3. Is each stakeholder supportive of the problem-solving work, or
are they likely to be actively resistant?

Spreading the net wide can pay dividends, considering not just
internal but external stakeholders too. There are three key steps
to stakeholder management, summarised by the acronym ICE:
identify, categorise, engage.

Identify
It can be useful to compile a list of stakeholders, noting
down their role and the type of interest that they have in
the problem situation. It is worth thinking about the relative
influence level they have, on a scale of 0–10. It is also worth
considering how much the problem (or the potential solution)
impacts them, again on a relative scale of 0–10. An example
is shown below:

Influence Impacted
level level
Name Role Interest (0–10) (0–10)
John Operations His team is directly 10 10
Smith Manager affected by the
problem. Keen
supporter
Jayne Compliance Needs to ensure 8 2
Brown Manager we deliver a legal
and compliant
solution
etc . . . 

21

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 21 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

This list is an important first step, and can help us to plan and
prepare for which stakeholders we’ll need to liaise with.

Categorise
Having identified and noted down our stakeholders in the way
described above, a further logical step is to categorise them.
There will be some stakeholders who we need to pay more active
attention to, and some who are more involved, interested or hold
more power over the problem situation. It can be useful to map
our stakeholders onto a traditional stakeholder matrix, such as
the one shown below. This can help us identify stakeholders that
have similar characteristics:

High X
John S

X
Jayne B
Influence of stakeholder

X X
Clare T Paul T

X
Stacey C

X X
Kevin A Tracy J

Low
Low Impact on stakeholder High

Source: Adapted from A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of

Knowledge, 3rd edn, International Institute of Business Analysis
(IIBA, 2015)

Knowing where each stakeholder sits on the grid can help us define
communication, engagement and stakeholder management
strategies, as illustrated in the diagram below.

22

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 22 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

High

WORK CLOSELY with

Ensure stakeholder
stakeholder to ensure
remains
they are in agreement
SATISFIED
Influence of stakeholder

and support the change

KEEP INFORMED:
MONITOR to ensure
Stakeholder is likely to
stakeholder’s
be very concerned and
interest or influence
may feel anxious about
do not change
a lack of control.

Low
Low Impact on stakeholder High
Source: A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge,
3rd edn, International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA, 2015)

Engage
Having identified and categorised our stakeholders, it is important
to consider how to engage them.

The stakeholder matrix above gives a useful summary of which

stakeholders we’ll be needing to actively engage with. Other
questions to consider include:
• Who has a view or opinion on the problem?
• Which stakeholders need convincing?
• Who do we need to meet or interview, and when?
• How often do we need to liaise with each stakeholder?
• What insight or information do they hold?
• How would they like to receive information from us?
• What would their role in any problem-solving initiative be?

A thorough understanding of the relevant stakeholders’

perspectives and points of view can help us ensure that we
succeed in our problem solving and deliver the required business

23

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 23 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

outcome. Putting together a plan to engage the relevant

stakeholders, based on the matrix above, can be a significant help.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015. A Guide to
the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (Guide®), v3. Toronto:
IIBA.

1.5 Slow down to speed up: be prepared for challenge

Why

‘In the pressure to get things done, many managers fear being
patient. They focus on short-term fixes to existing problems
rather than on instituting processes to solve and eventually
prevent problems and to identify unsuspected opportunities.

24

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 24 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

But as in the fable of the tortoise and the hare, the companies
that seem to move most slowly and laboriously at the start
often lead their industries by the end of the day.’
(Sirkin and Stalk, 1990)

In organisations of all types, it is likely that there will be resistance

to taking time out to really think a problem through. So often,
there is (quite rightly) a sense of urgency – a feeling that we just
have to start moving quickly. This can lead to the temptation
to solve our problem by implementing the first solution that we
come across, and this can result in the significant and wasteful
types of problems that were discussed in Section 1.1.

It’s important to be prepared for – and welcome – this type of

challenge. Although it may appear problematic, resistance of this
type shows that our stakeholders are engaged and want to make
a difference. It can provide a useful opportunity for us to gain
feedback and validate our assumptions. At the same time, it is
crucial that we subtly nudge our stakeholders towards a holistic
problem-solving approach, and encourage a calculated approach
to problem solving.

Source: Gunnar Pippel/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
A study of 343 businesses (carried out by The Forum Corporation,
reported in Harvard Business Review in 2010) found that companies
that reacted quickly but didn’t take time to periodically reflect and

25

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 25 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

ensure they were on the right track ended up with lower sales and
operating profits. Those that paused at key moments averaged
40 per cent higher sales and 52 per cent higher operating profits
over a three-year period (Davis and Atkinson, 2010).

How

1. When embarking on problem-solving activities, think about

how you’ll overcome resistance. How will you ‘sell’ the problem-
solving process, and which stakeholders will you most likely
need to sell it to?
2. Consider whether you might want to use an example
problem canvas (discussed in Section 1.7 and Chapter  6)
to illustrate the stages of a problem-solving process to
your stakeholders. Consider how you’ll sell the benefits of
thinking holistically.
3. Use the ‘four-view model’ of the business mentioned in
Section 1.2 to showcase the importance of holistic thinking.
4. Share examples of problem-solving successes from within your
organisation – as well as high-profile external failures from
outside – to show the benefits that a robust yet streamlined
process can bring. Remember that slowing down early can
mean that we accelerate with confidence once a solution has
been chosen.

Reflection

• How did it work?

26

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 26 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

• What will I do next time?

References
Davis, J.R. and Atkinson, T., 2010. ‘Need speed? Slow down’, Harvard
Business Review, May.
Sirkin, H.L. and Stalk, G., 1990. ‘Fix the process, not the problem’,
­Harvard Business Review, July–August.

1.6 Uncover constraints

Why
When we are looking for ways of solving a problem, it is unlikely
that we’ll have unlimited time, money and resources. We’ll need
to solve the problem within certain boundaries and within certain
constraints.

A constraint can be defined as:

‘An influencing factor that cannot be changed, and that places

a limit or restriction on a possible solution or solution option.’
(International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015)

As implied by the definition, constraints can be wide ranging. We

might be constrained by factors including:
• Time: We may be under pressure to deliver a solution within
a particular timeframe. If we worked in a busy retail outlet
preparing for the Christmas rush, solving a problem with the
Christmas display after the festive season would be largely
pointless!

27

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 27 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

• Cost/resources: It is very likely that we’ll have limited

resources, and it’s important that we consider which solutions
are achievable given any resource constraints.
• Quality: In some cases, quality can’t be compromised. If your
problem relates to a life-or-death situation, quality may be the
most important factor.
• Scope: Certain elements may be outside (or inside) of our remit.
• Technology: We may have specific technical constraints –
perhaps we can’t change particular IT systems, or perhaps any
solution must fit with our existing systems.
• Business process: It may be necessary for any solution we
implement to fit in with an existing set of business processes.
• Organisational structure: The organisational structure may be
constrained.
• Legislation/regulation: Our organisation may be compelled to
carry out its business in a certain way, and this may impact our
ability to solve problems.

Source: Marekuliasz/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
Knowing any constraints we are under is essential – this prevents
us from spending time investigating solutions that would never be
appropriate. However, when we uncover a constraint it is equally
important for us to feel empowered to validate that it really is
immovable. In some cases there may be perceived rules and
limitations that can be challenged and may be subject to change.

28

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 28 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

Constraints are often perceived as negative, but providing they are

clearly signposted from the outset, they can help drive innovation.
As the saying goes ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’, and
having constrained resources may lead us to considering new and
innovative solutions that we wouldn’t have otherwise uncovered.
Either way, it is crucial that we are aware of them.

Constraints can be captured and communicated using a simple

constraint log. This can be as simple or elaborate as you need
it to be, but as a minimum it is valuable to capture the following
information about each constraint:

Last Due for

ID Constraint Rationale Owner updated review
C01 The solution A fixed budget has Steven D 6th Dec 6th
must be been agreed; there Mar
delivered will be insufficient
within a financial benefits to
budget of warrant exceeding
£10,000 this budget
C02 Any Our core customer Jayne B 2nd Nov 2nd
technological database is stored Feb
element must on an IAL SD/500
interface with Series, and a stra-
an IAL SD/500 tegic architectural
Series server decision has been
made to ensure all
components inter-
face or are compati-
ble with this

The constraint log can be expanded with additional columns as

needed, for example to include categories, priorities, impact levels
and so on. However, the important first step is to identify and
capture each constraint.

How

1. Understand the business environment that your organisation

works in. What legislation and regulations are relevant and
prominent?
29

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 29 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

2. Ask key stakeholders what is most important: cost, time or

quality?
3. Understand what is driving the need to solve the problem. Why
is this problem important now?
4. Gauge the appetite for change. Are stakeholders expecting an
incremental, small change to solve the problem? Or are they
anticipating a larger scale change?
5. Ask the questions outright: ‘What are our constraints?’ and
‘What is immovable?’
6. Understand the culture of the organisation. What is considered
‘beyond the pale’? Can this be creatively nudged or challenged,
or is it a hard constraint?
7. Capture and log the constraints so that they can be kept
‘front of mind’ throughout the project-solving initiative. As a
minimum capture a description of the constraint, its owner,
and the date that it should be revisited or checked. It is also
good practice to assign a reference to each constraint so it can
be cross-referenced.
8. Ensure each constraint is captured precisely and unambiguously
so there is no room for doubt.

Reflection

• How did it work?

30

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 30 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

• What will I do next time?

References
International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015. A Guide to the
Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (Guide®), v3. Toronto: IIBA.

1.7 Be concise yet precise: introducing the one-page

problem canvas
Why
As alluded to in the previous sections of this chapter, for our
problem-solving activities to be successful, it’s essential that we
are all on the ‘same page’. It’s crucial that we and our stakeholders
have a common view of the nature and scope of the problem that
we’re trying to solve. It’s also important that we highlight any
constraints – things that can’t be changed – so that we come up
with solution options that are feasible and implementable.

It is very easy and tempting to dive into the detail early, and start
examining granular data about the perceived problem and any
likely solutions. However, this can lead to ‘analysis paralysis’ – a
pattern where we delve into too much detail too early, leading to
it becoming practically impossible to make a decision. Before we
expend too much effort, it is very valuable to validate that we all
have a common view of the context of the problem.

A very useful way of doing this is to summarise the problem

onto a one-page ‘problem canvas’. This canvas is a concise yet

31

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 31 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

precise way of defining the problem scope as well as documenting

likely solutions. An example of a problem canvas is included
below, and the canvas is explained in detail in Chapter 6. You can
download a free version of the canvas template by visiting www.
problemsolvingbook.co.uk

Knowledge briefing
Even the most complex of situations can normally be distilled down
to a single page, and the activity of doing so helps us crystallise
and focus on the most important elements. Having a structured
template or canvas helps us to avoid missing any crucial aspects.
Toyota famously advocated use of visual management and the
use of single-page A3-sized reports.

‘The A3 reports are often posted on visual display boards; they

are standardized and designed to follow a pattern that can
be understood and digested at a glance. It is hard to imagine
a problem-solving exercise that does not involve creating
diagrams and charts of a system or process to help people
clarify their thinking and make sure that nothing has been
missed.’
(Liker and Convis, 2012)

When utilising a single-page report or canvas, it is crucial to focus

on the quality and relevance of the information that we choose
to display. It’s important that we see this document as a crucial
communication aid – not just a ‘tick box’ step in a problem-solving
process. We should focus on being both concise yet also precise –
our aim is to quickly and unambiguously communicate the problem
and potential solution options.

32

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 32 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

Each section of the problem canvas is elaborated and explained

further in the following chapters of this book. The key sections
on the canvas link directly to the three questions mentioned in
Section 1.3:

WHY? WHAT? HOW?

• Problem • Roles and goals • Solution
statement • Business use options
• Measures of case diagram
success • Concept-level
requirements

Problem canvas

Source: Blackmetric Business Solutions

A quick reference guide to the main sections on the canvas is

shown below:

Problem-
solving Problem canvas Described
question section Summary in Section
Why? Problem/ A concise and precise 2.2
opportunity statement of the prob-
description lem (or opportunity)
being solved
Measures of Critical success 3.2–3.4
success ­factors (CSFs) and key
­performance indicators
(KPIs) that help us track
success
What? Indicative scope Using the ‘roles and 4.3–4.5
goals’ technique and/or
drawing a business use
case diagram to indicate
scope of the problem
How? Potential solution A list of ­potential 5.1–5.7
options identified ­solutions for
consideration

33

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 33 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

Example: problem canvas

Problem name Busy phone lines Canvas ID 1203-17

Canvas author Simon Bannatyne Canvas version 1.0

Problem/Opportunity description

The problem of congested and busy phone lines

Affects our customers and call centre staff
The impact of which is we lose potential sales. . . as customers can’t get through
A successful solution would enable customers to get information and make a
purchase quickly without being on hold, leading to increased revenues (and profits)

Concept-level requirements
Indicative scope
Summary:

Enable customers to quickly and efficiently:

• Place orders
• Make enquiries about existing orders

Potential solution options identified:

Option Comment
Re-vamp website Would also lower transaction
Accept orders online costs
Install smart-call routing Would ensure customers get to
the right person first time
Re-vamp website Lower cost option
Customer
Provide better information Enables customers to find
(but no transactions) online answers to simple queries
online
Install more phone lines and Scale up operations
employ more agents

Source: Blackmetric Business Solutions

34

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 34 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

Portfolio XYZ Portfolio Sponsor Lynda Jones Confidence:

Green
Date 1 January Status Submitted for review

Benefits/Measures of success
Increase Sales volumes
Scalability revenue Cross-sale volumes
Per cent Demand met of process
Per cent Unanswered calls Innovation and learning Finance Up-sell volumes
Increase
profit Bottom-line profit
Profit margin

CX Project Better customer

experience Net approval rating
Customer satisfaction
Failed delivery metrics Excellent on surveys
Cancelled orders logistics Internal processes Customer Average speed of
Returned orders Easy and quick
to order products answer (call centre)
Damaged orders Order process time

Attach further information/appendices here

Including confidence rationale, additional requirements,

artefacts etc

Attach CARID log here

(Constraints, assumptions, risks, issues, dependencies)

Order
product
Sales
Recommended next steps

1. Carry out a feasibility study to establish

Query
order
which potential solution is most
appropriate
Dispatch
2. Gather high level business requirements
Monitor
3. Put together an outline business case to
courier
efficiency
establish quantifiable benefits
Resources required
Courier
Estimated completion date: 1 November
1 BA required

35

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 35 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Avoid the solution trap

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
Liker, J.K and Convis, G.L., 2012. The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership,
New York: McGraw-Hill.

36

M01_REED9625_01_SE_C01.indd 36 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Chapter 2
Think problem before
solution

2.1 The importance of ‘why’

2.2 Defining a problem or opportunity statement

2.3 Encourage divergent and convergent thinking

2.4 Get to the root of the problem

2.5 Consider the external environment

2.6 Consider multiple perspectives on the problem

2.7 Gain consensus and move forward

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 37 20/04/16 8:12 pm

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 38 20/04/16 8:12 pm
 SPeeD reAD
2. Think problem before solution

2.1 The importance of ‘why’

When problem solving it is important to thoroughly assess
and understand the current situation, and avoid jumping to a
conclusion over what the right solution might be. Problem solving
works best when we generate different solution options. With
multiple possibilities on the table we can carry out an evaluation
to compare and contrast each option and conclude which will be
the most important.

This starts with a thorough understanding of why the problem is

a problem in the first place. It is useful to consider:
• Why the problem is occurring
• Why it is worth solving.

These themes are discussed throughout Chapter 2.

Source: Marekuliasz/Shutterstock

Do this
When embarking on problem solving, spend time assessing
why the problem is important, and what the root causes are.
The ‘five whys’ technique is invaluable as it allows us to probe

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 39 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

and understand a particular stakeholder’s perspective on what

causes a problem, and it can also help us uncover the reasons
why solving a problem is considered valuable.

2.2 Defining a problem or opportunity statement

An important first step to solving a problem is to define
it. Stakeholders often have subtly (or vastly) different
interpretations of the problem that is being considered, and
the scope of the problem-solving exercise. Left unchecked,
this could lead to conflict and a mismatch of expectations –
we may inadvertently solve the problem in a way that meets
the needs of only some of our stakeholders. Or, even worse,
we may inadvertently make things worse for one group of
stakeholders.

A problem (or an opportunity) can be defined with a concise

and precise problem or opportunity statement. Working with
stakeholders to create this will ensure that everyone is ‘on the
same page’ and there is a clear view on the nature and scope of
the problem that is being examined and solved. The problem will
help manage expectations and keep the problem-solving initiative
on the right track and within an agreed scope.

Source: Michael D. Brown/Shutterstock

40

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 40 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Speed read

Do this
Work with stakeholders to create a succinct and agreed problem
or opportunity statement. Ensure that there is agreement over
the wording. A useful problem statement format, provided by
IIBA’s A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge®
(Guide®) v2.0 is:
The problem of  .  .  .  Affects  .  .  .  The impact of which is  .  .  .  A
successful solution would . . . 

2.3 encourage divergent and convergent thinking

It can be useful to consider different ways of thinking when
problem solving. Two contrasting but complementary ways are
divergent and convergent thinking.

When we are initially brainstorming, perhaps to uncover potential

contributing factors that affect the problem (or when initially
creating a ‘long list’ of potential solution options), it is useful to
encourage divergent thinking. We want to encourage a variety
of ideas, without (yet) evaluating whether they are viable or
effective. We are encouraging quantity over quality.

However, at later stages of the problem-solving process we will

be encouraging convergent thinking – taking long lists of potential
contributing factors (or potential solutions) and narrowing them
down to those that are relevant.

Source: VLADGRIN/Shutterstock 41

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 41 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

Do this
Throughout the problem-solving process, consider whether
convergent or divergent thinking would be most useful/
appropriate. Ensure that creative thinking/brainstorming
exercises are designed to encourage these types of thinking –
and remember that it is possible to switch between them in a
single session, providing the attendees are suitably briefed.

2.4 Get to the root of the problem

When we are initially presented with a problem, it is possible
that we will be observing the symptoms. We might observe
a drop in profits, or a rise in customer complaints. Whilst it
is important to understand the nature and severity of the
symptoms, it is crucial to assess and understand the root
cause. Treating the symptoms may provide temporary relief,
but addressing the root cause will prevent the problem from
recurring in future.

As previously mentioned, the ‘five whys’ technique can be an

extremely useful starting point. Alongside this, it is useful to
use a fishbone diagram to consider and catalogue the various
underlying and contributing factors to the problem.

Source: Orla/Shutterstock

42

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 42 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Speed read

Do this
Work with your team and any other interested stakeholders to
create a fishbone diagram. Think broadly about factors that
contribute to the problem. Evolve and iterate the diagram
as the problem-solving initiative continues and as a richer
understanding of the problem is attained.

2.5 Consider the external environment

Organisations don’t exist within a self-contained bubble, they
are influenced and impacted by factors that are outside of their
boundaries and outside of their control. Like the crew aboard a ship
assessing the proposed route and considering the weather and
tide, it is important that we understand the changing influences
that are in our external environments. These influences include
political, economic, social-cultural trends and so on. In many cases
these factors may constrain the problem-solving options available
to us – for example: legislation or regulation may prevent us from
solving a problem in a certain way, or changing social trends may
mean that some solutions are more ‘on trend’ than others.

It is therefore important that we analyse and assess the external

business environment when embarking on a problem-solving
initiative. This will help in preventing us from delivering a solution
that we think is perfect but that is ultimately rejected as it is out
of line with the business environment.

Source: SergeyDV/Shutterstock
43

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 43 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

Do this
Use external business environmental analysis techniques such
as STEEPLE to analyse and consider the wider picture.

2.6 Consider multiple perspectives on the problem

As outlined in Section  2.1, it is likely that there will be a
number of stakeholders who have an interest in (or who are
impacted by) the problem being considered. They may have
very different perspectives on the problem that we are trying
to solve. It is important that we take their views into account
so that we (ideally) create a solution that works for all parties.
It is equally important as these stakeholders may hold the key
to us thoroughly understanding the problem and any potential
solutions.

By involving and engaging a broad range of stakeholders we are

aiming for a complete and coherent view of the problem situation,
whilst gaining commitment from those that will need to be
involved or who will be affected.

Source: VLADGRIN/Shutterstock

44

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 44 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Speed read

Do this
Ask questions like ‘Who else might be affected by this problem?’
or ‘Who might be interested in a solution to this problem?’ Take
time to understand differing perspectives, and where conflict
occurs, bring people together to discuss.

2.7 Gain consensus and move forward

Bringing stakeholders together is useful, but ultimately it is
important that we gain consensus and the commitment to move
forward. The diagrams and artefacts that we have discussed
previously (including the problem statement and fishbone
diagram) can be used to create a conversation. They can be
iteratively built and incrementally tweaked as more information
becomes available – and they are extremely useful when seeking
to validate that a common view of the problem exists.

Bringing people together in a problem validation workshop can be

extremely effective. Any differences of opinion can be discussed
and hopefully resolved. The fishbone diagram and problem
statement can be annotated and updated to create versions that
everyone agrees to and buys into.

Source: Vector-RGB/Shutterstock

45

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 45 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

Do this
Bring people together to ensure there is a common
understanding of the problem. Use the problem statement and
fishbone diagram to drive a conversation. Consider annotating
the fishbone diagram with a scope boundary indicating which
root causes/contributing factors are within the scope of the
problem-solving exercise (and which are not).

46

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 46 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big Picture
2. Think problem before solution

2.1 The importance of ‘why’

Why
There is a dangerous catch-phrase that has crept into the
consciousness of many managers over the years. The seemingly
innocuous phrase is often used to drive urgent action, often
without sufficient forethought. I would be willing to bet you’ve
heard the phrase used, too: ‘Don’t bring me problems, bring me
solutions!’

The underlying essence of this statement makes sense –

managers and other stakeholders want to understand the
problem and the options available for solving it. However, this
statement is often said with such urgency that it leads to teams
coasting with confidence towards a knee-jerk reaction of the
type outlined in Chapter 1. It leads to unnecessary tension and a
tendency to jump towards the first solution thought of, without
exploring whether there are other, better options out there. It is
time we re-framed this phrase and brought it into the 21st century.
A subtly different, but significantly more useful version would be:
‘Don’t bring me a solution, bring me a thorough understanding of
the problem and some options!’

This shift towards understanding and evaluating the problem

situation is important. It shifts the focus to ensuring we have a
thorough and common understanding of why there is a problem
(and why that problem is important) before we continue. This
common understanding of ‘why’ is crucial and will ensure we craft
options that deliver the outcomes our stakeholders desire. It can
be examined from several angles including:

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 47 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

• Why is this problem occurring (what are the root causes)?

• Why is this problem worth solving (what are the expected
benefits/desired outcomes)?

Techniques for understanding both of these angles are discussed

in this chapter, and Chapter 3.

Source: Rashevskyi Viacheslav/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
A number of useful techniques can be deployed to gain a thorough
understanding of a problem. One intuitively simple, but often
illuminating technique is ‘five whys’.

When using the ‘five whys’ technique, we ask somebody who

is close to the problem situation why the problem occurs, and
we ask this multiple times. Each time, we delve further and get
closer and closer to the ultimate root cause. We might need to
ask why more than five times – and we may even need to ask
these questions to multiple stakeholders. In fact, we may choose
to tweak each question slightly, as simply repeating ‘WHY?’ five
times might be seen by some as rather intrusive!

Let’s take an example. Imagine we are working within a

mail-order retail company – the type of organisation that sends

48

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 48 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

out catalogues to customers who subsequently place an order

via phone. The company has started to receive a large number
of complaints from its customers – in fact, it is now receiving
complaints faster than it can respond. There is a desire to
implement a new complaints handling procedure, to ensure that
complaints can be resolved quickly – but we feel that this is
somewhat of a knee-jerk reaction. Perhaps we feel that rather than
addressing the complaints handling process, it would be better to
understand the root causes of the complaints themselves and
address them! So we decide to utilise the ‘five whys’ technique
to find out more. Our conversation might go something like this:
Q1: Can you tell me why you’re keen on implementing a new
complaints handling process?

A1: Yes, of course. We’ve seen a massive increase in the

number of complaints in the last 12 months, this has led to
more complaints than we can handle.

Q2: Why has the level of complaints increased?

A2: There’s a number of reasons – but one significant factor is

that we’ve started to take on more customers generally.

Q3: Why is taking on additional customers a problem?

A3: More customers is a positive thing, of course! The problem

is that orders from our customers tend to arrive in peaks and
troughs, often in response to special offers and marketing
campaigns. When there’s a peak, we simply can’t shift their
orders out of the door quickly enough.

Q4: Why is it that you can’t shift the orders quickly enough?

A4: Because we don’t have enough staff on.

Q5: Can you tell me why there aren’t always enough staff
scheduled to work?

A5: It really goes back to what I was saying earlier – our staffing
level is static, and a year ago a ban on overtime was brought in.

49

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 49 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

Due to the peaks and troughs in demand we are often unable

to meet demand.

Of course, we could keep going, but in just five questions we’ve

gained a much more thorough understanding of the problem.
In fact, rather than simply improving the complaints handling
process, in this example it would almost certainly be more valuable
to work on predicting and managing demand so that there weren’t
complaints in the first place!

How

1. Recognise when a solution is being proposed without a full

understanding of the problem.
2. Encourage the team to take a step back and examine the
problem situation before proceeding head-first into a solution.
Encourage a focus on the root causes.
3. Use ‘five whys’ to develop a better understanding of the
problem and its root causes.
4. Utilise the other problem-analysis techniques in this section to
develop a well-rounded view of the problem, and the desired
outcomes.

Reflection

• How did it work?

50

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 50 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

• What will I do next time?

2.2 Defining a problem or opportunity statement

Why
Techniques like ‘five whys’ are valuable, but often different
stakeholders will have subtly different perspectives over the
problem we are trying to solve. Each of those perspectives may
be valid, but it is important that there is a shared and agreed
understanding of the problem we are trying to solve. If this does
not happen, we may end up suggesting solutions that meet the
needs of some stakeholders but fundamentally miss some core
needs of another stakeholder group.

Knowledge briefing

‘If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59
minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it.’
(Albert Einstein)

A problem statement is a concise yet precise paragraph or two

which scopes out and articulates the problem. It is intended to
create consensus, and validate that all relevant stakeholders
agree that this is the particular problem or opportunity that we
should be addressing. It should be as succinct as possible – a
short and snappy problem statement will help ensure that it is
easily read and digested. It does not need to cover every detail
or nuance of the problem, however it will act as a useful guiding
beacon for our further problem-solving activities.

51

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 51 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

Importantly, the problem statement should capture and articulate

the known root causes of the problem and the outcomes that are
desired.

Source: Michael D. Brown/Shutterstock

How
A suggested problem statement, as cited in A Guide to the Business
Analysis Body of Knowledge® (Guide®), v2, is listed below:

The problem of . . .  This section describes the nature of the

problem. It will synthesise the information
that has been obtained using ‘five whys’ and
other techniques.
Affects . . .  Who does the problem primarily affect?
Who are our important stakeholders?
The impact of which is . . .  What negative impact is the problem caus-
ing? How significant is that impact?
A successful solution What outcomes would be achieved if we
would . . .  solved the problem?

Building on the example discussed in the previous section, a

possible problem statement would be:
1. The problem of an increase in complaints due to an inability to
process customer orders quickly enough during peak periods.

52

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 52 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

2. Affects our customers (who are disappointed), our warehouse

staff (who cannot keep up with demand) and our call centre
staff (who have to deal with unhappy customers).
3. The impact of which is cancelled orders, reputational damage
and increased complaints – all of which lead to increased
operational costs and a reduction in profits.
4. A successful solution would ensure that we can predict and
manage demand, allowing us to dispatch orders in a timely
fashion, leading to increased customer satisfaction, reduced
operational costs and ultimately higher profits.

Combining these two techniques (‘five whys’ and the problem

statement), we have moved beyond the temptation to jump
towards a knee-jerk solution, and we have created a short,
succinct statement that can guide further work. When creating
problem statements of this type, it is normal to iterate – the
first version almost certainly won’t be correct. It can be useful to
convene a workshop with the relevant stakeholders to finesse
the wording and create a problem statement that everyone
buys into. This can then become a useful guiding beacon for
future work.

On some occasions, we’ll be looking to address an opportunity

rather than a problem. In these situations we can tweak the
problem statement template to become an opportunity
statement:

The opportunity of . . .  This section describes the nature of

the opportunity, and why it should be
pursued.
Would benefit . . .  Who would the opportunity primarily
benefit? Who are the key stakeholders
who would be positively impacted?
The impact of which is . . .  What positive impact would be
­created? How significant is that
impact?
A successful solution would . . .  What outcomes would be achieved if
the opportunity was leveraged?

53

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 53 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2009. A Guide to
the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (Guide®), v2. Toronto:
IIBA.

2.3 Encourage divergent and convergent thinking

Why
As mentioned in the previous sections, often when examining a
problem, our intuitive reaction is to pounce on a potential solution
and then move towards implementing it. However, to ensure that
the right outcomes are achieved, we have examined exploring the
problem more holistically. It is useful to consider two different
thinking styles that are relevant for problem solving.

54

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 54 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

Knowledge briefing

Divergent and convergent thinking . . .

IDEA GENERATION DEFINITION AND SCOPING

• Maximise volume • Test ideas

of ideas • Scope and feasibility
• Creative thinking • Align to business
• Brainstorming objectives

Source: Adapted from Perspective, n.d. Creative Problem Solving –

The Swiss Army Knife for BAs. London: presented at BA Conference
Europe 2011

Divergent thinking encourages maximising the possible number

of options or opportunities. For example, if you have ever held a
brainstorm where you are generating ideas, you will have been
thinking divergently. Crucially, when thinking divergently, it is
beneficial to turn off (or at least turn down) our inner critic. When
brainstorming, we might find that some of the ideas that are
generated are outlandish and unlikely – yet at this point it is still
useful to capture them. Even though they sound outlandish, we
might later combine or adapt them in a way that makes them
implementable – and had we let our inner critic self-censor them,
we’d have lost out on this opportunity.

For example, if we were brainstorming how to solve traffic

congestion in a city centre location, an idea such as ‘build a second
road network underground’ might spring to mind. Clearly, this is
an unlikely solution – but seeing this left-field idea might lead
other people to contribute more feasible ideas. Perhaps the word
‘underground’ will resonate with somebody else, and an idea like
‘incentivise use of existing underground trains/metros over road’
55

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 55 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

might be captured. Another might focus on underground and ‘flip’

it to think about the sky – and perhaps contribute an idea such as
‘move inter-city freight from road to light-aircraft’. It might be that
these ideas aren’t feasible either – but they might themselves
spawn other, more feasible ideas.

Convergent thinking, on the other hand, encourages focus,

prioritisation, and assessing the data at hand to find a single
appropriate answer. Having generated tens or hundreds of ideas,
it is ultimately important to create a short list. This thinking
requires us to take a reality check and reign in some of our ideas.
We’ll take into account constraints and preferences to converge
on the most likely possible solutions.

So, when we pare down the hundreds of ideas that were generated
in a brainstorm to a manageable and feasible few, we are thinking
convergently.

How
It can be useful to share the convergent/divergent thinking
diagram with your stakeholders early on in the problem-
solving process, and take the opportunity to explain the two
different (but complementary) types of thinking. This allows us
to clearly signpost the type of thinking that we’re aiming for
when working with stakeholders in meetings and workshops.
This visual shorthand can ensure that everyone is on the same
page.

Reflection

• How did it work?

56

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 56 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

• What will I do next time?

References
Perspectiv, n.d. Creative Problem Solving – The Swiss Army Knife for
BAs. London: presented at BA Conference Europe 2011.

2.4 Get to the root of the problem

Why
As mentioned in Section 2.1, the ‘five whys’ technique helps us to
achieve a rich understanding of the situation and will get us closer
to the root of the problem. However, it is useful to use a variety
of techniques to ensure that we gain a thorough understanding.
This also provides us with the opportunity to validate our
understanding of the problem with the relevant stakeholders.

A technique that can help is the fishbone diagram.

Source: Tuulijumala/Shutterstock

57

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 57 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

Knowledge briefing
The fishbone diagram (or Ishikawa diagram) is a technique
conceived by Kaoru Ishikawa that is used to separate cause from
effect. It helps to add structure to problem solving, and when used
alongside brainstorming and other techniques like ‘five whys’, can
help us get closer to the root of the problem.

How
A fishbone diagram is made up of a number of elements. The
problem is placed on the right-hand side, and becomes the ‘head’
of the fish. This problem is then examined from a number of
different angles, represented by the first set of ‘bones’ on the fish.
In the example below, the following categories are used:

Category Explanation Example

Policies Higher level organisational A recruitment freeze means
policies or decisions that that it isn’t possible to
affect or cause the problem replace key members of
staff
Procedures Processes and procedures Sales process is focussed
that contribute to or cause on closing the sale, but
the problem does not always lead to
accurate order detail being
captured
Before a response to a com-
plaint can be issued, three
reviews are required (lead-
ing to delays)
People Issues related to people New staff have not been
– including whether they trained
have received the right level No staff appraisal process
of training, whether there Lack of feedback provided
is sufficient resource and to staff
so forth
Plant Plant and machinery – in IT system does not capture
(Technology) a service environment or delivery date
information-rich business, IT systems are not inte-
this is likely to relate to IT grated, leading to manual
re-keying (which is error
prone)

58

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 58 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

Policies Procedures

Strict IT
spending Sales process
policy Complaint
focusses response
Zero on closed very slow
recruitment deals only
policy Multiple reviews Increase in
No process–wide
required complaints of
targets
25 per cent
Lack of training Does not capture
within 6 months
Low morale delivery date Not
integrated

Lack of appraisal
system

People Plant (Technology)

Source: Blackmetric Business Solutions

Brainstorms are held and other relevant investigation takes place

to find likely causes. The relationships between each cause is
shown, with multiple ‘fishbones’ pointing towards each other.
Often primary, secondary and tertiary causes are shown. The
fishbone diagram is most useful when we consider it to be an
evolving document – one that we can add more information to as
and when it becomes available.

As the fishbone diagram is created, we may find that some causes are
more important or cause more impact than others. These are often
the causes that warrant our immediate attention and investigation.

Reflection

• How did it work?

59

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 59 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

• What will I do next time?

2.5 Consider the external environment

Why
Organisations don’t exist within a bubble; they are affected by
many significant factors which are outside of their direct control.
As well as understanding the factors within your organisation that
are contributing to the problem, it is worth considering the
relevance of external factors too. For example, if sales revenues
have dropped unexpectedly this may be due to a new competitor
entering the market, or perhaps a competitor has started selling
online and offering superior service. A useful technique to help us
elicit and consider these external factors is STEEPLE.

Source: Marafona/Shutterstock

60

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 60 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

Knowledge briefing
STEEPLE is a technique that helps us examine the external
environment. It helps us to uncover the social, technological,
economic, environmental, political, legal and ethical factors that
affect our industries. It is often used on a macro level as a strategic
analysis technique, and can be used to find opportunities and threats
in the business environment. However, it is also useful to consider
these same environmental factors when problem solving. This may
help us to identify constraints that we must adhere to (for example,
a law or regulation that will affect how we solve the problem) as well
as opportunities that can help us to solve the problem.

There are many variants of STEEPLE – you may also hear of PEST,
STEP and PESTLE – these are all similar variants that achieve the
same outcome. Other useful resources discussing complementary
techniques can be found in the ‘References and further reading’
section.

How
When carrying out a STEEPLE analysis, an organisation’s external
environment is considered from the following perspectives:

Factor Explanation
Social Includes trends, fashions and social-cultural aspects of
the business environments
Technological Includes the availability of new and emerging technology
Economic External economic factors such as a recession or an eco-
nomic ‘boom’
Environmental Sustainability issues – for example, rising sea levels or
hotter summers
Political Any political factors from local, national or international
government – may include trade sanctions, trading rela-
tionships and so on
Legal Laws and regulations that must be complied with
Ethical External considerations and pressures relating to ethical
factors – for example, the increasing move away from
‘sweat shop’ environments

61

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 61 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

Often STEEPLE factors can be elicited by holding workshops,

brainstorms as well as one-to-one conversations with relevant
stakeholders. More formal research can also be useful, if there
is time.

Building on our example of a mail-order retailer, some factors

might include:

Factor Examples
Social • Increasing trend of customers moving away from cat-
alogue-based shopping in favour of Internet-based
shops presents a threat to the business
• Increasing expectation of fast service has been created
by new entrants to the industry: 28 days used to be the
norm, now customers expect their deliveries the next day
• Increasing awareness of consumer rights means that
customers are more likely to return items
• Increasing expectation of special offers/discounts,
and the propensity for customers to use price compar-
ison sites
• Some customers are moving away from ‘high-street’
shopping, leading to an opportunity for catalogue
retailers
Technological • Availability of Internet and mobile app technology is a
potential opportunity
• New schedule and demand tracking systems are avail-
able ‘off the shelf’ from software vendors
• Analytic and tracking packages are available
Economic • Recovery from a recession means increased disposable
income
• Competition in the mail-order retail market is cut-
throat, with decreasing margins
Environmental • Increasing focus on local shopping to avoid ‘carbon
footprint’ of delivery
• Increased focus on amount of packaging that is used
in products and in particular parcels and deliveries
Political • Increasing political pressure to resolve consumer
c
­ omplaints quickly
• Increasing threat of ‘heavy’ regulation on distance selling
Legal • Distance selling regulations constrain our sales process
Ethical • Concern over minimum wage levels, with an increased
focus on ‘living wage’

62

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 62 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

A key factor to note with external analysis techniques like

STEEPLE is that the organisation itself is unlikely to be able to
directly change any of these factors. For example, our mail-order
retailer can’t change the distance selling regulations (although
it might be able to influence them by working with other similar
retailers and lobbying government). However, these factors both
constrain how the organisation operates and also provide it with
opportunities. It is crucial that these factors are kept in mind when
later considering and evaluating potential solutions.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

2.6 Consider multiple perspectives on the problem

Why
As outlined in Section  2.1, there are likely to be a number of
stakeholders who have an interest (or who are impacted by) the

63

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 63 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

problem that we are examining. Different stakeholders are likely

to have a slightly different perspective on the problem, and if the
problem is complex, we might find that no single stakeholder
understands the whole problem.

Stakeholder A’s
perspective Stakeholder
B’s
perspective Area of common
understanding/
agreement
Perspective/
knowledge
of problem that only
Stakeholder C’s
stakeholder
perspective
A possesses

Knowledge briefing
There are a number of reasons why it is valuable to consider
multiple perspectives on a problem:
• Completeness: Ensuring that the relevant stakeholders’ views
are represented will help ensure that we have as thorough an
understanding of the problem as possible – and will ensure
that we analyse and consider all the identifiable root causes.
If we rely on just one perspective, we may miss significant and
important details.
• Coherence: By involving stakeholders, we ensure that there
is a coherent and agreed view of the problem we’re trying
to solve. We ensure that everyone is on the same page. We
build out from the ‘common view’ in the centre of the previous
diagram, and ensure views and expectations are aligned.
• Commitment: Consulting widely ensures that we have the
opportunity to build rapport, understand people’s views and
(hopefully) gain commitment and buy-in to the problem-solving
initiative.

64

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 64 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

How
The key is to actively build stakeholder identification and
engagement into our problem-solving process. The stakeholder
identification and categorisation technique referred to in
Section 2.1 can help start this process, however throughout our
problem-solving initiatives we should:
1. Ask ‘Who else might be affected by this problem?’ or ‘Who
might be interested in a solution to this problem?’ Meet with
them, hold workshops, ensure that they feel ‘heard’.
2. Capture each stakeholder’s view on what the problem really is.
3. Use techniques like ‘five whys’ to gain insight into the
stakeholder’s knowledge of the problem.
4. Where differences of opinion occur, bring the parties together
to discuss them.
5. Use techniques like the fishbone diagram and the problem
statement to facilitate group discussions over the scope and
scale of the problem.

Reflection

• How did it work?

65

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 65 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

• What will I do next time?

2.7 Gain consensus and move forward

Why
Defining the problem is important, but it is crucial that we gain
consensus over the scope, nature and root causes of the problem.
This ensures that we have agreement on which root causes we’ll
address first, and which parts of the problem are in scope (and
which might need to wait). Ensuring that there is early consensus
will reduce the risk of conflict later – as we can be more confident
that everyone has a common view on the problem we are trying
to solve.

Knowledge briefing
Gaining consensus is as much art as science, but utilising the
techniques already outlined in this chapter will help. In particular,
building a fishbone diagram iteratively, after a number of
conversations with the relevant stakeholders, can be useful. The
diagram becomes a ‘conversation starter’ that can be used in a
workshop to validate our understanding of the root causes.
Often stakeholders will gain an appreciation of other
perspectives, and this can help avoid conflict later. It is even
possible to highlight the fishbone diagram to show elements of
the problem that are/aren’t in the immediate scope of our
problem-solving initiative.

66

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 66 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Big picture

Policies Procedures

Strict IT
spending Sales process
policy Complaint
focusses response
Zero on closed very slow
recruitment deals only
policy Multiple reviews Increase in
No process–wide
required complaints of
targets
25 per cent
Lack of training Dose not capture
within 6 months
Low morale delivery date Not
integrated

Lack of appraisal
system

People Plant (Technology)

Shaded areas are in the scope of our problem-solving initiative

The problem statement is also a useful tool for gaining

consensus. This concise yet precise artefact can often lead to
much wrangling over precise wording. Although this can feel
inconvenient, it is often very useful in the long run. We may find,
for example, that a particular stakeholder objects to the use of
the word ‘customer’ in the problem statement, preferring instead
‘retail customer’. This might seem like a pedantic change, but it
may actually be quite significant. It may highlight that there are
different types of customer, and this will alert us to the need to
investigate further.

A well-written problem statement will be extremely useful

throughout the problem-solving initiative. It is useful to keep a
printed copy handy in meetings, and put it in the centre of the
table. As we start to discuss more detailed requirements and
potential solutions with our stakeholders, we can ensure that
each requirement raised contributes towards solving the problem.
If it doesn’t, then maybe it isn’t a requirement that we need to
consider. Or, if it is a genuine requirement, perhaps the problem
has expanded (and we need to revisit the problem statement)!
This will help us keep on track and on scope, and will help avoid
scope-creep.
67

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 67 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Think problem before solution

How

1. Develop a problem statement and fishbone diagram.

2. Annotate the scope of the problem being addressed on the
fishbone diagram.
3. Ensure there is clear consensus and agreement over the scope.
4. Stop and discuss any areas of disagreement. Hold a workshop
to hear any differing or competing perspectives before
continuing.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

68

M02_REED9625_01_SE_C02.indd 68 20/04/16 8:12 pm

 Chapter 3
Defining the outcomes:
what does success look
like?

3.1 Encourage outcome-based thinking

3.2 Start with the end in mind: define critical success factors

3.3 Make it measurable with key performance indicators

3.4 Attain balance with the balanced business scorecard

3.5 Revisit and consider constraints

3.6 Ensuring organisational alignment

3.7 Assess different perspectives on outcomes

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 69 20/04/16 4:24 pm

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 70 20/04/16 4:24 pm
 Speed Read
3. Defining the outcomes: what does
success look like?

3.1 Encourage outcome-based thinking

It is very easy for us and our stakeholders to inadvertently fall
back into solution-oriented thinking before we have fully defined
the problem. This may lead to us arbitrarily selecting a solution,
and may have the unfortunate effect of closing down further
discussion about other potentially better or more suitable
solutions.

Shifting from solution to outcome-based thinking can be helpful.

In Chapter  2 we discussed understanding and analysing the
current state – this is only part of the picture. It is also crucial
that we define the destination or ‘future state’ that we want to
achieve. It is important that we define what success looks like,
and this chapter examines this idea in more detail.

A useful first step towards outcome-based thinking is to highlight,

and re-frame, any solution-biased statements that we hear. For
example:

Solution-biased statement Re-framed response

We need a new computer If I understand you correctly, the core aim
system so that we can here is to respond to customers more
respond to customers more quickly, and you’ve mentioned that a new
quickly computer system is one way of achieving
this. What else about a potential solution
is important to you? Are there any other
goals or outcomes that you are aiming to
achieve?

Outcome: Respond to customers more

quickly

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 71 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

Source: Scrugglegreen/Shutterstock

Do this
Spot solution-biased statements. Re-frame these statements,
focussing on the outcome rather than the solution. This is a
useful way for us to gain an initial understanding of the desired
business outcome – this understanding can be refined as the
problem-solving initiative continues.

3.2 Start with the end in mind: define critical

success factors
Critical success factors (CSFs) can be defined as:

‘The areas in which an organisation must succeed in order to

achieve positive organisational performance.’
(Paul, Cadle and Yeates, 2014)

CSFs are often defined at a macro (organisational) level, but are

equally relevant at project or problem-solving initiative level. They
help us to define the goals of the initiative, and help us clarify why
it is worth solving the problem at all.

CSFs are generally qualitative, and initially we don’t need to define

how they will be measured. Example CSFs might include:
• A world-class reputation for flawless service
• Accurate dispatch and logistics

72

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 72 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Speed read

The CSFs show the broad aims of the project, and it is important
they are aligned with any overarching organisational CSFs and the
company’s strategy.

Making them measurable is important, and this is discussed in the

next section.

Source: Olivier Le Moal/Shutterstock

Do this
Elicit critical success factors (CSFs) through workshops, brainstorming
and one-to-one conversations. Ask questions like:
‘How will we know when the problem is solved?’
‘What specific outcomes are important for you?’

‘What will the organisation look and feel like once we’ve
achieved our outcomes?’

‘Is there anything else we need to achieve?’

‘What do we need to avoid?’

‘What does success look, sound and feel like?’

3.3 Make it measurable with key performance

indicators
It is important that any critical success factors (CSFs) are made
measurable. This can be achieved by defining relevant and
measurable key performance indicators.
73

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 73 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

Key performance indicators (KPIs) can be defined as:

‘[The] specific areas of performance that are monitored in

order to assess the performance of an organisation. Key
performance indicators are often identified in order to monitor
progress of the critical success factors.’
(Paul, Cadle and Yeates, 2014)

As implied by the definition, KPIs are often applied at an

organisational level – but it can be equally useful to define
them for a project, problem or problem-solving initiative. The
relationship between KPIs and CSFs is illustrated in the diagram
below:

CSF1 CSF2 CSF3

KPI1 KPI5 KPI8

KPI2* KPI6 KPI9

KPI3 KPI7 KPI10

KPI4

* In this example KPI2 helps measure the progress of both CSF1 and CSF2

Every CSF should have at least one KPI – and one KPI may relate
to one or more CSFs. Each KPI should be unambiguous, so that it
is extremely clear how measurement can be made.

Do this
Work with stakeholders to define what they would measure to
determine whether a successful outcome has been achieved.
For each CSF define at least one (but normally more than
one) KPI.

74

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 74 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Speed read

3.4 Attain balance with the balanced business

scorecard
In the previous sections we have discussed defining the
required outcomes using critical success factors (CSFs) and key
performance indicators (KPIs). There is an inherent danger, as soon
as we start discussing measurement, that we might inadvertently
encourage unexpected outcomes. As the old expression goes:
‘You get what you inspect not what you expect’.

If we focus our measures on one specific area of performance we

might inadvertently affect others. For example, if a call centre
manager is instructed to reward their staff for achieving an
average call length of three minutes (and lambasts those that do
not achieve this) they may find that they get lots of sub three-
minute calls, but lots of very unhappy customers (as the call
centre staff, quite understandably, are focussing on doing the
quickest thing rather than the best thing for the customer).

It is therefore important that we achieve balance. In the call centre

example above, it may be useful to have other measures – perhaps
focussing on customer satisfaction – as well as call length.

A useful way to achieve this balance is the balanced business

scorecard. Ensuring that we consider each angle of the balanced
business scorecard will ensure that we help achieve equilibrium.

Balanced business scorecard

Financial

Problem/ Internal
Customer
Opportunity processes

Innovation
‘Sustain’

75

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 75 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

Do this
When defining CSFs or KPIs, or shortly after, use the balanced
business scorecard to ensure there is relevant balance and coverage
of each angle. You may want to adjust the scorecard adding
additional factors that are relevant for your industry or domain.

3.5 Revisit and consider constraints

Whatever the organisation and problem we are examining, there
are likely to be a range of constraints that narrow down the
potential solutions that can be considered. Budget is likely to be
limited, and this may mean that we are searching for a ‘silver’ or
‘bronze’ rather than ‘solid gold’ solution.

We discussed identifying constraints in Section  1.6 – as the

problem-solving initiative continues it is important that we revisit
constraints, ensure they are still valid, and ensure that any
solution will fit within them.

Source: Sashkin/Shutterstock

Do this
Revisit the constraints that have been uncovered to ensure they
are all still valid and that nothing in the external environment has
changed. Ask questions including: ‘Are all of these constraints
still true and valid, from your perspective?’, ‘Are there any
constraints missing?’ and ‘What other factors might there be
that are outside of our control?’

76

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 76 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Speed read

3.6 Ensuring organisational alignment

It is important that we don’t carry out our problem-solving
activities in a bubble. Organisations normally have a stated vision/
mission, a set of objectives and strategies. It is important that we
align our problem-solving activities with the overall organisational
objectives/strategies. This may shape the solutions that we
choose – after all, we wouldn’t want our initiative to pull in a
direction that opposes the overall organisational strategy!

A useful way of encouraging thinking about strategic alignment

can be to add a strategic alignment statement to our previously
defined problem statement. This involves adding two lines:

This aligns with our stated strategy by . . . 

And would help us meet our objectives of . . . 

Adding these two lines helps us illustrate and maintain alignment

to the organisational level objectives and strategy.

Source: A1Stock/Shutterstock

Do this
Be aware of your organisation’s vision, mission strategy and
objectives. Add a strategic alignment statement to each
problem statement that is defined.

77

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 77 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

3.7 Assess different perspectives on outcomes

Different people in our organisation may have different views
on the outcomes being pursued in a particular problem-solving
initiative. If these differences are not addressed, there is a real
danger that we’ll end up disappointing one or more stakeholder
groups.

The techniques discussed in the previous sections in this chapter

will help to create a useful conversation around outcomes – they
may highlight any tacit disagreement that exists. In some cases
stakeholders may have varying, but complementary views, on
what is trying to be achieved. It can be useful to map the desired
outcomes/benefits, to ensure that they fit together. An example
diagram showing dependencies is shown below.

Fewer
complaints

Reduced costs

Less re-work

Better service
(getting orders
Increased profits
right first time)

Enhanced
reputation

Increased
sales revenue

Increased
re-orders

78

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 78 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Speed read

Do this
Ensure that you fully understand what each key stakeholder
group is trying to achieve out of the problem-solving initiatives.
Highlight any conflicts and work with the team to reconcile or
resolve them. Ensure that the dependencies between outcomes/
benefits are understood.

79

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 79 20/04/16 4:24 pm

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 80 20/04/16 4:24 pm
 Big Picture
3. Defining the outcomes: what does
success look like?

3.1 Encourage outcome-based thinking

Why
In Chapter  2, we discussed the importance of focussing on
the problem before considering or selecting a solution. A rich
understanding of the problem helps guide us towards the most
appropriate solution. However, understanding the problem in
isolation is rarely enough. As well as understanding what we’re
trying to get away from (the problem) we also need to understand
the destination we’re wanting to arrive at (the outcome).

Current Future
state Problem solving state

Outcome-based thinking encourages us to forget about what

the solution looks like (for now), but focus on what the solution
will deliver. It helps us answer the question ‘How will things be
different after this problem is solved?’

Knowledge briefing
Clearly defined outcomes help us to understand and articulate
what our stakeholders want to achieve by implementing a solution
and solving a problem. It helps us move away from the natural
tendency to think in solutions.

The ‘five whys’ technique that was mentioned earlier can be

useful for eliciting outcomes, as well as root causes. In fact,

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 81 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

when using ‘five whys’ to determine root causes, it is likely that

our stakeholders will mention desired outcomes too – and it is
useful to capture these.

Even when people are clear about the outcomes that they are
aiming for, they will often (unconsciously) tie the outcome to
a pre-conceived solution. It can be useful to re-frame existing
statements, and play them back to our stakeholders to make sure
we understand correctly.

Some examples are shown below:

Solution-biased statement Re-framed response

I need a car so that I can get to So, assuming I have understood
work on time correctly, your ultimate aim is to
get to work on time, and you’ve
noted that a car is one way of
achieving this. Are there any other
outcomes or constraints we need
to know about?

Outcome: Get to work on time

We need a new computer system so If I understand you correctly, the
that we can respond to customers core aim here is to respond to cus-
more quickly tomers more quickly, and you’ve
mentioned that a new computer
system is one way of achieving
this. What else about a potential
solution is important to you? Are
there any other goals or outcomes
that you are aiming to achieve?

Outcome: Respond to customers

more quickly
We need ten new members of staff The main outcome, if I understand
so that we can scale up to meet an correctly, is to ensure we can
upcoming peak meet an anticipated upcoming
peak in demand – or presumably it
would be even better if we could
manage and level that demand, if
possible, is that correct?

Outcome: Scale up to meet an

upcoming peak OR manage and
level demand

82

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 82 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Big picture

How

1. Use a problem statement (see Section 2.2) (particularly

the final line ‘A successful solution would  . . . ’) to create a
conversation about outcomes.
2. Throughout the problem-solving process, encourage people to
think about problems and outcomes before solutions.
3. Re-frame solution-biased statements and check for a common
understanding on the desired outcomes.
4. Define critical success factors and key performance indicators,
as discussed later in this chapter.
5. Use the balanced business score card to ensure the required
outcomes are balanced.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

83

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 83 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

3.2 Start with the end in mind: define critical

success factors
Why
A useful way to encourage, enhance and clarify our outcome-
based thinking is to assess what aspects are critical for the
success of the problem-solving initiative. This involves assessing
the outcomes that must be achieved in order that the problem is
considered solved.

It can be very useful to articulate these high-priority outcomes as

critical success factors (CSFs).

Source: Olivier Le Moal/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
Critical success factors (CSFs) can be defined as:

‘The areas in which an organisation must succeed in order to

achieve positive organisational performance.’
(Paul, Cadle and Yeates, 2014)

As implied by the definition, CSFs are often defined at an

organisational level, and often form an important gauge of
whether the organisation’s strategy is working effectively. As well
as utilising CSFs at a macro level, across an entire organisation,
it is also possible to utilise them at a more detailed level for a
particular problem, project or problem-solving initiative.

84

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 84 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Big picture

CSFs are generally qualitative. That is, they don’t have to be

directly measurable or immediately quantifiable. CSFs might
include:

• Excellent customer service

• Sufficient revenue and profits (without yet specifying the
amounts of revenue and profit)
• World-class reputation for flawless service
• Best-in class logistics
• Accurate dispatch

Defining CSFs helps set direction and highlights the critical

business outcomes that we are looking to achieve without getting
caught up into the detail of how they will be measured. Of course,
we do ultimately need to make CSFs measurable – this is achieved
by assigning key performance indicators (KPIs), which is discussed
in the next section.

How
Critical success factors can be elicited by liaising with our
stakeholders, through workshops, brainstorming and one-to-one
conversations. Useful questions to ask include:

‘How will we know when the problem is solved?’

‘What specific outcomes are important for you?’

‘What will the organisation look and feel like once we’ve
achieved our outcomes?’

‘Is there anything else we need to achieve?’

‘What do we need to avoid?’

‘What does success look, sound and feel like?’

Capture the responses as concise bullet-pointed statements.

It can be useful to use the balanced business scorecard, which
is discussed later in this section, when considering CSFs as this
provides useful categories to frame our discussions. It is also
85

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 85 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

important that we ensure the CSFs (and any accompanying

KPIs) for the problem-solving initiative are suitably aligned to
the overarching organisational CSFs and objectives – i.e. it is
important that our problem-solving initiative is aligned with the
wider organisational strategy.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
Paul, D., Cadle, J. and Yeates, D. (eds), 2014. Business Analysis.
Third ­Edition. Swindon: BCS.

86

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 86 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Big picture

3.3 Make it measurable with key performance

indicators
Why
Critical success factors help us define the broad and important
outcomes that we are aiming to achieve with our problem-solving
initiative. Perhaps we are aiming to improve the experience for
our customers, or reduce costs. These factors will act as guiding
beacons throughout our entire problem-solving initiative, helping
us to ensure that we select and implement the right solution.

However, as mentioned in the previous section, CSFs are not

directly measurable. It is therefore useful to define and pin key
performance indicators (KPIs) and targets to our CSFs.

Knowledge briefing
Key performance indicators (KPIs) can be defined as:

‘[The] specific areas of performance that are monitored in

order to assess the performance of an organisation. Key
performance indicators are often identified in order to monitor
progress of the critical success factors.’
(Paul, Cadle and Yeates, 2014)

Every CSF should have at least one KPI – and it is usual for CSFs
to have many KPIs. Additionally, in some circumstances, one KPI
may relate to more than one CSF.

CSF1 CSF2 CSF3

KPI1 KPI5 KPI8

KPI2* KPI6 KPI9

KPI3 KPI7 KPI10

KPI4

* In this example KPI2 helps measure the progress of both CSF1 and CSF2

87

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 87 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

If our CSF was world-class reputation for flawless service, we may

consider KPIs including:
• Survey results amongst customers (80 per cent agreeing that
our organisation has an excellent or world class reputation for
service).
• Survey results amongst random members of the public (who may
or may not be customers) with 70 per cent agreeing that our
organisation has an excellent or world class reputation for service.
• Complaint rates should be lower than 1 in 1000 transactions
(note, this is a ‘proxy measure’ as it does not directly relate to
reputation, but is based on the assumption that if complaints
are low, reputation will be good).

The KPIs that are chosen will help refine the CSF and make it
extremely clear the specific progress that is being pursued with
the problem-solving initiative.

How

1. Take each CSF and ask ‘How could we measure this?’

2. Look for multiple, complementary measures.
3. Ensure that each KPI is actually measurable. Is the data
available? Can it be measured reliably? If not, perhaps it should
be refined.
4. Ensure each KPI is unambiguous and clearly understood.
5. Ensure there is consensus and commitment amongst the
stakeholder community.
6. Double-check that all CSFs and KPIs are aligned with any
overarching organisational CSFs, objectives and strategy.
7. Work with stakeholders to assess the current performance,
and to set a future benchmark.
8. Use the balanced business scorecard to ensure that CSFs and
KPIs are balanced and are not skewed towards a single area –
this is discussed in the next section.

88

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 88 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Big picture

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
Paul, D., Cadle, J. and Yeates, D. (eds), 2014. Business Analysis. Third
E
­ dition. Swindon: BCS.

3.4 Attain balance with the balanced business

scorecard
Why
It is crucial that sufficient thought is put into CSFs and KPIs – else
we might end up inadvertently incentivising and attaining the wrong
types of outcome. We might get exactly what we’ve asked for,
even though (in retrospect) this isn’t what we wanted and needed.
Building upon our mail-order retail company example: We might
want to ensure that 99 per cent of parcels are dispatched within

89

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 89 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

24 hours – however achieving this would be of little use if 20 per

cent of those parcels were incorrectly packed (leading to the items
being damaged in transit!). There have been high-profile headlines
in recent years indicating that targets and league tables can have
unintended consequences and outcomes if we are not careful.

To avoid these types of dilemma, it is important to balance our

CSFs and KPIs. A useful tool to help us achieve this is the balanced
business scorecard.

Knowledge briefing
The balanced scorecard was originally created by Kaplan and
Norton, and is further described in the book The Balanced Scorecard:
Translating Strategy Into Action (Kaplan and Norton, 1996).
A balanced business scorecard is often used to balance the CSFs
and KPIs of an entire organisation. However, we can equally use this
to balance the CSFs or KPIs of a particular problem-solving initiative:

Balanced business scorecard

Financial

Problem/ Internal
Customer
Opportunity processes

Innovation
‘Sustain’

Source: Adapted from Kaplan, R.S. and Norton, D.P., 1996. The
Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy Into Action. Boston,
MA: Harvard Business School Press

The balanced business scorecard encourages us to consider four

aspects: financial, customer, internal processes, and learning and
growth/innovation (which we will call ‘sustain’). It is important to

90

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 90 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Big picture

consider all of these areas to achieve balance – if we focus purely on

one area, we may cause inadvertent negative impacts (e.g. focussing
purely on finance might lead to negative impacts on customer service
and innovation through overly tough cost-saving exercises). When
defining CSFs and KPIs, we may find that out stakeholders initially
focus in just one or two of these areas – by consciously considering
the scorecards, we can ensure that we achieve ‘balance’.

Each section of the scorecard is explained below, with example

CSFs and KPIs provided.

Relevance for
Aspect p
­ roblem solving Example CSFs Example KPIs
Finance This aspect relates Increased sales • Increase in sales
to the financial revenue revenue of x per
performance of the Increased profit cent by the end
organisation. What Avoid costs of next year in
will be different product line y
financially when the • Profit margin of x
problem is solved? per cent
• Net profit of £x
• Cost of sales
reduces to x per
cent
Customer What will solving Excellent • 95 per cent of
the problem mean ­customer our customers
for the customer? service ­indicate they’d
recommend us to
a friend (measured
by annual survey)
• 1 in 10 customers
take up our ‘refer
a friend’ initiative
• Complaints less
than 1 in 1000
transactions
Internal What internal Best-in class • 99.9 per cent
processes processes do we Warehouse accuracy in picking
need to consider and dispatch and packing
or measure? This capability • 99 per cent
can include manual of packages
processes, IT, staff ­dispatched within
related aspects and 24 hours of order
so on

91

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 91 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

Relevance for
Aspect p
­ roblem solving Example CSFs Example KPIs
Innovation Traditionally, this Protect and • Market share
‘sustain’ section of the retain our of x per cent is
b
­ alanced business position in the retained
scorecard focusses market • Complaint
on innovation or rate of less
learning and growth. than 1 in 1000
In the context of a transactions
problem it is worth
thinking about sus-
tainability – or, more
specifically, how
do we ensure that
the problem stays
solved. What meas-
ures might indicate
that the problem
has recurred?

How
It can be useful to start by eliciting CSFs/KPIs from stakeholders
via an open brainstorm – ask questions like: ‘How do we know
we’ve been successful?’ and ‘How can we measure that
success?’ Next, categorise these factors onto the balanced
business scorecard. Next, it is useful to look for gaps and use
the scorecard to prompt further CSFs and KPIs. This is often an
iterative process, and it may take several rounds of discussion to
refine and finalise.

Once the balanced scorecard looks complete, it is worth validating

by asking questions such as ‘What is missing?’ and ‘Is there
anything here that could be misinterpreted or misunderstood?’ It
is additionally worth ensuring all key stakeholders are committed
and bought-into the metrics that the scorecard defines. Finally,
it is worth noting that the categories on the balanced scorecard,
whilst very useful, can be flexed and added to. They are useful
suggestions, but it can be useful to increment and add to these
to make the scorecard as ‘real’ for our organisation as possible.

92

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 92 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Big picture

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
Kaplan, R.S. and Norton, D.P., 1996. The Balanced Scorecard:
­Translating Strategy Into Action. Boston, MA: Harvard Business
School Press.

3.5 Revisit and consider constraints

Why
Having defined the problem and defined the outcomes that we are
aiming to achieve, we will soon be able to start assessing potential
solutions. However, in every situation there will be constraints that
affect the solutions to the problem that are feasible or appropriate.
It may be that only a certain amount of budget is available, or that

93

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 93 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

a solution must be implemented within a certain timeframe. There

may even be technical constraints that prevent us from changing
certain IT systems (or make it much less attractive to do so).

We discussed the identification of constraints in Section  1.6.

However, it is important that we revisit these constraints to
ensure that they are still valid, and so that we can ensure that
any solution that we recommend will fit within them.

Knowledge briefing
As outlined in Section 1.6, the types of constraint that we may
encounter are varied and can include the following:

Legislation/Regulation Time

Organisational structure Cost/Resource

Constraints include . . .

Business process Quality

Technology Scope

How
In Section 1.6, we discussed a constraints log, with the following
suggested information being the minimum to collect and capture
about each constraint.

Last Due for

ID Constraint Rationale Owner updated review
C01 The solution A fixed budget has Steven D 6th Dec 6th Mar
must be deliv- been agreed; there
ered within will be insufficient
a budget of financial benefits
£10,000 to warrant exceed-
ing this budget

94

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 94 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Big picture

Last Due for

ID Constraint Rationale Owner updated review
C02 Any Our core customer Jayne B 2nd Nov 2nd
t­ echnological database is stored Feb
e­ lement must on a HAL SD/500
interface with Series, and a stra-
an IAL SD/500 tegic architectural
Series server decision has been
made to ensure
all components
interface or are
c
­ ompatible with
this

As the problem-solving initiative continues, it is important to revisit

these constraints. Ask whether they are still valid – sometimes
an internal or external change may have rendered one or more of
our constraints obsolete. Perhaps a major upgrade project has
been commissioned, which changes our technical constraints
(or imposes new ones). Perhaps a law has changed, meaning
additional regulatory constraints need to come into our focus.

It is worth discussing these points openly with stakeholders. A

good time to revisit these factors is when defining CSFs and KPIs
(as discussed in earlier sections), or shortly after defining them.
Having started to define the required outcomes, it is valuable to
ask ‘What is fixed and can’t change?’ Using the constraints log as
a conversation starter, it is also illuminating to ask questions like:
‘Has anything changed in our business environment since we
last discussed constraints?’
‘Are all of these constraints still true and valid, from your
perspective?’
‘Are there any constraints missing?’
‘What can’t we change?’
‘What is beyond the pale?’
‘What must stay the same?’
‘What is limited?’
95

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 95 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

And:
‘What other factors might there be that are outside of our
control?’
It can also be valuable to look back at the STEEPLE factors
discussed in Section 2.5.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

3.6 Ensuring organisational alignment

Why
As well as focussing on solving the problem, it is also useful to ensure
that the problem-solving activity aligns with the organisation’s vision/
mission, objective and strategies. It would be very unfortunate to
solve the problem in a way that is out of kilter with the direction that
the organisation is taking! Focussing on this alignment will ensure
that we are solving the right problem in the right way.

96

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 96 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Big picture

Let’s take a hypothetical example and imagine we are working in a

hotel, and there is a problem as room keys continually go missing (as
guests forget to return them). One solution might be to insist that
guests hand their key in at reception each time they leave the hotel –
even during their stay. However, this would be very inconvenient,
and if the hotel was pursuing a strategy of differentiation (through
provision of customer service) then it would likely cause problems.
Customers would be expecting exceptional service, and would see
the request to hand in their key in as unusual and unwieldy. This
could lead to unhappy customers and a rise in complaints, and is
out of kilter with the organisation’s strategic positioning. Of course,
in a budget hotel, which competes purely on price (rather than
service) this might be a more palatable solution.

Source: Jojje/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
In the 2011 book Good Strategy/Bad Strategy, Rumelt describes
strategy as:

‘A cohesive response to an important challenge.’

(Rumelt, 2011)

He goes on to differentiate strategy from stand-alone activities:

‘Unlike a stand-alone decision or a goal, a strategy is a coherent

set of analyses, concepts, policies, arguments, and actions
that respond to a high-stakes challenge.’
(Rumelt, 2011)

97

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 97 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

A significant part of this definition is its mention of coherence

and cohesiveness. The projects, tasks and processes undertaken
by an organisation should all be aligned with its strategies, and
should help it strive towards its vision.

How
In order to ensure our problem-solving activities are aligned, it is
important to ensure that we know what our organisation’s stated
vision, mission, objectives and strategies are. If these are not clear,
then it is well worth spending time seeking further clarification.
Those who set strategy are often very happy to spend time
explaining it, and usually welcome curiosity. They will normally be
extremely happy to answer questions and provide clarity.

If there isn’t a clear strategy – or if the organisation has never

consciously articulated strategy – then our time may be better
spent helping to crystallise and document this first. This is a
significant and effortful task, and the activities involved are
beyond the scope of this book – however some helpful resources
are found in the ‘References and further reading’ section.

Once we have established a clear view of the organisation’s

strategies, we should keep these firmly in our minds – and
encourage our stakeholders to do the same too. They act as an
organisational compass, and we should be able to identify a clear
line-of-sight between our activities and the organisation’s stated
strategies. If we are unable to relate our activities to one or more of
the organisation’s strategies then it is a red flag, and there is a real
possibility we have gone off on the wrong track. (Or, alternatively, if
our activities really are necessary then perhaps the organisational
strategy needs revisiting – which can be a much bigger endeavour.)

It can be useful to add a strategic alignment statement to our

problem statement. This is achieved by adding two additional
sentences:

This aligns with our stated strategy by . . . 

And would help us meet our objectives of . . . 

98

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 98 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Big picture

These two lines help connect our problem statement to strategy,

and act as a useful prompt. Ultimately, the key is to keep
coherence, and keep traceability between our activities and the
organisation’s aims, goals and strategy.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
Rumelt, R., 2011. Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and
Why it Matters. London: Profile Books.

3.7 Assess different perspectives on outcomes

Why
It is possible that different people within our organisations will
have subtly different (and sometimes significantly different)

99

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 99 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

perspectives on outcomes that are being pursued and the

benefits they are trying to realise. Left unchecked, we could
end up in a situation where we solve a problem for some
stakeholders, but other stakeholders don’t attain the outcomes
they are looking for. This would lead to disappointment, and a
feeling (for some) that the problem hadn’t really been solved
at all.

Knowledge briefing
Throughout this chapter, we have discussed defining outcomes
that need to be achieved. As we work with different stakeholders,
it is likely that different opinions over these outcomes will
begin to surface. Defining outcomes helps us to highlight any
differences in expectations, and also to understand whether
different stakeholders are pursuing subtly different motives and
objectives.

Drawing on the mail-order catalogue business we have discussed

in previous chapters, we may find that the following stakeholders
are pursing the following outcomes:
• Sales Director: ‘I want us to be able to provide better service,
so we enhance our reputation and increase sales revenue.’
• Head of Customer Operations: ‘I want us to be able to provide
better service, first time every time so that we have fewer
complaints and less re-work.’
• Managing Director: ‘I want us to provide better service which
should lead to an increased repeat order rate. My ultimate goal
is to increase our profit whilst delighting our customers.’

The different stakeholders have subtly different, but in this

case compatible, views on the outcome being achieved. It is
important to capture and reconcile these, and capture any
dependencies between them. This is illustrated in the example
below.

100

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 100 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Big picture

Fewer
complaints

Reduced costs

Less re-work

Better service
(getting orders
Increased profits
right first time)

Enhanced
reputation

Increased
sales revenue

Increased
re-orders

How
We can compare perspectives whilst following the other steps
outlined in this book.
1. Elicit outcomes, CSFs and KPIs.
2. Use the balanced scorecard to prompt further discussion.
3. Use ‘benefits map’ style diagram (similar to the one shown
above) to show the dependencies between desired outcomes.
4. Highlight any outcomes that cannot be met (perhaps as
they fall outside of the agreed scope of the problem-solving
initiative) and clearly manage expectations. These ‘outliers’

101

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 101 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Defining the outcomes: what does success look like?

may be candidates for future problem-solving activity, or a

future project.
5. Trace back to the ultimate benefit or benefits that the initiative
is trying to achieve – in this case, an increase in profits.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

102

M03_REED9625_01_SE_C03.indd 102 20/04/16 4:24 pm

 Chapter 4
Assessing scope and
impact

4.1 The danger of ‘scope creep’

4.2 Know the difference: impacted, interested and involved

4.3 Understand the problem situation

4.4 Find the roles and goals

4.5 Make it visual with a business use case model

4.6 Set the priorities

4.7 Set the boundaries of scope

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 103 20/04/16 4:23 pm

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 104 20/04/16 4:23 pm
 Speed Read
4. Assessing scope and impact

4.1 The danger of ‘scope creep’

As problem-solving projects or initiatives progress, there is a
tendency for their scope to inadvertently increase. Stakeholders
mention other related (but different) problems, and there is a
desire to fix those too. Care must be taken not to try to ‘boil the
ocean’ – if the scope of our project or initiative is not controlled,
we may end up taking on more work than we have the resources
to handle. This may lead to a situation where we can’t solve the
original problem we were looking at – or even worse we may run
out of time or budget leaving only half a job done.

It is crucial not only to ensure that there is early agreement

on scope, but also to ensure that it is carefully controlled and
managed throughout. Of course, our boundaries of scope may
need to change sometimes – we may discover a new relevant
situation, system or process – but this should always be
assessed and the decision to include it (or not) should be a
conscious one.

Source: Tan Kian Khoon/Shutterstock

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 105 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

Do this
Use the problem statement, CSFs and KPIs throughout the
problem-solving initiative to keep a laser-like focus on scope.
Ensure that any proposed deviations are consciously discussed,
assessed, with a decision made over whether or not to pursue
them.

4.2 Know the difference: impacted, interested

and involved
As we assess and control the scope of a problem (and later a
solution), it is important that we continually assess our stakeholder
landscape. It is often the stakeholders who are most interested in
a problem (or its potential solution) who are most visible – however
there may be others who need careful consideration. Some
stakeholders may be impacted by a potential solution – perhaps
there will be a new process or system that they need to adopt.
Others may need to be involved with the detailed problem analysis
or solution deployment – although they might not know it yet!

Spreading our stakeholder analysis net wide, and revisiting our

analysis regularly, will ensure that we do not inadvertently miss
an important piece of the puzzle. It will also enable us to engage
the right people at the right time, and enable us to build rapport
with those that will ultimately make the solution work.

Source: Lord and Leverett/Pearson Education Ltd

106

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 106 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Speed read

Do this
Regularly revisit your stakeholder analysis and management
plan. Consider the problem from multiple perspectives and
through various lenses. Ask questions like:
Who has an interest in solving this problem?
What other processes, systems and people might be
impacted?
Who or what sits just outside the boundaries of our problem
scope? Might we inadvertently impact them?

4.3 Understand the problem situation

In a previous section we have discussed working with our
colleagues and stakeholders to create a fishbone diagram (see
Section 2.4). This is rarely a ‘one and done’ activity.

The first iteration of the fishbone diagram often usefully

signposts areas that warrant further investigation. In order
to uncover further detail, it is necessary to carry out further
investigation.

There are a number of investigative techniques that we could use

to probe further into the problem situation. These techniques
include meeting/interviewing relevant and knowledgeable
stakeholders, holding workshops and brainstorming sessions and
observing processes happening so that we can see the problem
situation with our own eyes. Each of these techniques helps bring
us closer to the detail, and enriches our understanding of the
situation.

As we uncover this richer level of detail, the fishbone diagram

we created earlier can be added to incrementally, capturing more
detailed root causes and supporting information.

107

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 107 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

Source: dadabosh/Shutterstock

Do this
Use investigative techniques such as meetings/interviews,
workshops, brainstorming and observation to understand the
detailed problem situation. Incrementally add to the fishbone
diagram created earlier.

4.4 Find the roles and goals

As discussed previously, it is important to identify stakeholders
who are impacted by the problem, as well as stakeholders who
would benefit from (or be impacted by) any solution. Building on
this idea further, and zooming in to focus on a specific subset
of people, it is useful to understand those stakeholders who
are wanting to achieve something with the solution that we
implement – those who will use it or be involved in some way.
These stakeholders will have a ‘role’ in the ongoing operation of
the solution.

Having established the ‘role’ we can then go on to consider their

‘goals’ – what is it that they want to achieve (or how will they
be involved) with the solution once it is rolled out? An example
might be a customer that has a goal of place order. Perhaps a

108

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 108 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Speed read

Marketing Manager has a goal to schedule marketing campaign.

Identifying the roles and goals involved or impacted helps us
refine and validate scope, and also helps us to understand
areas which might need to change or adapt in order to solve the
problem.

Source: Mack2happy/Shutterstock

Do this
Identify the roles and goals and create a list to guide future
analysis of the problem.

4.5 Make it visual with a business use case model

A business use case model is a way of visually depicting the roles
and goals we captured earlier. A business use case model has four
main symbols, as illustrated in the figure below.

The business use case model helps communicate the processes/

services that are involved in the problem, and helps visually
communicate scope. It can later be built upon or annotated to
show the areas that are being changed or impacted.

109

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 109 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

Symbol Description Role/Goal

Business (external) actor: An entity outside of the Role
business or organisation being analysed or discussed.
This can include a person/team (role) or even an
external IT system.

Examples might include: customer, partner,

vendor/supplier etc.
Worker (internal) actor: A role within the business or Role
organisation being analysed or discussed.
Examples might include: customer services, sales,
manufacturing etc.

Business use case: An interaction between an actor Goal

and the business or organisation being analysed and
discussed. This should be described as a short
‘verb noun’ phrase, describing a goal that the actor is
trying to attain.

Examples might include: place order, return item,

query bill etc.
Communication (association): Shows which actors Links roles
interact with which business use cases. to goals
Source: These symbols are an extension to the Unified Modelling Language and are
adapted from Podeswa, H., 2009. The Business Analyst’s Handbook. Boston: Course
Technology PTR, a part of Cengage Learning

Do this
Refine the roles and goals that you captured earlier into a
business use case model. Validate this with your stakeholders
to ensure that it is complete, and use it to create conversations
over other potential contributing factors to the problem or
potential solutions.

4.6 Set the priorities

Our problem-solving initiative is likely to be constrained by factors
including budget and time. We’ll have a limited amount of money
or resources, and a limited timeframe in which to get our solution
implemented. In some cases we might find that we don’t have
sufficient resource to solve every facet of the problem, but we
do have sufficient resources to solve part of the problem. In
situations like this it is important to consider which parts of the
110

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 110 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Speed read

solution have the potential to deliver most value – or, to put this
differently, which are the highest priority.

Prioritisation can take many forms, but it can be useful to consider

the goals that we uncovered earlier – particularly if we elaborated
these into a business use case diagram. Each business use case
can be considered in turn to decide which warrant inclusion in
the problem-solving initiative, and which can wait. Some may be
consciously excluded from scope altogether to save time and money.

Source: Worker/Shutterstock

Do this
Consider the goals that are defined earlier (or business use
cases that appear on the diagram) and assess which are central
to the problem-solving initiative. Use a prioritisation scale –
perhaps high/medium/low, or a more formal scale, to compare
the relative importance. Focus on the potential value that would
be delivered by a solution in each area.

4.7 Set the boundaries of scope

Once the prioritisation exercise discussed in the previous section
has taken place, a more granular view on the solution scope will
have been defined. This can be described visually by physically
drawing a boundary of scope around the business use case
diagram – showing those business use cases that are in or out of
scope. An example is shown below, with the shaded areas being in
scope – and those not shaded being out of scope of investigation.
111

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 111 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

In scope

Call centre operative

Place order

Customer

Pack and
dispatch
order Warehouse operative

Deliver
goods

Courier

Track progress
In scope
against KPIs

Monitor demand
levels

Warehouse manager

Schedule
staffing
levels

Schedule
marketing
campaign

Marketing manager

Do this
Build on the prioritisation activities described in the previous
section. Use this insight to draw a boundary of scope on the
business use case diagram. Meet with stakeholders to ensure
there is agreement.

112

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 112 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big Picture
4. Assessing scope and impact

4.1 The danger of ‘scope creep’

Why
Having spent time articulating the nature of the problem
(Chapter 2) and the desired outcomes (Chapter 3), we will now
have a very precise view on the nature of the problem we are
trying to solve. The trouble, though, with problems is that they
don’t always have rigid edges. We might find that we are solving a
tricky, tangled problem and it would be very easy to start to veer
off course and in doing so we might unintentionally start solving
a different problem (leaving our original problem unsolved!).

Source: 123rf.com

Of course, if we come across different or additional problems

during our problem-solving activities, it is important to consider
them and decide whether we need to include them in the scope
of our work. If we do, it may mean that cost, time or the amount
of resource that we need is increased. However, in many cases
we may decide to deliberately exclude other problems from
our activities. They may be candidates for future or additional
work, but we may choose to deliberately defer further action so

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 113 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

that we can retain a laser-like focus on the outcomes that our

stakeholders have signed up to.

To achieve this level of focus we need to avoid inadvertent ‘scope

creep’. It is very easy for us to unconsciously increase the scope
by a feature here and an outcome there – but over time the scope
of our work becomes unmanageable and we are (metaphorically)
trying to ‘boil the ocean’. Managing scope is crucial.

Knowledge briefing
Scope can be defined as:

‘The boundaries of control, change, a solution or a need.’

(International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015)

The type of scope we are concerned with will vary throughout the
problem-solving lifecycle. Initially, we will be concerned with the
scope of the problem or need – this involves defining the problem,
and the required outcomes. The problem statement, and the CSFs
and KPIs provide a useful guiding beacon allowing us to control
the scope of our activities.

As the problem-solving initiative continues, it will be necessary

to agree the scope of a change or solution. In many cases, we’ll
be able to implement a solution that meets all of the needs and
achieves all of the objectives (and we’ll be able to do so within
the constraints of time and budget that are put upon us). In this
case, the solution scope is the same as the scope of the problem.

However, in other cases we might have less time or budget than we

need to solve every aspect of the problem. In which case, prioritisation
will be necessary. Our solution scope, in this case will be smaller than
the scope of the problem. We will be solving part of the problem, often
the most problematic or painful part, and leaving some elements
unsolved. This may also be the case when we are delivering a solution
incrementally – the highest value part of the solution will be delivered
early, with additional features incremented over time.

Ensuring there is agreement over scope, and managing it carefully

is crucial.

114

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 114 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

How
The very act of defining a problem statement is an excellent
way of agreeing a high level problem scope. Adding a boundary
of scope on the fishbone diagram also helps. Defining outcomes
with CSFs and KPIs builds upon this foundation, and provides us
with a useful way of defining and quantifying the outcomes that
are considered most valuable. As the problem-solving activities
continue, and as we start to examine potential solutions, we can
ask, ‘How well would that solution help us achieve those CSFs/
KPIs, and how would it help us solve the problem articulated in the
problem statement?’ This will help keep us on scope and on track.

With this in mind, it can be extremely useful to keep the problem

statement and the associated CSFs and KPIs visible throughout
the problem-solving activities. It is worth adding these to the
problem canvas early, and distributing this so that everyone
relevant can see it. I often carry a copy around with me to
meetings, and place it in the centre of the table. This acts as a
visual cue, and often stakeholders themselves will refer to it. This
subtle action helps keep us all on the same page.

Scope can be further understood and modelled with the ‘roles and
goals and business use case’ techniques that are discussed later
in this chapter. But before this, it is important to consider what
and who is impacted and involved in the problem or solution – this
is discussed further in the next section.

Reflection

• How did it work?

115

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 115 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

• What will I do next time?

References
International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015. A Guide to
the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide), v3.
Toronto: IIBA.

4.2 Know the difference: impacted, interested and

involved
Why
When assessing and controlling the scope of a problem (and later,
the solution) it is important to consider the processes, systems
and stakeholders that will be directly or indirectly impacted as
well as those that are interested in and those that are directly
involved with the primary problem area. Some stakeholders may
be impacted, interested and involved – others may fall into only
one or two of these categories. This is illustrated by the diagram
below – stakeholders may fall within any area of this diagram.

Involved Interested

Impacted

116

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 116 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

Knowledge briefing
Thinking back to our mail-order retail example that we have
discussed throughout the book, our problem statement helped
us conclude that a successful solution would ‘ensure that we
can predict and manage demand, allowing us to dispatch orders
in a timely fashion, leading to increased customer satisfaction,
reduced operational costs and ultimately higher profits’.

If we were to imagine the stakeholders who are likely to be directly

involved in solving the problem, we might conclude that the
warehouse team would be crucial. It is likely that the warehouse
manager, and his team would be taking a significant interest in our
problem-solving activities. We will no doubt utilise their skills and
knowledge to help us form the best possible solution. They are
likely to be showing a significant level of interest in our work too!

However, there may be other processes, systems and stakeholders

that are impacted by this change. These might be equally crucial,
even though the stakeholders might not be showing much or any
interest at all (yet). It is key that we consider which of these need to
be included in our scope. In our mail-order retailer this might include:

Area (system/
process/stakeholder) Nature of impact
Marketing Will potentially be a key player in helping us to
‘manage demand’ – potentially by varying offers
to encourage orders in the quieter periods.
May involve new processes/systems to support
this (TBC).
Customer service With a reduction in complaints, the team will be
­positively impacted. They will be able to focus on
different work, and thought will need to be put into
which work they should pick up (this may be outside
of our scope, but somebody will need to pick it up).
Procurement Faster dispatching may mean that there is less
time available as a ‘buffer’ to order out-of-stock
items. There may need to be re-negotiations
with suppliers to ensure that any items that are
out-of-stock can be delivered to the warehouse
quickly. Alternatively, it may be necessary to
revisit the amount of stock held.

117

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 117 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

These are just examples. The key is to consider who or what might
be impacted – positively or negatively – when the problem is being
solved and the solution is being implemented.

How
It is crucial to consider the problem from multiple perspectives
and through various lenses. Ask questions like:
1. Who has an interest in solving this problem?
2. What other processes, systems and people might be impacted –
either directly or indirectly?
3. Who or what sit just outside the boundaries of our problem
scope? Might we inadvertently impact them?
4. Who will be involved in delivering the change and solving the
problem?
5. Who will be involved in sustaining the change and ensuring the
problem stays solved?

It is also extremely useful to examine the ‘as is’ situation and to

utilise the ‘roles and goals’ technique. Both of these are discussed
later in this chapter.

Reflection

• How did it work?

118

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 118 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

• What will I do next time?

4.3 Understand the problem situation

Why
So far we have discussed defining the problem and defining
outcomes. All of these things are crucial, but, by their nature tend
to place more emphasis on the high-level ‘bigger picture’ elements
of the problem. We sketch out the boundaries of the problem to
ensure that there is a common view.

However, before selecting a solution it will be necessary to gain a

deeper understanding of the detailed problem situation, building
on the information we uncovered with our earlier fishbone diagram.
It is important to understand the detailed current state, or as it is
often referred to, the ‘as is’ situation. This involves understanding
current processes, systems and organisational structures. The
level of understanding that we need to gain will vary – we need to
know just enough to ensure that any proposed solution will solve
the underlying problem.

Source: Minerva Studio/Shutterstock

119

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 119 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

Knowledge briefing
There are many useful elicitation or investigation techniques that
can be deployed to understand an existing situation, including
those listed below:

Meetings and interviews Whether formal or informal, it can be useful to

meet with stakeholders to understand their
involvement and to understand their perspec-
tive on a problem.
Preparation is crucial, it is worth having a draft
list of questions ready – and be prepared to
deviate from these if the interviewee men-
tions something unexpected but relevant.
Workshops Getting stakeholders together and holding
a facilitated workshop can help us to under-
stand the bigger picture. Workshops are often
used in combination with brainstorming or
other techniques to encourage input and con-
tribution. Workshops can be a very productive
forum for creating an ‘as is’ process model.
With the right people in the room this can
often be achieved quickly.
Brainstorming Encourages divergent thinking. Start by set-
ting a focus statement (sometimes formu-
lated as a question, e.g. ‘What are the current
causes of XYZ problem?’) and allow people
to write their responses onto Post-it Notes.
Judgement should be deferred, and the Post-it
Notes can be grouped and themed later.
Observation Seeing the problem ‘first hand’ is extremely
valuable – this will help see the impacts and
causes with our own eyes.

You will find additional resources that provide more detail about
these, and other techniques, in the ‘References and further reading’
section.

How

1. Carry out a detailed investigation of the problem situation.

The fishbone diagram produced previously will provide insight
regarding where to look.

120

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 120 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

2. Use interviews, observation, brainstorming and workshops to

delve into more detail.
3. Capture the information you gather in meeting notes, mind
maps etc.
4. Consider creating models or diagrams to capture the
information formally (high-level process models can be useful).
5. Validate this information with the stakeholders to ensure that
there is a common and consistent understanding.
6. Avoid the temptation (yet) to talk about solutions – although
if potential solution options are discussed, then capture these
for later analysis and discussion.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

121

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 121 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

4.4 Find the roles and goals

Why
As discussed previously, it is important to identify stakeholders who
are impacted by the problem, as well as stakeholders who would
benefit from (or be impacted by) any solution. Understanding these
stakeholders’ needs will help us to craft a solution that meets their
approval. If we do not take the time to do this, there is a risk that we
might deploy a solution that meets only some of our stakeholders’
needs – or even worse, it might conflict with the needs of a
stakeholder group. This is likely to make us very unpopular!

To gain this understanding, it can be useful to consider the roles

and goals that are involved – that is who has a particular interest,
involvement or input into the problem situation (or the solution).

Source: David Lee/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
A role type represents a defined stakeholder category that have
similar goals, concerns and requirements. Often this relates to
their job role or functional area, although this isn’t always the
case. A role should be represented as a noun: examples include
‘salesperson’, ‘contact centre agent’ or ‘customer’.

122

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 122 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

A goal represents an activity, process, function or feature that

someone fulfilling a role would use, focussing on those that are
relevant for the problem area being examined. A goal should be
expressed as a verb noun expression. Example: ‘place order’, ‘pay
invoice’ etc.

It is important to focus not just on any goals that are directly

impacted by the problem, but also any that are related or indirectly
impacted.

Each role type will have at least one goal, and each goal should
be associated with at least one role type. Clearly role types can
be associated with multiple goals and vice versa.

Building on the mail-order retail example we have referred to

throughout the book, a first-pass of roles and goals might uncover
the following:

Role type Goal

Customer Place order
Call centre operative Process order
Warehouse operative Pack and dispatch goods
Courier [external] Deliver goods
Warehouse manager Track progress against KPIs
Warehouse manager Monitor demand levels
Warehouse manager Schedule staffing levels
Marketing manager Schedule marketing campaigns

You will notice that the number of roles that are involved is
perhaps broader than we might expect. The customer has a clear
interest in the problem, so it is useful at this stage to include
them. Equally, we may have found that the marketing manager
has an interest – perhaps she is keen to schedule marketing
campaigns during quieter periods – so it would be important to
ensure she is represented.

123

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 123 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

How

1. Identify roles: Work with your stakeholders and ask ‘Who

else might be involved or impacted by this problem or by
the solution?’ Ideally, write each potential role on a Post-it
Note.
2. Sort and sift roles: Rationalise and sort the Post-it Notes
(it is likely there will be duplication) and arrange them into
themes. For example, you might decide that ‘junior call centre
operative’, ‘call centre worker’ and ‘call centre team leader’ can
be grouped, perhaps as ‘call centre operative’ – assuming that
they all have similar goals. If you are unsure, it is best to leave
them separate at this point.
3. Identify goals: For each role that has been identified, ask
‘What is this person/group aiming to achieve within the
context of the problem situation?’ or put differently ‘What are
they looking to do – either now or once the problem has been
solved?’ Express these goals as a verb noun phrase, ideally on
Post-it Notes.
4. Sort and sift: Sort and sift the Post-it Notes and arrange them
into themes.
5. Capture as a list: Capture the roles and goals as a simple list,
similar to the one above. This can then be presented to any
stakeholders not present to seek feedback and ensure that
the core goals have been captured.

Once a list of roles and goals has been created, you may choose to
make it visual with a business use case diagram – this is discussed
in the next section.

124

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 124 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

4.5 Make it visual with a business use case model

Why
In the previous section we outlined how to create a list of roles and
goals. Whilst this is a useful exercise in itself, a static list can be
rather hard to digest – particularly when there are a large number
of roles and goals. Additionally, with a static list it is difficult to
show relationships between the various elements.

A business use case model is a way of visually depicting the roles

and goals involved in the problem situation.

125

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 125 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

Knowledge briefing
Use cases are used in the field of business analysis to describe
interactions between an ‘actor’ (e.g. a person or external system)
and some type of ‘system’. There are different types of use
cases, including system use cases (which typically focus on the
interaction between an actor and an IT system) and a business
use case (which focusses on the valuable interactions between
an actor and an organisation/business – in this case treating the
business as a system comprising of people, processes, IT etc). In
this book, we focus on business use cases.

This is a somewhat complex area, and in this section we cover

some basics – if you find this technique useful you will find further
resources in the ‘References and further reading’ section.

Business use case diagrams have four main symbols:

Symbol Description Role/Goal

Business (external) actor: An entity outside of the Role
business or organisation being analysed or discussed.
This can include a person/team (role) or even an
external IT system.

Examples might include: customer, partner,

vendor/supplier etc.
Worker (internal) actor: A role within the business or Role
organisation being analysed or discussed.
Examples might include: customer services, sales,
manufacturing etc.

Business use case: An interaction between an actor Goal

and the business or organisation being analysed and
discussed. This should be described as a short
‘verb noun’ phrase, describing a goal that the actor is
trying to attain.

Examples might include: place order, return item,

query bill etc.
Communication (association): Shows which actors Links roles
interact with which business use cases. to goals
Source: These symbols are an extension to the Unified Modelling Language and are
adapted from Podeswa, H., 2009. The Business Analyst’s Handbook. Boston: Course
Technology PTR, a part of Cengage Learning

126

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 126 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

A partial business use case diagram is shown below:

Place order

Customer Telesales

Here we have a business (external) actor customer that has the

ability to initiate a business use case place order. This business
use case also shows a supporting actor telesales. When the arrow
representing the communication (association) points towards
an actor, this denotes a supporting actor. A supporting actor is
involved in fulfilling the business use case in some way, although
they do not initiate it.

Each business use case can have multiple primary and secondary
actors, as shown in the example below:

Business use Supporting actor

case

Primary actor
A

Supporting actor

Primary actor
B

Supporting
actor

127

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 127 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

A sample business use case diagram, based on the mail-order

retail case study is shown below.

Call centre
Place order operative

Customer

Pack and
dispatch Warehouse
order operative

Deliver
goods

Courier

Track progress
against KPIs

Monitor demand
levels

Warehouse
manager
Schedule
staffing
levels

Schedule
marketing
campaign

Marketing manager

128

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 128 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

When transitioning from a list of ‘roles and goals’ to a business

use case, it is a good opportunity to de-duplicate. For example,
in the previous section we outlined goals of ‘place order’ for the
customer and ‘process order’ for the call centre operative. Really
these relate to the same set of activities – they are two sides of
the same coin. These are represented as one single business use
case ‘place order’, with the customer as the primary actor and the
call centre operative as the supporting actor.

How

1. Work through the roles and goals list that you created earlier.
2. Identify the business (external) actors and the worker (internal)
actors. Draw these on the diagram.
3. Identify the use cases. Articulate these as ‘verb noun’ phrases
and draw them on the diagram.
4. Represent communication (associations) on the diagram,
remembering to consider primary and secondary actors.
5. Review and iterate.

Reflection

• How did it work?

129

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 129 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

• What will I do next time?

References
Podeswa, H., 2009. The Business Analyst’s Handbook, Boston:
Course Technology PTR, a part of Cengage Learning.

4.6 Set the priorities

Why
Unless we are very lucky, we are almost certainly going to have
constraints of time and budget pressing down on our problem-
solving initiatives. Whilst it would be wonderful to solve every
facet of every element of the problem, this might not be possible.
Alternatively, we might need to solve the most urgent elements of
the problem first, leaving some of the lower-priority aspects to wait.

In order to do this, it is important to prioritise.

Source: Mauro Saivezzo/Shutterstock

130

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 130 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

Knowledge briefing
Prioritisation can take many forms. In the context of our problem-
solving activities, we might choose to:
• Prioritise the outcomes – which of the KPIs and CSFs are most
important?
• Prioritise the goals – which of the goals (or business use cases)
are highest priority for our problem-solving activity?

In many cases, the CSFs and KPIs will be difficult to prioritise. If

we have elicited and analysed them well, we will have a handful of
‘core’ measures that really are crucial. Therefore it is often useful
to focus on prioritising the goals.

This activity can be driven from the business use case diagram.

How

1. Consider each business use case in turn. Ask questions like

‘What is the value in including this business use case in our
problem-solving activity?’ and ‘Could any changes to this
business use case wait, or are they essential?’
2. Assess the types of benefits that would be achieved by
including each business use case and ensure they link to the
CSFs and KPIs. If they don’t, then perhaps these activities
should be considered out of scope.
3. Assign each business use case a priority level. There are many
prioritisation mechanisms – a simple numeric scale, or perhaps
a scale of ‘high, medium, low’ can be used, or more formal
mechanisms like MoSCoW can be used. Alternatively, a simple
scale of ‘mandatory’ and ‘desirable’ can be used.

(For an explanation of the MoSCoW technique see Cadle, Paul and

Turner (2014).)

131

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 131 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
Cadle, J., Paul, D. and Turner, P., 2014. Business Analysis Techniques:
99 Essential Techniques for Success. Swindon: BCS.

4.7 Set the boundaries of scope

Why
Previously in this chapter, we discussed the importance of avoiding
‘scope creep’. One way of doing this is to ensure that our scope is
clearly articulated. Our problem statement and our CSFs and KPIs
provide an excellent starting point, but this can be built upon by
utilising our business use case diagram. Annotating the scope on
our business use case diagram is easy to do, and will help avoid
future conflict, disagreement and general wrangling over scope.

132

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 132 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

Knowledge briefing
Once prioritisation has taken place, a discussion can be held
around which business use cases should continue to form part of
our problem-solving activity. This can be made visual by drawing
a boundary of scope on the business use case diagram, as
illustrated in the example below:

In scope

Call centre operative

Place order

Customer

Pack and
dispatch
order Warehouse operative

Deliver
goods

Courier

Track progress
In scope
against KPIs

Monitor demand
levels

Warehouse manager

Schedule
staffing
levels

Schedule
marketing
campaign

Marketing manager

133

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 133 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Assessing scope and impact

This diagram clearly shows the business use cases that are in and
out of scope, and used correctly will leave no room for ambiguity
or misunderstanding.

How

1. Build on the prioritisation activities that were described in the

previous section.
2. Agree which business use cases are most valuable/need to be
considered in the problem-solving activity.
3. Draw a line representing scope.
4. Meet with the relevant stakeholders to ensure agreement.
5. Add the business use case diagram, along with the problem
statement and the CSFs and KPIs to a problem canvas (see
Section 1.7 and Section 6.1 for more about the problem canvas).

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

134

M04_REED9625_01_SE_C04.indd 134 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Chapter 5
Solutioneering: generating
solution options

5.1 Keep the outcomes clearly in mind

5.2 Get together and imagine multiple solutions

5.3 Start evaluating solutions: create a ‘long list’

5.4 Getting specific: short list the best

5.5 Consider doing nothing

5.6 Compare the short-listed options

5.7 Validate and make a recommendation

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 135 20/04/16 4:23 pm

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 136 20/04/16 4:23 pm
 Speed Read
5. Solutioneering: generating
solution options

5.1 Keep the outcomes clearly in mind

So far in this book, we have mainly focussed on defining and
understanding the problem. In this chapter, we examine how
to consider potential solutions, and how to narrow down those
potential solutions to a manageable number.

As we start to think about solutions, it is important that we steer

away from the temptation to settle on the first solution that
seems viable. In most situations it is valuable to think divergently,
and generate a number of competing solution options – rather
than settling on the first that we happen to stumble upon. By
thinking broader we may come across an option that is cheaper,
better and quicker than we envisaged. Thinking broader also helps
us avoid ‘knee-jerk’ reactions to problems, which may not have
been well thought through.

Keeping the desired outcomes clearly in mind helps us steer away

from these problems.

Source: Lightspring/Shutterstock

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 137 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Solutioneering: generating solution options

Do this
Create a partially completed problem canvas (see Chapter  6),
with the problem statement, business use case diagram and
CSFs/KPIs clearly stated. Bring this to meetings and use it
to guide further conversations and steer these discussions
away from a sub-conscious knee-jerk solution focus. Relate
conversations to the outcomes, to ensure that they are
front-of-mind.

5.2 Get together and imagine multiple solutions

An important first step towards choosing a solution is to create
an unstructured list of potential solutions. This may be created
through a combination of desk-based research, interviews and
also brainstorming. Often useful insight comes from getting
people together and brainstorming. This allows people to build on
each other’s ideas and create new or additional options that may
not have emerged if we relied purely on interviews and research.

This initial list of potential solutions can be very long indeed – the
initial aim is to focus on quantity over quality. In Section  5.3 and
Section 5.4 we will discuss refining the list further. Therefore, it is
important to brief the participants at the beginning of the
workshop and set a clear expectation of the purpose of the
session.

Source: nasirkhan/Shutterstock
138

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 138 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Speed read

Do this
Convene a workshop and ensure that the participants have a
clear expectation of the purpose of the session. Keep the CSFs,
KPIs and problem statement clearly visible during the session,
and set a clear focus statement so that the team know the
problem they are aiming to solve.

5.3 Start evaluating solutions: create a ‘long list’

The brainstorming activities mentioned in the previous section will
generate a large quantity of ideas – but only some of these will be
feasible given the constraints of the project. Some might be clearly
too expensive, time consuming, risky or outlandish. This is also an
opportunity to remove or combine any duplicate suggestions that
have been raised. There may even be some ideas suggested that
don’t fully solve the problem (or some that aren’t a good fit within
the organisation). The next logical stage is to ‘weed out’ any outliers
so that we are left with a long list of possible solutions that – at a first
pass – seem feasible. These can be taken forward for further analysis.

This initial evaluation process is best conducted soon after the initial
brainstorming session, and the group that helped to generate the
ideas are often well placed to help evaluate which of the ideas are
most feasible too. Comparing each suggestion/potential solution
in turn, the group will consider the feasibility and the extent that it
will meet the overall objectives (and any other relevant factors). By
the end of the session, an agreed ‘long list’ will be carried forward.

Initial brainstorm

‘Long list’ Recommendation

‘Short list’
and informed
decision

Evaluation/
Analysis
Evaluation/
Analysis 139

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 139 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Solutioneering: generating solution options

Do this
As soon as possible after the brainstorming activity, work to
rationalise the list of ideas generated to create a long list. Work with
the group to establish which of the ideas will meet the objectives
that are encapsulated in the CSFs and KPIs, which are within scope,
and which have the highest possible chance of success.

5.4 Getting specific: short list the best

In the previous section, we discussed creating a ‘long list’. The next
step is for us to prune the list down to, perhaps, three or four options
that are most likely to be viable. In order to do this, work each solution
up into a short description – just a few paragraphs – and consider how
the solution would work. Also consider the likely benefits, costs and
risks. This may require further high-level analysis – perhaps speaking
with solution providers or vendors (to get an idea of likely areas of
cost) – but it should be noted that this is very much an initial ‘gut
feel’. It is designed to allow comparison between options, rather than
needing to ascribe a finite figure to the costs or benefits.

The short-listed options will be carried forward, where a more

thorough analysis of costs, benefits and other relevant factors
can take place where appropriate.

Initial brainstorm

‘Long list’ Recommendation

‘Short list’
and informed
decision

Evaluation/
Analysis
Evaluation/
Analysis

140

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 140 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Speed read

Do this
Use the template provided in the ‘Big picture’ section of this
chapter (Section  5.4) to compare each long-listed option.
Remember that this is intended as a relatively quick exercise,
and whilst it may be necessary to carry out some further high-
level analysis/investigation, we only need enough information to
compare the options.

5.5 Consider doing nothing

When creating a short list, an option that we should consider is
doing nothing. This creates a useful baseline, and helps us compare
the relative merits of doing something. It helps us ensure we do not
inadvertently assume that we have to take action when actually
doing nothing might (sometimes) be a viable option of its own.

Doing nothing involves assessing what will happen if the problem

isn’t solved. What will happen to costs? Revenue? What will get
worse? What will stay the same? What are the impacts (both
positive and negative)?

Source: Dimec/Shutterstock

Do this
Use the template provided in Section  5.4 to examine the ‘do
nothing’ option. Compare and contrast this against the other
options that are being considered.

141

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 141 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Solutioneering: generating solution options

5.6 Compare the short-listed options

Having created a short list of three or four options, the next step
is for us to compare them against each other. This will involve
understanding more about the pros and cons of each solution,
so that an objective recommendation can be made over which
solution to adopt. As a minimum, it is useful to consider the costs,
benefits and risks of each option. It will be necessary to engage
with relevant experts or solution providers (e.g. vendors) to
understand or estimate the costs, and a different set of experts
will help us to understand the likely benefits.

The size and formality of the problem-solving initiative will

determine the level of analysis that takes place. For very small
incremental changes, a cursory estimate of costs may suffice.
When implementing a multi-million pound IT system, it’s likely that
a formal business case will be required. It’s important to
understand your organisation’s project governance process, as
this may impose particular steps or templates.

Source: Roobcio/Shutterstock

Do this
Establish the detailed pros and cons of each of the short-listed
options, paying particular attention to costs, benefits and
risks. Remember that benefits and costs can be intangible as
well as tangible. Ensure that you adhere to any internal project
governance steps.

142

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 142 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Speed read

5.7 Validate and make a recommendation

Having compared each short-listed solution, we are now ready to
make a recommendation. Making a recommendation is a careful
balancing act. Clearly we need to consider the benefits, costs,
risks and so forth – but we also need to be as sure as we can
be that the solution will solve the problem and also that it will
fit within any constraints (time/budget). We may find that the
external business environment makes some solutions more
favourable than others, so we would be well advised to revisit our
STEEPLE analysis.

How we assess and make our recommendation will depend on the

formality that is required. For large scale changes or where a high
level of formality is needed, we may choose to use a formal scoring
mechanism; for smaller or less formal changes a qualitative list
of pros and cons may suffice. Either way, we need to provide the
decision maker with sufficient information to confidently make a
decision.

Source: Veerachai Viteeman/Shutterstock

Do this
Build on the list of pros and cons, considering wider aspects of
the problem and the business environment. Compare the options,
and provide a clear recommendation. State any assumptions
made so the decision maker is completely clear on the decision
they are making.

143

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 143 20/04/16 4:23 pm

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 144 20/04/16 4:23 pm
 Big Picture
5. Solutioneering: generating
solution options

5.1 Keep the outcomes clearly in mind

Why
So far, we have discussed ways of defining the problem we are
trying to solve and the outcomes that we need to achieve. The
next logical step is to consider potential solutions. However,
experience tells us that the human brain has a tendency to
make ‘snap judgements’ – and left unchecked these can lead
to knee-jerk decisions of the type we discussed earlier. Often a
specific solution might hold a special allure; perhaps there’s a new
software package that is ‘en vogue’ and our stakeholders feel that
it is crucial that we buy it. Of course, the software might be the
best option – but until we’ve examined and considered a range of
options this will be extremely uncertain. Furthermore, if we buy
the software and find out that it doesn’t solve our problem, then
we have probably just made a very expensive mistake!

Our problem-solving activity so far has helped us avoid these kind

of knee-jerk activities – keeping the outcomes in mind throughout
whilst we consider solutions (a process sometimes known as
‘solutioneering’) is crucial.

Source: LightSpring/Shutterstock

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 145 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Solutioneering: generating solution options

Knowledge briefing
In the well-respected book Thinking, Fast and Slow, Nobel Prize
Winner Daniel Kahneman outlines two types of thinking:

System 1 Thinking: Enables us to make quick, intuitive

assessments and decisions. System 1 thinking is unconscious,
and built upon our experiences and prejudices. System 1
enables you to hit the brakes on a car when a pedestrian
steps out – an activity that you haven’t had to consciously
think about. System 1 reacts in a general way and so can give
misleading responses (I was once bitten by a dog as a child; a
traumatic event. I still have an irrational fear of certain types
of dog, and I have to ‘override’ my brain’s instinctive desire to
stay away from them).

System 2 Thinking: Enables us to carry out detailed analysis

and calculations. Answering the question “What is 233 x 14”
would engage System 2.
(Adapted from Kahneman, 2012)

Often, we may come up with a ‘gut feel’ over what the best
solution is. We shouldn’t disregard this, but it is worth encouraging
divergent thinking – there may be many other solutions too. And
our ‘gut feel’ (and System 1 Thinking) may have led us to assume
a certain solution will work, when perhaps this is not the case.

How

1. Keep outcomes visible: Ensure that the desired outcomes

are displayed clearly during solutioneering activities. Consider
creating a partially completed problem canvas and bringing this
to meetings. It is useful to place it in the centre of the table, or
somewhere equally visible. (See Section 1.7 and Section 6.1 for
more about the problem canvas.)
2. Encourage divergent thinking first: Throughout the early
stages of our solutioneering activity it is valuable to encourage
divergent thinking, to ensure a range of ideas are tabled.
Using the diagram included in Section 2.3 can help ensure a

146

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 146 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

common understanding and help to set expectations with our

stakeholders.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
Kahneman, D., 2012. Thinking, Fast and Slow. London: Penguin.

5.2 Get together and imagine multiple solutions

Why
As alluded to in the previous section, it is beneficial to avoid
jumping on the first solution we find. In many cases, there will be
a whole multitude of potential solution options available to us. It
is useful – both individually, and in groups – to imagine potential
types of solution that can be explored.

147

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 147 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Solutioneering: generating solution options

Source: Palto/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
A logical starting point is to identify broad types of solution options
available to us. These might start as broad as ‘Buy a CRM software
package’ or they may be more specific, for example ‘Improve the
sales process so that payment is taken earlier’. Either way, these
solution options are still high level, and further analysis and detail
would be required.

There are a number of ways that we might uncover different

solution options. Benchmarking and research can provide further
insight (‘How have others solved this problem?’ and ‘What do our
competitors do?’). White papers and research from consultancies
can provide further information too. Although it should be noted
that simply copying other organisations, whilst it might bring
you on par with your competitors, is unlikely (on its own) to drive
competitive advantage.

Additionally, our stakeholders are a rich source of potential

solution options. It can be valuable to convene a brainstorming
workshop and encourage the attendees to come up with as
many options as possible. Initial brainstorming is very much about
quantity – it may be that some ideas are not feasible, but the very
act of producing them allows us to consider them. We may also
find that the best option is to combine several ideas – perhaps
each idea was infeasible in isolation, but when combined they
produce the perfect outcome.
148

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 148 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

How

1. Convene a workshop. Set the scene, and encourage the

attendees to generate as many ideas as possible. Instil a
collaborative environment by setting some ‘brainstorming
rules’, which might include:
• Defer judgement: worry about feasibility later.
• Go for quantity: don’t self-censor. Anything goes.
• All ideas are equal: irrespective of the seniority of the
person who raised them.
2. Have the desired outcomes on display: make the problem
statement, CSFs and KPIs visible. They don’t need to constrain
our thinking, but they do need to act as a guiding beacon
representing our aims.
3. Set a clear focus statement for the brainstorming activity: this
could be as simple as ‘How do we solve the problem of X?’, or
you may choose to use more elaborate focus statements.
4. Encourage people to contribute as many ideas as possible.
5. After the brainstorming activity has finished, work with the
group to sort, sift, de-duplicate and group the ideas into
themes for later discussion.

Reflection

• How did it work?

149

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 149 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Solutioneering: generating solution options

• What will I do next time?

5.3 Start evaluating solutions: create a ‘long list’

Why
In the previous section, we discussed brainstorming and identifying
potential solution options. During this initial brainstorm, the focus
will be on creating as many ideas as possible, without worrying
(yet) about how feasible they are.

Having encouraged this kind of divergent thinking, it is important

that we move on to converge on a set of solutions that are most
appropriate. This starts by ‘weeding out’ any solutions that are
clearly inappropriate/unachievable, and by prioritising those that
are most likely to be desirable and feasible. This activity will create
an initial ‘long list’ of solutions that can be assessed in more detail.

Knowledge briefing
Brainstorming will often generate hundreds of potential ideas, but
in the cold light of day only some of these are likely to be feasible
and desirable. We could carry out a full analysis of every single
idea, but this will take significant time and resources – therefore
a three-stage approach is useful: firstly, creating a large number
of options through an initial brainstorm, then evaluating these
quickly and creating a ‘long list’. Then, a further evaluation and
comparison can take place to create a ‘short list’.

150

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 150 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

Initial brainstorm

‘Long list’ Recommendation

‘Short list’
and informed
decision

Evaluation/
Analysis
Evaluation/
Analysis

In this section we will discuss creating the ‘long list’.

This initial stage of evaluation and analysis allows us to cast aside

any ideas that are definitely not achievable, for whatever reason,
as well as those that don’t actually solve the problem we are
looking to address. It acts as our first ‘filter’, allowing us to focus
on the solutions that are most likely to be feasible and valuable. In
doing so, we are comparing, contrasting and converging on likely
solutions.

How
This initial evaluation activity can be carried out immediately
after generating the ideas, and works well when carried out in
a workshop environment. However, it is useful to have a short
coffee break between the idea generation and evaluation
sections of a workshop, to allow people time to ‘reset’ and
reflect.

When preparing for this activity, it is worth having the problem

statement, CSFs, KPIs and business use case diagram visible.
Work with the group and take each idea/theme that has been
generated in turn. Ask questions like:

151

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 151 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Solutioneering: generating solution options

1. Will this meet the objectives that are encapsulated in the CSFs
and KPIs?
2. To what extent will it meet the objectives? (Priority should be
given to those that meet the objectives entirely, or to a greater
extent.)
3. Will this address the problem articulated in the problem
statement?
4. Is this within the scope indicated on the business use case
diagram?
5. Is this achievable within any known constraints (time, budget,
resource, technical etc)?
6. Is this solution an appropriate cultural fit for our organisation?
7. Could this idea be combined or merged with another to create
a more effective option?

This activity can often be undertaken relatively quickly. If each

idea/theme has been written on a Post-it Note, it can be useful
to create three piles: Yes, No and Don’t Know (Defer). Any ideas
that feel like a good fit, that should certainly move forward to
the next stage of evaluation go in the Yes pile, any clear outliers
that should not move forward into the No, any where further
information is required (so an immediate decision cannot be
made) are moved into the Don’t Know (Defer) pile. This prevents
conversation centring on these – against each of these items,
record the information that is needed, and then seek this soon
after the meeting. This is illustrated on the diagram that follows
below.

152

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 152 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Keep nearby for reference: YES NO DON’T KNOW
(DEFER)

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 153
Problem statement:

CSFs/KPIs

Business use case diagram:

~~ ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ ~ ~
Big picture

153

20/04/16 4:23 pm
 Solutioneering: generating solution options

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

5.4 Getting specific: short list the best

Why
In the previous section we discussed creating a long list of
potential solutions. This will have pared our solution options down
from hundreds to, perhaps, ten. However, it is useful to prune the
list down even further. In many cases it will be appropriate to
prune the list down to, perhaps, three or four options. This allows
us to focus our detailed efforts on just those three or four options
that are most viable.

154

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 154 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

Initial brainstorm

‘Long list’ Recommendation

‘Short list’
and informed
decision

Evaluation/
Analysis
Evaluation/
Analysis

Knowledge briefing
Short listing requires a more detailed analysis of each option to
take place, however this analysis is kept at a fairly high level.
When creating a long list, the questions we ask will tend to
be fairly abstract (‘Could a new computer package help solve
this problem?’), when short listing we move to a lower level of
abstraction and start to discuss some of the concrete details (‘Is
there a suitable computer package available, and are we likely to
have the resources to deploy it?’).

This may require us to carry out research or even contact vendors/

suppliers of particular solutions to request general information.
We may also need to consult with wider stakeholders in our
organisation to understand the impact of particular options.

How
Take each of the long-listed ideas and work it up into a short
description – a few paragraphs – which describes more about
how the solution would work and the benefits it would achieve.
Taking our mail-order retailer, one potential solution option could
be offering a discount for seven-day delivery.

It would be useful to work this up into a wider solution description,

linking back to the problem statement, and outlining the main
areas of impact, cost and benefit (see table below).
155

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 155 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Solutioneering: generating solution options

As outlined above, it can be useful to get an initial feeling for the

comparative level of benefit, cost and impact. These ideas can
then be discussed and ranked against each other, with the top
three or four being carried forward to the next stage of evaluation.
The top three or four may be chosen based on the relative
benefits that they bring, or it may be useful to consider costs/
impacts (perhaps carrying forward a ‘gold’, ‘silver’ and ‘bronze’ –
‘bronze’ may be much cheaper but will deliver comparatively less
benefit).

Option Seven-day delivery discount

Description
Offering a discount for a seven-day delivery will enable us to better
manage demand. We anticipate, based on knowledge of our customer
base, that around 40–60 per cent of customers would choose this
option. We will save money by utilising discount couriers, and if times are
busy, we’ll have up to six days to pack and dispatch the order.
Impacted areas
This will require changes to the order process, a minor tweak to the
order database, a change to the dispatch process and will require a
­training and communication plan.
Main benefits
Will enable us to manage demand – we can avoid ‘spikes’ and the warehouse
team will be able to rely less on overtime and temporary workers (reducing
the wages bill). We also provide another delivery option for our customers,
increasing satisfaction. We can utilise discount couriers, reducing costs.
Main costs
Analysis and rolling out of changed order process.
Specification and implementation of a tweak to the order database.
Costs have not yet been estimated in financial terms.
Main risks
Risk that customers may not adopt/use this delivery option to the
extent that we expect them to.
Comments
This solution option is comparatively low impact, and low cost, and
will deliver a medium benefit. If it were to be considered viable, a more
detailed estimate will be produced.
Version control
Author SD Updated 4 Feb Status Draft Version 0.1

156

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 156 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

5.5 Consider doing nothing

Why
As counterintuitive as it may sound, once we start evaluating
potential solution options, it is also useful to consider what would
happen if we do nothing. Or, to put this in a different way, what if
we don’t solve the problem?

This is an important consideration as it helps us obtain a baseline –

it may be, for example, in our mail-order retail example that if we do
nothing that we anticipate complaints rise and profits reduce. This
will help make a compelling case for doing something! Of course, in
other situations, doing nothing might be the most viable option –
and carrying out this analysis may have saved us making a knee-
jerk decision that would cost money and deliver little or no benefit.

157

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 157 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Solutioneering: generating solution options

Source: Sergii Korolko/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
It is important to consider the impact of doing nothing. This
requires us to hypothesise or predict what might happen if the
problem is not addressed. It is worthwhile quantifying this in
financial terms, whilst also considering intangible factors and risk
too. The aim is to create an objective and concise picture of what
is likely to happen if the current state remains unchanged.

Useful questions include:

• Is the problem likely to get worse over time, or will it stay the
same?
• If it will get worse, to what extent and how quickly?
• What would happen to our customer base if the problem is left
unsold?
• Will there be any impact on top-line revenue?
• Will there be any impact on costs?
• Are there any legal or regulatory impacts?
• What are the impacts on our staff?
• Are there any other stakeholders who would continue to be
affected, if so what impact would this cause?
• Might there be any reputational impacts?
• Are there any other possible tangible or intangible impacts?
How likely are they?
• Are there any critical deadline dates, if so what are they (and why)?
158

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 158 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

How

1. Start with a brief description of the impact of doing nothing.

2. Use the headings in the table in Section 5.4 and the questions
above as a starting point to further examine/elaborate the
option.
3. Work with a small group of relevant stakeholders to thoroughly
understand the option.
4. Pay particular attention to risks.
5. For each potential risk event, also list the consequences of
that risk, and whether there are any ways the risk can be
avoided, mitigated or transferred.
6. Remember, at this stage we are looking for a concise summary
of each option – further analysis will follow – so focus on the
most significant facets for now.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

159

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 159 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Solutioneering: generating solution options

5.6 Compare the short-listed options

Why
Having created a short list of, say, three potential solutions allows us
to directly compare and contrast them. With a manageable number of
solutions, we can collect and collate data so that an objective decision
can be made. Depending on the nature and size of the problem,
we may put together a formal ‘business case’ style document – or
for less formal/smaller problems, we may just summarise the key
benefits and costs of each option. If your organisation has a specific
project governance process, it is important to ensure that this is
taken into account as it may mean there are specific templates or
steps that are required before a decision on solution can be made or
before spend can be committed to.

Source: Nelson Marques/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
In order to objectively evaluate different solutions, as a minimum,
it is useful to know and consider the factors shown in the table
below.

There are more sophisticated ways of evaluating the costs/

benefits of different options, which are beyond the scope of
this book. There are resources mentioned in the ‘References and
further reading’ section that will be of interest to readers who are
putting together a formal business case.

160

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 160 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

Factor Description Example

Cost of Costs associated with £x to purchase a new
implementation making the change database server
Cost of running/ Ongoing costs that must £x annual licensing of
maintaining solution be paid on a regular basis software
£y staff costs
Benefits, tangible Benefits that can be pre- £x saving in courier
and financial dicted with a reasonable costs
level of certainty and £y reduction in
quantified in financial ­licensing costs
terms
Benefits, tangible Benefits that can be pre- A reduction in
but not financial dicted with a reasonable ­processing time from
level of certainty and 20 minutes to 10
quantified in non-financial minutes
terms
Benefits, intangible Benefits that cannot be Increased brand
predicted and quantified awareness
in advance with any level Increased customer
of accuracy satisfaction
Costs, intangible Costs that cannot be pre- Productivity will tem-
dicted and quantified in porarily drop whilst
advance with any level of people get used to
confidence the new process
Risks Uncertain events that Our customers may
may affect the organisa- not adopt the new pro-
tion or the change. It is cess and may instead
also valuable to capture choose to buy from
any risk avoidance, mit- a competitor, leading
igation or transference to lost revenue and
options available reduced profit

How
Work with the stakeholders and solution providers/vendors
to establish ballpark cost and benefit estimates for each of
the short-listed options. Compare each option – ideally we are
looking for the option that offers the highest recurring benefits
for the lowest costs and lowest risks. However, producing a
recommendation often involves carefully weighing up the pros
and cons – this is discussed in the next section.

161

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 161 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Solutioneering: generating solution options

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

5.7 Validate and make a recommendation

Why
We have reached a crucial part of the problem-solving lifecycle.
We have examined several solutions, and are ready to make a
recommendation. The recommendation will clearly signpost the
best solution (or solutions), and will state the next actions that
need to be taken.

Source: JohnKwan/Shutterstock
162

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 162 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

See
Artefact/Consideration Section Considerations/Questions to ask
Costs and benefits 5.6 What level of budget is available?
Which solution offers the best
return on investment for the
budget available?
How does the organisation
measure financial success?
Problem statement 2.2 Does each solution solve the whole
problem?
Does one solution solve it in a
­comparatively better or more
c­ omprehensive way?
Outcomes: balanced 3.2 Which solution best meets the
scorecard (CSFs and 3.3 CSFs and KPIs?
KPIs) 3.4
Scope: business use 4.4 Which solution best fits within the
case diagram 4.5 defined scope?
4.6
As is 2.4 Which solution is most compatible
4.3 with the existing (‘as is’) situation?
If change is necessary, is there
appetite to implement that change?
Risks 6.6 What is the risk appetite of the
organisation?
Are any solutions too risky?
Is the organisation prepared to
accept more risk for a greater
return?
Constraints 1.6 Which solution best meets any
3.5 constraints (time, budget, quality,
technical etc)?
External environment: 2.5 Which solution is best aligned
STEEPLE with the organisation’s external
­ usiness environment?
b
Which is more likely to be ‘future
proof’?

163

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 163 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Solutioneering: generating solution options

Knowledge briefing
Making a recommendation is a careful balancing act. Often we are
comparing very different solutions, each of which has different
benefits, costs and risks associated. It is useful to validate and
map each potential solution back to the problem statement,
outcome and scope that we defined earlier.

It is also crucial to understand and revisit any constraints, including

budget or time, so that we can ensure the recommendation will
be achievable within them.

How
Arriving at a recommendation involves weighing up the solutions
against the priorities of the organisation and its stakeholders.
It is important to work out with stakeholders how to decide.
The decision process for a small problem-solving initiative (e.g.
speeding up a step in a process) is likely to be far less formal
than that of a large multi-million initiative (e.g. increase profit by
launching a new product in a new market).

Where a formal and objective decision-making process is required,

it can be useful to create a scoring and weighting mechanism.
The relative costs and benefits can be ranked, based on criteria
that are important to the organisation and its stakeholders. The
categories in the table above can be built upon, with evaluation
criteria added to each of them. The evaluation criteria should be
made as objective and specific as possible. Formal investment
appraisal techniques including payback period, discounted cash
flow/net present value and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) can
help to make informed and objective decisions on the financial
elements – readers interested in these techniques will find useful
resources in the ‘References and further reading’ section.

164

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 164 20/04/16 4:23 pm

 Big picture

Where a less formal decision-making process is required, it may

be sufficient to compile a qualitative list of pros and cons and to
discuss this with the relevant stakeholders. It is still important
to ensure objectivity, and we must be on guard to unconsciously
prevent any bias affecting the decision.

Either way, we should produce a recommendation and then

consider the next steps to get our change implemented. Once we
have a clear recommendation, we can bring our problem-solving
activities together into a single concise and precise problem-
solving canvas. This is discussed in the next chapter.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

165

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 165 20/04/16 4:23 pm

M05_REED9625_01_SE_C05.indd 166 20/04/16 4:23 pm
 Chapter 6
Bringing it all together: the
one-page ‘problem canvas’

6.1 Being concise and precise: building the canvas

6.2 Gaining consensus

6.3 The canvas as an internal sales tool

6.4 Gain commitment

6.5 Plan the next steps

6.6 Beware risks

6.7 A problem canvas is a great place to start (but the hard

work is yet to come)

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 167 20/04/16 3:24 pm

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 168 20/04/16 3:24 pm
 Speed Read
6. Bringing it all together: the one-page
‘problem canvas’

6.1 Being concise and precise: building the canvas

A problem canvas is a single-page template that concisely
summarises the problem that we are trying to solve, the
scope, along with the solutions that we are considering (and
the recommended next actions). It brings together all of the
previous work onto a single sheet so that we can ensure that
everyone is literally ‘on the same page’. As outlined in Chapter 1,
it articulates a thin-slice of the ‘why’, the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of
the problem-solving initiative.

WHY? WHAT? HOW?

• Problem • Roles and goals • Solution
statement • Business use options
• Measures of case diagram
success • Concept-level
requirements

Problem canvas

Source: Blackmetric Business Soluctions

It is good practice to build the problem canvas iteratively as our

initial problem analysis activities take place, and indeed we have
referred to this several times during the book. However, once we
have carried out all of the activities described in Chapters 1–5, we
will be well placed to ensure that every section of the canvas is
completed. Once completed, we can ensure that the various areas
of the canvas are consistent, and that key stakeholders agree –
gaining consensus is discussed in the next section. Once agreed,
the canvas becomes a useful guiding beacon for future work.

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 169 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

An example problem canvas is included in the ‘Big picture’ section

of this chapter (Section 6.1).

Do this
Having built up the problem canvas iteratively throughout the
problem and solution analysis process, take one last opportunity
to fill in any blanks and check for completeness. This ensures it
is ready for a final review with the key stakeholders.

6.2 Gaining consensus

Having put a complete version of the problem canvas together, it
is time to review it with the relevant stakeholders. It is useful to
bring people together, and reflect on (and review) each section.
You will have been doing this iteratively, however this additional
review provides the opportunity to take a look at the canvas as
a whole – holistically – and carry out a ‘sense check’ before any
further work takes place.

In order to gain consensus, it is important to consider who needs

to be involved in the review. Contact the relevant people, and
arrange a workshop or review session. Walk through each section
in turn, making any necessary amendments where necessary.
Once consensus has been agreed, ask the sponsor to ‘sign off’
and store it in a central location where everyone can have access.

Source: Zphoto/Shutterstock
170

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 170 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Speed read

Do this
Get the relevant people together to review the problem canvas,
and once it is agreed, store it in a centrally accessible location
so it can be a guiding beacon for future work.

6.3 The canvas as an internal sales tool

To ensure that our problem-solving initiative works as efficiently
as possible, we may need to ‘sell’ the benefits to groups or
individuals. There may be stakeholder groups – inside or outside
of our organisation – who aren’t directly involved in the initiative,
but are crucial to its success. We may need to influence them
even though we have no authority.

The problem canvas can be an extremely useful sales tool. It

succinctly summarises the need for change, the scope of change
and the benefits. When explaining the initiative to customers,
suppliers, partners, end-users and front line staff, we may drive
a conversation from the canvas. We can leave a copy of the
canvas with them so that they can pass the information on
to their team mates and staff. This is an opportunity for us to
build rapport, to communicate and to hear any concerns that
people may have.

Source: StockLite/Shutterstock

171

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 171 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

Do this
Use the problem canvas as a tool for communicating the need
for change, the scope of the change and the benefits. Use it
to bring people on-board, and where possible ensure they are
supportive and enthusiastic about the change. Where people
are not immediately supportive, use it as a tool to help them
pinpoint their concerns.

6.4 Gain commitment

Solving a problem is a group effort. Whilst we might be co-ordinating
it ourselves, we might need actions and input from a range of
colleagues – potentially inside and outside of our organisation.
This input might be needed during the analysis phase, when
building the canvas – and is likely to ramp up significantly once
a solution is chosen. It is crucial that we ask people for their
commitment and for their time. There is no point embarking on a
problem-solving initiative if the right people are not behind it and
willing and able to help. If they don’t have the time, then perhaps
it would be better to defer the initiative to a time when they do
(or to plan or schedule the initiative differently, or to try to solve
the problem in a different way).

Source: Michael D. Brown/Shutterstock

172

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 172 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Speed read

Do this
Ask for people’s commitment on particular tasks. Build a
Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed (RACI) matrix to
clearly articulate who is responsible and/or accountable for each
task, and who needs to be consulted and/or informed.

6.5 plan the next steps

To ensure that action actually happens it is necessary to create a
plan. This involves understanding the tasks, the effort/duration,
the dependencies, and the people required to do them. Ideally,
on large scale initiatives, a project manager would be assigned to
undertake this planning – but if no project manager is assigned,
we might need to find somebody else to undertake this planning
in the short term (or we may need to do elements of it ourselves).

The schedule should clearly show the timeline, tasks and

deliverables/milestones, and should be communicated so that
everyone knows what should happen when. It can then be used
to track progress.

Source: ALMAGAMI/Shutterstock

Do this
Work with a project manager to create a project schedule –
perhaps as a Gantt chart. Ensure the tasks, deliverables,
milestones and dependencies between tasks are shown.

173

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 173 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

6.6 Beware risks

Problem solving inherently carries risks. If we are implementing
new solutions, there may be uncertainties and predictable
problems that might happen that we can plan for. A risk can be
defined as:

‘The effect of uncertainty on the value of a change, a solution,

or the enterprise.’
(International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015)

When we are pushing forward with our problem-solving initiative

it is useful to consider in detail what risks are relevant for the
particular chosen solution. Ask questions like ‘What might stop
us?’ and ‘What might cause us to veer off track?’ Having identified
risks, we can consider what risk modification action to take – for
example finding ways to avoid the risk, mitigate it, transfer it or
accept it.

Source: Gunnar Pippel/Shutterstock

Do this
Work with your team to create a risk log. If you have assigned a
project manager, ensure that you work with them and the project
team to capture risks and identify risk modification activities.
Ensure the risk log is regularly revisited and that each risk has an
‘owner’ who is responsible for specific identified actions.

174

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 174 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Speed read

6.7 A problem canvas is a great place to start (but

the hard work is yet to come)
A problem canvas is a useful artefact to help us quickly define a
problem, desired outcomes and possible solutions. However, it’s
important to know when the canvas is good enough for us to get
going and actually implement (or plan the implementation of) a
solution. It could be tempting to spend hours (or days) ‘polishing’
the canvas – but the intention is always for the canvas to be a
quick, light-weight, concise yet precise document. It should enable
action rather than prevent it.

Work with stakeholders to assess the relative size and cost of the
problem, the volume of benefits that may be realised by solving it,
and the size, cost and nature of the problem. For small solutions
that require just a few hours work to implement, the canvas may
provide sufficient detail to ‘hit the ground running’. Larger projects
may need further clarification and more detailed requirements.
Either way, it is important to note that whilst the canvas helps us
consider the problem and define a solution, by itself it does not
implement the solution! Further hard work is yet to come, and it
is important that we ensure that everyone is willing and able to
take the next steps.

Source: John Foxx Collection/Imagestate

175

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 175 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

Do this
Consider the size and impact of the problem and solution to
determine whether the canvas provides enough information
to ‘hit the ground running’, or whether a more formal feasibility
phase is required. For anything but the smallest of initiatives, it is
likely that further work will be needed – ensure people are aware
and bought into this.

176

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 176 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Big Picture
6. Bringing it all together: the one-page
‘problem canvas’

6.1 Being concise and precise: building the canvas

Why
The problem canvas is an extremely useful artefact that concisely
and precisely summarises the problem we are trying to solve, the
outcomes we are looking to achieve, the scope and the solutions
that we are considering. It brings together all of the work that we
have done onto a single page.

It is normal to build this up iteratively – it will start blank, and

different elements will be added once we have created them.

Once the problem canvas is complete, it provides a guiding beacon

for our future work. It ensures that everyone will stay focussed
on the problem in hand, and helps us avoid the slippery slope of
scope creep.

Knowledge briefing
An example problem canvas for our mail-order retailer example is
shown below. The problem canvas has several key sections:
• Problem name and version control: The first few sections
relate to the problem canvas itself:
• Problem name: A short ‘nickname’ for the problem. It is good
practice to assign each problem a unique name, so that
when we are in conversation with our stakeholders, we can
be sure we are talking about the same problem!

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 177 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

• Canvas ID: A unique reference number – this is important

in large enterprises where tens (or hundreds) of problem-
solving initiatives may be happening in parallel.
• Portfolio: If the problem-solving activity falls within a
larger portfolio of work, this portfolio can be mentioned
here.
• Sponsor: The person who is sponsoring the problem-
solving activity. This is the person ultimately accountable
for the activity, and the person who is providing the
budget.
• Canvas author: The person who created the canvas.
• Canvas version: A version number. Assigning a version
number is useful, as we can be sure that we are all looking
at the correct version (e.g. ‘Do we all have version 1.2 in
front of us?’).
• Date: The date the canvas was last updated.
• Status: The status of the canvas. Possible status types
might include ‘draft’, ‘under review’, ‘signed off” etc.
• Confidence: The confidence that the canvas author has
that the information shown is accurate, summarised as red,
amber or green. Early versions of the canvas will be flagged
as red – this shows that we are still eliciting and analysing
information and therefore it cannot (yet) be relied upon.
Later iterations will normally be green.
• Problem/opportunity description: A concise and precise
statement of the problem or opportunity, as discussed in
Section 2.2.
• Benefits/measures of success: The outcomes we are looking
to achieve, often stated as CSFs and KPIs.

178

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 178 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Big picture

• Concept-level requirements: A very short summary of any

key high level requirements that have been identified – these
won’t be extensive or exhaustive at this stage, but it is useful
to capture any particularly important requirements that have
been uncovered that will fundamentally shape the choice of
solution.
• Indicative scope: An indication of the problem’s scope, often
shown using a business use case diagram.
• Potential solution options identified: A list of the short-listed
solution options identified.
• Appendices: Attachments or links to other relevant documents.
• CARID log: An attached (or linked) constraints, assumptions,
risks, issues and dependencies log.
• Recommended next steps: A summary of the recommended
next steps that should be taken.

It is important to note that the problem canvas is a summary of

the problem, scope and solution. It is not the only document that
will be produced, and other documents can (and should) be added
or linked to it as needed.

179

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 179 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

Example: problem canvas

Problem name Demand Management Canvas ID 1203-18

Canvas author Steven Thompson Canvas version 1.0

Problem/Opportunity description

The problem of an increase in complaints due to an inability to process customer orders

quickly enough during peak periods
Affects our customers (who are disappointed), our warehouse staff (who cannot keep
up with demand) and our call centre staff (who have to deal with unhappy customers)
The impact of which is cancelled orders, reputational damage and increased
complaints - all of which lead to increased operational costs and a reduction in profits
A successful solution would ensure that we can predict and manage demand, allowing
us to dispatch orders in a timely fashion, leading to increased customer satisfaction,
reduced operational costs and, ultimately, higher profits
Concept-level requirements
Indicative scope
Summary:
The following high-level requirements have been noted as being of
particular importance:
• Ability to deal with multiple currencies and foreign exchange
(core currencies GBP, EUR, USD)
• Solution shall be available between core hours of 08:00–
20:00 GMT – level of acceptable availability within these Customer
times TBC
Potential solution options identified:
Option Comment
Implement new order management Likely to be effective, but
system and process high initial investment
Offer incentive for ‘no-rush’ Would enable demand to
delivery (7-day delivery) be levelled or smoothed
Scale up: employ more staff Discounted - would not solve
root cause; however, may be
useful as a short-term
(temporary) fix

Do nothing Discounted - would lead

to decreasing profits

Source: Blackmetric Business Solutions

180

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 180 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Big picture

Portfolio XYZ Portfolio Sponsor Kelly Carter Confidence:

Green
Date 1 January Status Submitted for review

Benefits/Measures of success
Lead time for changes Adaptability: Increasing sales Quarterly revenue £
rs ability to tweak revenue Revenue per product line
Number of incremental
changes implemented systems/ Innovation
Finance Average order value
(per quarter) processes (‘Sustain’)
Low cost
quickly base Cost per order
Value (benefits) accrued
) through incremental
Cost per item

changes (per quarter) Demand management

s Excellent
Survey results
per cent orders returned reputation
g Net promoter score
due to errors Get orders ‘right Internal
Customer
per cent orders first time’ process Long-term per cent churn
re-shipped due to errors customer base Average customer tenure

e Attach further information/appendices here

Including confidence rationale, additional

requirements, artefacts etc
Place order

Call centre
operative Attach CARID log here
Pack and
dispatch
order (constraints, assumptions, risks, issues,
Warehouse
operative
dependencies)
Deliver
goods

Courier Recommended next steps

Track progress
against KPIs
1. Due to the size of investment, carry out a
full feasibility study to establish which
Monitor demand potential solution is most appropriate
levels

Warehouse 2. Elicit, analyse and document high level

manager
Schedule
staffing
requirements
levels
3. Create outline business case
Schedule
marketing
campaign
Resources required
Marketing
manager Estimated completion date: 1 March

181

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 181 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

How

1. Build the canvas up iteratively, as you go through the problem-

solving process.
2. Bring it to meetings so that stakeholders become familiar with
the format.
3. Use it to create a common view of the problem.
4. Add links and attachments as needed.
5. Feel free to embellish and adapt the template to meet your
specific circumstances.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

182

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 182 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Big picture

6.2 Gaining consensus

Why
As we have alluded to throughout the book, problems can arise
when different perceptions of a problem situation are not openly
discussed, debated and reconciled. The problem canvas, on a
single page, helps to trigger these conversations. It provides us
with the opportunity to validate that we have a common view on
the problem (and scope), and move forward with confidence that
we have a genuine consensus.

Knowledge briefing
A problem canvas can normally be reviewed by convening a
short meeting or workshop with the relevant interested parties.
Unless stakeholders have worked with a problem canvas before,
it is likely that the format will require some explanation, and it
is worth allowing time for this at the beginning of the session.
During the workshop itself, it is useful to walk the group through
each section of the problem canvas, ensuring that opinions and
perspectives are aligned.

Towards the end of the session, it is worth asking the sponsor

to provide a formal sign-off during the workshop – this provides
a formal ‘line in the sand’ and means that we can consider the
document as approved.

If you have been building the canvas iteratively, during the

problem-solving process, the review and validation should be
relatively straightforward. Our stakeholders will have seen each
element of the canvas previously, but this is our opportunity to
showcase the whole document (and ensure that nothing has been
missed or misunderstood).

183

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 183 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

Source: iQoncept/Shutterstock

How

1. Refer back to the stakeholder analysis that you conducted

earlier (see Section 1.4 and Section 4.2).
2. Consider who needs to be involved in validating the canvas.
3. Convene a workshop. Start by briefly explaining the purpose
and format of the canvas.
4. Walk the stakeholders through each section of the canvas.
5. Have supplementary information/documents ready in case
there are questions.
6. Discuss and aim to resolve any differences of opinion or conflict
that arise.
7. Make any necessary amendments to the canvas.
8. Ask the sponsor to ‘sign off’ the document to indicate that
they are happy with its accuracy.
9. Store the document in a central location that all relevant
stakeholders can access.

184

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 184 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Big picture

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

6.3 The canvas as an internal sales tool

Why
All but the most simple of problem-solving activities will require us
to collaborate with others within (and sometimes outside of) our
organisations. We may find ourselves in a situation where we need
to influence somebody even though we have no direct authority.

The canvas can be a useful tool to help us gain influence and

to ‘sell’ the problem-solving activities to those who we need to
collaborate with.

Knowledge briefing
We often talk of ‘stakeholders’ in problem-solving initiatives. As
we described in section  1.4, a stakeholder can be defined as:

185

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 185 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

‘A group or individual with a relationship to the change, the

need, or the solution.’
(International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015)

This definition is broad, and it is quite possible that some individual

stakeholders who will be impacted by the change may not have
been directly involved in defining the problem canvas. Depending
on the change, examples might include:
• Customers
• Suppliers
• Regulators
• Partners
• End-users and front-line staff
• Middle managers
• Neighbouring businesses
• Local authorities/governments

It is important that key stakeholder groups are brought up to speed,

and also that we take the opportunity to elicit their opinions and
views. It is important that we revisit our stakeholder engagement
plan, and consider which stakeholders we particularly need to
spend time with. As the problem-solving initiative continues, we
will undoubtedly need to rely on their expertise to help us drill
down and understand the nuances of the problem, so bringing
them on board early is crucial.

Source: StockLite/Shutterstock
186

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 186 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Big picture

How
Revisit the stakeholder engagement plan
Firstly, it is crucial to revisit the stakeholder engagement plan
and update it regularly, but it is particularly crucial to revisit it
once the problem canvas is nearing completion. Good questions
to ask are:
• ‘Has the stakeholder landscape changed?’
• ‘Does anyone else need to be involved?’
• ‘Who is impacted or interested in this problem?’
• ‘Who will be impacted or interested in the solutions we are
proposing?’

It is important to remember that, although the problem canvas

has now been completed, it can still be changed. If a new
stakeholder appears on the radar, it is not too late to incorporate
their views, or to incorporate crucial information that they may
be able to provide! However, in reality, at this stage it is usual
that the big decisions have been made robustly – and if we have
carried out our problem analysis well, then any changes are likely
to be minor.

Put together a communication plan

If you haven’t already considered how you’ll communicate with
each stakeholder group, it is well worth spending time doing so
now. Different stakeholders will benefit from different types of
communication – building on the stakeholder map described in
Section 1.4, we might utilise the following types of communication,
shown in the table below.

Consider the message to convey

When communicating out details of a potential change, it is usual
that some people may be initially resistant. It is worth spending
time with our stakeholders to understand their concerns, and to

187

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 187 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

Impact of problem
Stakeholder or solution on Type of
influence stakeholder communication Example
High High Frequent, face Meetings,
to face where ­workshops, one-to-
possible one conversations
High Low Regular Provide regular
consultation updates via e-mail
Scheduled and
ad-hoc meetings
Low High Regular infor- Workshops
mation and Focus groups
opportunity to Roadshows
elicit thoughts/ Questionnaires
commitment
Low Low One-to-many E-mail newsletter
‘broadcast’ Staff bulletins

do what we can to allay them. It is useful to take each stakeholder

group and think WIIFM (‘What’s in it for me?’). If we can clearly
articulate the benefits that solutions we are proposing will have
for them, we are far more likely to bring them on board.

Communicate – often!
Finally, it has to be said that a communication plan is no use if it sits
on the shelf collecting dust. Work with your colleagues to ensure
that the communication happens, and ensure that any feedback
that is received is considered and incorporated accordingly.

Reflection

• How did it work?

188

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 188 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Big picture

• What will I do next time?

References
International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015. A Guide to
the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide), v3.
Toronto: IIBA.

6.4 Gain commitment

Why

‘Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes

a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilisation
work.’
(Vince Lombardi)

Solving any kind of problem is a group effort. Up until now, we

have been focussed on thoroughly analysing the problem and
imagining possible solutions. This is hard enough work – but
actually implementing a solution can be quite difficult. This will
often involve a coordinated effort from a wide range of people –
this might include people who are involved in implementing the
change as well as those operating the systems and processes
that are affected by the change. For example, if part of our
solution involves changing a process and making changes to an IT
system, we would need action to be taken by developers, testers,
process experts and so forth. Of equal importance, we’d need the
end-users ‘on the ground’ to use the new systems and processes
once they were rolled out. Therefore, gaining commitment from
the relevant people is crucial.

189

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 189 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

Source: cybrain/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
In the context of problem solving, we can consider at least three
types of commitment that it would be useful for us to seek:
• Getting it off the ground (commitment to the problem-solving
initiative itself): This type of commitment implies that the
stakeholder approves and supports the need for change. They
will provide resource to help assess the problem, and won’t try
to ‘block’ our activities.
• Making it happen (commitment to action): As well as a broad
support for the initiative, we may need to gain commitment to
individual actions.
• Making it stick (commitment to longevity of the solution):
This type of commitment ensures that the solution (whatever
it may be) is used and utilised on an ongoing basis. It ensures
that teams don’t creep back to old ways of working, whereby
they inadvertently cause the problem to re-emerge.

How
Planning regular communication, as discussed in the previous
section is absolutely key. This will help us to ensure that our
stakeholders have a clear and unified view on what problem we
are trying to solve. However, it is important that we also ask for
commitment.

190

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 190 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Big picture

At the beginning of a problem-solving initiative we might ask a

stakeholder to set aside a certain amount of time, so that we can
be sure that they can actively participate in our analysis. Once
a solution has been chosen, it is useful to put together a clear
milestone plan, showing who is responsible for what, and explicitly
asking people whether they feel able to commit to the necessary
actions. A tool for framing this discussion is the RACI matrix. An
example is illustrated below:

Task Matt S Becky C Steve D Bianca D Carly T

Consult with ­customer
services team A R C C C
Measure number of I I R/A
missed sales to validate
chosen solution
Document new process I I R/A C
Test new process A I I R C

Against each task, the RACI matrix shows who is:

R Responsible The person that is responsible for doing the

task
A Accountable The person who is accountable for the task
happening, and who will define the parameters
and quality levels under which it should be
undertaken (e.g. a senior manager or sponsor)
C Consulted An individual who should be consulted whilst
the task is being undertaken
I Informed An individual who should be informed about
the result of the task (often once it is
completed)

This ensures that there is clear accountability and responsibility,

and ensures that tasks do not ‘fall between the gaps’. In particular,
if there is no ‘R’ against a task, this means that nobody is
responsible for it – so it won’t actually take place! It can also ensure
that we are able to have conversations with each stakeholder and

191

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 191 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

ensure they are willing and able to undertake the tasks assigned
to them. Gaining this commitment is extremely useful.

Beyond the RACI chart, it is also useful to ensure that the change
‘sticks’ – this requires ongoing expertise and input and is discussed
further in Chapter 7.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

6.5 Plan the next steps

Why
A problem canvas provides a shared space for exploring and
agreeing on potential solutions. However, for our problem-solving
efforts to be successful we need to go ahead and implement the
solution. It’s crucial that we have a clear idea on the concrete next
steps that are taken.

192

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 192 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Big picture

Knowledge briefing
A useful accompaniment to a problem canvas is a milestone plan
or schedule. This should show the key activities and deliverables
that are required to support the next steps. These are likely to
complement and feed into the RACI matrix mentioned in the
previous section.

A good schedule will show:

• Estimated effort/duration of each task
• The key activities
• The key milestones and deliverables
• The types of people and resources required
• The dependencies

How
Brainstorm the next tasks that are required, and write each
one on a Post-it Note. Arrange these into the necessary order,
and consider the dependencies between them. Some tasks are
likely to require other tasks to have been completed first, and
it’s important that this is planned for. This brainstorming is often
best carried out in a group – and usually several iterations will be
required to refine the plan. It is likely that we’ll start high-level, but
delve into more detail over time.

Continuing with the example of a mail-order retailer mentioned

earlier, we might recommend a solution which involves
implementing enhanced web presence. We might conclude that
the next steps would be:
1. Elicit and document our requirements for the enhanced
website.
2. Engage three potential suppliers.
3. Get three quotes.

193

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 193 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

4. Compare and rank each supplier.

5. Make a decision over the best supplier.
6. Negotiate a contract.
7. Sign contract and approve work.
8. Supervise work.
9. Test website.
10. Sign off work as complete.

It is likely that as we discuss this plan with stakeholders, we’ll

uncover more details and more granular tasks – but this is a
practical starting point. It is worth considering, at each stage,
what the deliverable will be – i.e. what will the task create or
modify? Specifying these deliverables can help make the plan
crystal clear and ensure that expectations are aligned.

We may choose to create a Gantt chart (named after Henry

Gantt, who developed the technique in the early 20th century).
A Gantt chart clearly shows the tasks, expected duration,
dependencies and milestones/deliverables – an example is
included in the table below.

As you can see from the example above, as well as showing

activities, the Gantt chart also shows the type and number
of resources required, and can be used for tracking and
communicating progress. The Gantt chart above is simplified,
and shows time in weeks on the right hand side diagram – for
more granular tasks it can be useful to show elapsed time in
days.

It should be noted that if you are working alongside a dedicated

project manager, they will be able to lead the planning of
activities described above, and on larger initiatives will be able to
bring useful additional project management methodologies and
discipline to the endeavour.

194

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 194 20/04/16 3:24 pm

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 195
Week commencing
01-Nov
08-Nov
15-Nov
22-Nov
29-Nov
06-Dec
13-Dec
20-Dec
27-Dec
03-Jan
10-Jan
17-Jan
24-Jan
31-Jan
07-Feb
14-Feb
21-Feb
28-Feb
06-Mar
13-Mar
20-Mar
27-Mar
03-Apr
10-Apr
17-Apr
24-Apr
01-May
08-May

ID Task Responsible Effort Duration Start End

T1 Elicit and document our requirements for the enhanced web JS 10 18 01-Nov 28-Nov
T2 Engage 3 potential suppliers JS 1 10 15-Nov 28-Nov
T3 Suppliers develop estimates/proposal Suppliers n/a 10 29-Nov 12-Dec
T4 Provide support during estimation/proposal lifecycle JS 2 10 29-Nov 12-Dec
T5 Receive 3 quotes from suppliers JS 0.5 0 13-Dec 13-Dec
T6 Compare and rank each supplier JS, SD, BD 5 10 13-Dec 26-Dec
T7 Holiday Period: Blocked Out All 11 22-Dec 02-Jan
T8 Make a decision over the best supplier JS, SD, BD 1 0 03-Jan 03-Jan
T9 Negotiate a contract IM 3 15 03-Jan 23-Jan
T10 Sign contract and approve work SD 0.25 0 24-Jan 24-Jan
T11 Lead time whilst supplier ramps up n/a n/a 10 24-Jan 06-Feb
T12 Supervise work JS, BD 9.75 39 07-Feb 02-Apr
T13 Test website JS, BD 15 10 03-Apr 16-Apr
T14 Bug fixing and release Supplier n/a 10 17-Apr 30-Apr
T15 Sign off work as complete JS 05 0 01-May 01-May
Big picture

195

20/04/16 3:24 pm
 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

6.6 Beware risks

Why
However we decide to solve a problem, it is likely that there will be
some inherent risks. If these risks materialise, they could not only
scupper our problem-solving initiative, they may have a negative
impact on our team or even our whole business. Before we jump
head-first into implementing a solution, it is important that we
take time to appreciate and understand these risks, and consider
what actions we might take to cater for them.

196

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 196 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Big picture

Source: Gunnar Pippel/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
A risk can be defined as:

‘The effect of uncertainty on the value of a change, a solution,

or the enterprise.’
(International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015)

When capturing potential risks, it is useful to consider the risk

event as well as its consequence. For example, a risk event might
be that ‘Customers do not take up our new online ordering system
at the rate that we have projected’. The consequence may be ‘We
don’t save as much in administrative costs as we have hoped’.

It is also worth thinking about the probability that the risk will
occur and the impact that would be caused if it would occur.
Clearly, more time will be spent worrying about risks that are highly
probable, and less will be spent on improbable/low impact risks.

For each risk, we should consider a risk modification strategy. The

type of modification strategies we can consider include:
• Avoid: Change course so the risk no longer applies.
• Mitigate: Take steps to lessen the impact if the risk does occur.
• Transfer: Transfer, insure or outsource the risk to another party.
• Accept: Take no specific action (often relevant for very low
probability and low impact risks).

197

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 197 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

As an illustration of the different risk modification strategies, let’s

imagine we were about to travel by car, but we were worried about
the risk of a car accident occurring. We could avoid the risk by
deciding against getting in the car, and taking the train instead –
but by doing so, we introduce a different set of risks. We could
mitigate the risk by ensuring that the car has seatbelts, airbags
and other safety features. This won’t stop an accident occurring,
but it will lessen the impact if it does. We’re also likely to transfer
some of the risk by insuring the car – so any damage caused to
other property is covered by an insurance company. We could of
course choose to simply accept the risk and get in the car without
any of those risk modification strategies being in place.

How
Work with stakeholders to create a list of potential risks. Capture
these so that they can be actively managed. Consider the
probability, impact and the risk modification strategy for each. A
possible template is shown in the table below.
The template includes the following sections:
1. ID: An identifier for the risk that allows it to be uniquely identified.
2. Risk event: A description of the risk event itself.
3. Consequence: What happens if the risk occurs?
4. Probability: The likelihood that the risk will occur (perhaps on
a scale of 1–10).
5. Impact: The level of impact that would be caused if the risk
occurred (perhaps on a scale of 1–10).
6. Risk score: An overall score for the risk – often derived by
multiplying risk score and impact, although it is possible to use
more complicated scoring mechanisms also.
7. Risk modification: Whether to avoid, mitigate, transfer or
accept the risk – and the specific action necessary to do so.
8. Owner: The person accountable for the risk and ensuring any
modifying action is taken.
9. Residual risk: What level of risk remains if the risk modification
action is taken?
198

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 198 20/04/16 3:24 pm

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 199
Residual
ID# Risk event Consequence Probability Impact Risk score Risk modification Owner risk
R01 Our largest We lose orders, Low High Medium Avoid: Work closely John Smith Low
customer so revenue 2 8 16 with top customer
cannot (and profit) to ensure integration
integrate drops will work
with the pro-
posed online
system
Example of risk register. Format derived from International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015. A Guide to the Business Analysis
Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide), v3. Toronto: IIBA
Big picture

199

20/04/16 3:24 pm
 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

The risk register ensures that everyone has a common view of the
potential risks and pitfalls. It should be regularly revisited, with
new risks being added as soon as they are identified. Somebody –
perhaps a project manager – should be tasked with keeping it up to
date and also ensuring that the relevant risk modification actions
are taken. This useful action will help minimise the chances of
risks scuppering our progress!

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015. A Guide to
the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide), v3.
Toronto: IIBA.

200

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 200 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Big picture

6.7 A problem canvas is a great place to start

(but the hard work is yet to come)
Why
Creating a problem canvas provides a way for us to concisely and
precisely define and discuss a problem. However, it is important
for us and our stakeholders to realise that it is only the start of
the problem-solving process. It would be very easy to get caught
in a loop of ‘analysis paralysis’ – constantly refining and polishing
the canvas – but in doing so we’d stray from our real objective of
actually solving the problem!

It is therefore important that we recognise when the problem

canvas is ‘good enough’, and start pushing towards the specific
actions and next steps that are required (and that we discussed
defining in Section 6.5).

Source: Michael D. Brown/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
The level of effort and analysis that will underpin a problem canvas
will depend on the size of the problem and the risks associated
with it. Clearly, a fairly simple and non-controversial problem
may require just a few simple conversations and a roughly drawn
problem statement to harbour agreement. Equally if the expected
effort to fix the problem is very low, it would be disproportionate

201

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 201 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Bringing it all together: the one-page ‘problem canvas’

to spend excessive time thinking about the problem. However,

when problems are particularly large, complex, chaotic or risky,
more effort will need to be spent on understanding and analysing
the situation.

How
When considering how much effort and time to spend on the
analysis that feeds into the problem canvas (and when considering
how much ‘polishing’ to do) consider:
1. How much effort is involved in implementing a solution? If
it’s low effort and low risk, then don’t spend excessive time
polishing the canvas.
2. What are the risks associated with the solution(s)? If there
are numerous, or if there are critical/high-impact risks, more
up-front risk analysis may be sensible.
3. Consider the culture of the organisation. What level of
governance does it require? Some organisations require fully
completed and documented analysis before action – in others
a more lightweight approach may be appropriate.
4. Consider the urgency of the problem. Is there benefit in
doing something quickly, measuring the results, learning and
tweaking? Or is it better to wait until there is more certainty.
5. What are the opportunity costs? If we take the problem-solving
action, what else can’t we do? What do we give up?
6. Are the stakeholders and key contributors bought into the
actions that are required?
7. Is everyone willing and able to take the next steps?

These questions will help you to assess whether the problem

canvas is ready. If it is, it is important that we move forward and
execute the necessary actions to actually solve the problem.
This is often a joint effort, and if there are many people involved,
ensuring that somebody is acting as ‘project manager’ can be
extremely useful. The project manager will ensure that the right

202

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 202 20/04/16 3:24 pm

 Big picture

people are undertaking the right activities at the right time, and
will keep the problem-solving initiative on track.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

203

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 203 20/04/16 3:24 pm

M06_REED9625_01_SE_C06.indd 204 20/04/16 3:24 pm
 Chapter 7
Making sure problems stay
solved: implementing,
measuring success and
pivoting

7.1 What happens after the problem canvas is written?

7.2 Compare and prioritise problems

7.3 Inspire action: keeping up the momentum to implement

a solution

7.4 Get ready to measure success

7.5 Stay close to ensure problems don’t recur

7.6 Seek further opportunities to tweak and pivot

7.7 Embed the practice of continuous improvement

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 205 20/04/16 4:20 pm

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 206 20/04/16 4:20 pm
 Speed Read
7. Making sure problems stay solved:
implementing, measuring success
and pivoting

7.1 What happens after the problem canvas is

written?
Even if you work in the smallest and most stable of organisations,
it is likely that there will be several problem-solving initiatives
being undertaken simultaneously. When resources are scarce,
it will be necessary to determine which problems to address
first, and which solutions should be implemented with most
urgency.

With multiple problems being considered, we can create multiple

problem canvases. This allows us to prioritise each problem, and
allows a decision to be made over which problem(s) to address
first. This also enables us to consider the dependencies between
problem-solving initiatives, for example, some problems may need
to be solved before others can be addressed.

Source: rnl/Shutterstock

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 207 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

Do this
Encourage others who are working on problem-solving initiatives
to create a problem canvas for their projects. Create an
environment where problem canvases can be compared and
prioritised against each other – the remainder of the chapter
will provide tips and tricks to achieve this.

7.2 Compare and prioritise problems

As outlined in the previous section, it is likely that there will be
many problems vying for our attention. Rather than trying to solve
every problem, and spreading ourselves too thinly, it is important
to compare which problems we will focus on. It can be extremely
valuable to put conscious thought into how you will ensure that
each canvas is correctly prioritised and aligned with your
organisation’s overall strategic direction.

Source: pedrosala/Shutterstock

Do this
Create a forum for reviewing/discussing problem canvasses.
Create a set of decision criteria which will help the team decide
which problems warrant attention.

208

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 208 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Speed read

7.3 inspire action: keeping up the momentum to

implement a solution
Very small problem-solving initiatives may require just a few hours
effort to define and resolve. Large scale initiatives may take
significant amounts of time, investment and resources. Two roles
that are crucial for the success of problem-solving initiatives are
the business analyst and the project manager. Much of what has
been discussed in this book so far falls within the wider discipline
of business analysis – and if you have been following it you have
perhaps been unknowingly carrying out a range of business analysis
tasks! It is important to acknowledge that this will be an ongoing
role, and there will be more analysis work to follow. Alongside the
business analysis work, on larger problem-solving initiatives it is
useful to assign a project manager. These two roles will work
hand-in hand to ensure that the right thing is done in the right way.

Source: mypokcik/Shutterstock

Do this
Ensure that it is clear who will undertake the ongoing business
analysis responsibility for the problem-solving initiative, and who
will undertake the ongoing project management work. Ensure there
is continuity wherever possible. Work with the project manager to
build on the plan that has been created previously, and consider
holding a ‘kick off’ event to inspire action in those who need to be
involved with the implementation of the chosen solution.

209

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 209 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

7.4 get ready to measure success

Problem-solving initiatives are carried out to create some sort
of benefit. Once we have implemented a solution, it is important
that we measure what benefits have accrued. If the anticipated
benefits haven’t been realised, we might find that further
refinement (or incremental tweaking) will lead to further benefits
being released.

Being able to assess the benefits is predicated on us having

measured a baseline before the change was implemented.
Additionally, we may need to build in systems or processes for
regularly capturing the data needed to carry out the ongoing
measurements. This should be built into our solution ideally from
the moment it is implemented.

Source: Andrey_Kuzmin/Shutterstock

Do this
Build on the KPIs to ensure that specific metrics and targets are
set. Measure a baseline, and once the change is implemented,
ensure that regular measurements are taken to track progress.

7.5 Stay close to ensure problems don’t recur

Planning and implementing change takes a significant amount of
effort – but making change stick can be even trickier. It would
be something of an ‘own goal’ if we spent time and money
implementing a solution, only for key stakeholders to abandon
use of the solution within weeks (or months).

To avoid this happening, it is crucial that we embed the change –

we make it part of ‘the way we do things here’. This involves clear
210

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 210 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Speed read

and regular communication with affected stakeholder groups, and

also regular support and monitoring after the change has been
implemented. It is important that we don’t implement change and
walk away.

Source: Syda Productions/Shutterstock

Do this
Ensure there is a clear communication and engagement
plan, and that relevant support is provided after the change
is implemented. Monitor regularly to look for opportunities
for further improvement and to ensure that the solution is
sufficiently embedded.

7.6 Seek further opportunities to tweak and pivot

Problem solving doesn’t have to be a one-off activity, and once
we have implemented a solution there will often be ample
opportunities for incremental tweaks. We may hypothesise that a
certain solution will be effective, but until we have tried it we won’t
know for sure. It is therefore crucial that we regularly measure and
check the benefits that have accrued, and tweak or change the
solution when necessary. In order to do this it is very useful to
regularly visit the affected business area and see the solution
in action with our own eyes – we can work with (and encourage)
those involved day-to-day to come up with incremental changes,
and empower them to implement them.
211

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 211 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

Source: push-to-grave/Shutterstock

Do this
Ensure that regular measurements are taken to ensure that
the solution is operating effectively and that the anticipated
benefits are accruing. Actively look for ways to improve further,
and encourage others to do the same.

7.7 embed the practice of continuous improvement

As alluded to in the previous section, problem solving is often
an ongoing process, and it is useful to embed not just a change
but also to encourage continuous improvement to take place –
across all relevant processes. This can start small, perhaps
with a suggestion scheme. For very small problems, the canvas
may provide a useful set of questions to ask – although if a
document is produced it may be very lightweight indeed. For
small scale problems, we may encourage people to carry out
controlled experiments and see how incremental interventions
work.

All of this relies on us and our stakeholders feeling empowered

to raise suggestions and to highlight problems. Problem-solving
initiatives are a useful way of starting to embed this ethos into a
business area.

212

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 212 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Speed read

Source: Gines Valera Marin/Shutterstock

Do this
When working on a problem-solving initiative, consider whether
the teams involved currently assess their work practices to look
for regular improvements. If not, consider whether this could be
an opportunity to encourage the adoption of these processes.

213

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 213 20/04/16 4:20 pm

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 214 20/04/16 4:20 pm
 Big Picture
7. Making sure problems stay solved:
implementing, measuring success
and pivoting

7.1 What happens after the problem canvas is

written?
Why
As outlined in the previous chapter, writing a problem canvas is
an extremely valuable starting point, but there is often significant
work to follow. In particular, it is likely that there will be multiple
problems and opportunities being examined at any one time and
thought must be put into prioritising the most important. Also,
as soon as any kind of solution is implemented, it will be useful
to monitor the success so that we can ensure we are maximising
the benefit. This entire chapter is dedicated to ensuring we select
the right problems to address and ensuring that they stay solved!

Knowledge briefing
In every organisation resources are finite and it isn’t possible to
adopt every good idea or solve every problem. Some problems and
potential solutions might not be considered ‘big’ enough to spend
precious time and resources investigating further, and some
potential solutions might be out of line with the organisation’s
overall strategy. Creating a problem canvas for each problem
allows early problem prioritisation to take place. This ensures that
effort is focussed on solving those problems and solutions that
will yield most benefit. It can be useful to imagine four distinct
sets of activities:

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 215 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

Investigate and
Problem Problem implement
definition prioritisation problem
resolution
Measure outcomes
Seek further
improvements

Ongoing analysis and refinement

• Problem (and outcome) definition: This involves defining the

problem and the desired outcomes. A problem canvas is an
extremely valuable starting point that can be iteratively built
upon.
• Problem prioritisation: Prioritisation involves establishing
which problem or problems should be addressed, and which
are the most urgent. This is likely to be based on a range of
criteria including cost, benefit, risks and so on.
• Investigate and implement problem resolution: Once
commitment has been made to address a particular problem, the
physical implementation of the solution will begin. This may involve
further detailed investigation and specification of a solution, and
is likely to require additional business analysis expertise.
• Measure outcomes and seek further improvements: After a
solution has been implemented, it is critical that we measure
success. There may be other incremental opportunities for
improvement that can be taken.

The level of formality and the time spent on each task will vary
depending on the organisational context, the urgency and the
nature (and urgency) of the problem. More formal project and
system development lifecycles can be used where more formality
is required – useful resources can be found in the ‘References and
further reading’ section.

How

1. Ensure that problems are compared, contrasted and prioritised

(see Section 7.2).
216

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 216 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Big picture

2. Engage and inspire those that need to take action (see

Section 7.3).
3. Collect data and measure success (see Section 7.4).
4. Monitor performance data to ensure problems don’t recur (see
Section 7.5).
5. Look for opportunities to tweak things further (see Section 7.6).
6. Empower people to make small incremental changes, whilst
keeping the bigger picture in mind (see Section 7.7).

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

7.2 Compare and prioritise problems

Why
There are often a whole range of problems and opportunities
in an organisation’s ecosystem, each vying for our attention.

217

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 217 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

Organisations are likely to have limited resources, and although

every problem statement will look important when viewed in
isolation, it is important to pick the key initiatives that are most
important or that will be most beneficial to the organisation.

It is also crucial to take a step back and look at our problem-solving

initiatives holistically. It’s crucial that we make sure the solutions
that we are implementing are consistent and compatible with
the organisation’s overall strategy. It’s also useful to consider
the knock-on impacts of any actions that we might take in our
problem-solving initiative.

Source: Nelson Marques/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
Every solution we implement and every change we make will form
part of a bigger business system. When considering which problems
to address and which solutions to implement, it’s important that
we think holistically and consider the bigger picture. The four-view
model discussed in Section 1.2 can be useful, as it encourages us
to think about people, process, organisation and IT.

When problem solving, we should be careful not to transfer

the problem elsewhere (to another unsuspecting team or
department!). Drawing on the mail-order retailer example we have
referred to several times in the book, there would be no point
solving one problem (‘too many out of stock items’) by renting
a bigger warehouse, if that meant causing another problem

218

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 218 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Big picture

(‘unsustainable fixed costs’). It is therefore imperative that we

prioritise our portfolio of problem canvasses, looking for strategic
alignment, costs, benefits and knock-on impacts.

How

1. Create a forum for reviewing/discussing problem canvasses:

Create a space where problem canvasses can be discussed
and reviewed. This could be a regular (but short) meeting, or
an online discussion forum where opinions of the relevant
stakeholders can be sought. Key decision-makers and experts
from different areas of the organisation should be invited –
they will bring useful perspectives to the fore.
2. Decide how to decide: Create a set of decision criteria that will
help the forum decide which problems to address, and which to
defer or park. Criteria may include considering costs, benefits,
risks and other relevant factors.
3. Ensure strategic alignment: Before taking a problem canvas to
the forum, the ‘problem owner’ should ensure that the solution
that is being recommended aligns with the organisation’s
stated strategy. This includes ensuring alignment with broad
market strategies, as well as any internal architectural or
technical strategies. It would be inconsistent, for example,
to suggest launching a ‘low-cost, low-service’ proposition if
an organisation’s strategy specifically targets the prestige
market. Of course, if the solution is really compelling, then this
might be a prompt to revisit the organisation’s strategy – but
this should be considered separately.
4. Prioritise: Problem canvasses should be prioritised, with
the most valuable/urgent being given preference. When
prioritising, it is worth considering what is most important for
your organisation. There are many dimensions that might be
considered including:
• Tangible business benefit: Which option will generate the
greatest (or quickest) return, measured in financial or other
measurable terms. Example: ‘Increase sales by 5 per cent,
leading to additional revenue of £100,000 in year 1’.

219

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 219 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

• Intangible business benefit: What non-quantifiable (or non-

predictable) returns are associated with each option. Example:
‘Better brand awareness amongst our customer base’.
• Risk: How much risk is associated with each option, and how
much risk are we willing to take?
• Customer benefit: Which of the options would be best
perceived by our customers?
• Urgency: Which is most urgent or time critical? Example:
Getting a crucial issue resolved in a retail company before
Christmas.
• Business environment: Which option best fits with the
external business environment, as explored in the STEEPLE
analysis. There may be some changes that are imposed –
e.g. regulatory changes – that have to be adopted.

5. Consistency: Finally, it is worth ensuring that there is

consistency between the canvasses that are selected. It is
important that problem-solving initiatives complement each
other and do not conflict or contradict each other.

Often the prioritisation effort will involve discussion, debate,

further analysis and compromise. Ensuring that the relevant
voices are heard in this process is important, and will ensure that
the organisation pursues the problem-solving options that give
them best bang for their buck.

Reflection

• How did it work?

220

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 220 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Big picture

• What will I do next time?

7.3 Inspire action: keeping up the momentum to

implement a solution
Why
Problem-solving initiatives come in all shapes and sizes. Smaller
problems may be solvable with just a few hours’ effort – but the
larger, more thorny problems that we face in today’s business
may require solutions that take weeks or months to implement. In
some cases we might need to implement experimental solutions,
and see if they work, then adapt them and tweak them based on
our learning.

All of this takes focussed effort over a period of time. In Section 6.4

we talked about gaining commitment for those who need to take
action. An ongoing challenge is to ensure that everyone involved
stays on track, and stays focussed on the end-goal. Particularly
with problem-solving initiatives, this can be problematic. It can be
useful to engage some specialist roles to help us.

Source: volk6/Shutterstock

221

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 221 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

Knowledge briefing
On larger problem-solving initiatives, two roles that you will want
to ensure stay filled are those of the business analyst and project
manager. The tasks, tools and techniques mentioned in this book
largely fall within the wider discipline of business analysis – so
if you have followed the steps suggested in this book, you have
(perhaps unknowingly) carried out elements of a business analysis
role!

The discipline of business analysis is defined by the International

Institute of Business Analysis as:

‘The practice of enabling change in the context of an enterprise

by defining needs and recommending solutions that deliver
value to stakeholders.’
(International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015)

In Business Analysis (3rd edition), Paul et al describe the role as:

‘An advisory role which has the responsibility for investigating and
analysing business situations, identifying and evaluating
options for improving business systems, elaborating
and defining requirements, and ensuring the effective
implementation and use of information systems in line with
the needs of the business.’
(Paul, Cadle and Yeates, 2014)

It is normal practice for large organisations to have specialist

business analysts on-hand to help – and in many organisations
there are people fulfilling similar or identical roles (even though
they may not have the job title). The important thing is to make
sure someone is fulfilling the role, and that this person has the
relevant skills and is given the relevant autonomy and scope.

Another crucial role is that of the project manager. Project

management is defined by the Association for Project
Management as:

222

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 222 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Big picture

‘Project management is the application of processes, methods,

knowledge, skills and experience to achieve the project
objectives.’
(Association for Project Management (APM), n.d.)

Dr Martin Barnes (APM President 2003–2012) observed that:

‘At its most fundamental, project management is about people

getting things done.’
(APM, n.d.)

The project manager and business analyst will work closely

together to ensure success of the initiative, and will provide
regular updates.

How

1. Ensure there continues to be a lead business analyst: Much

of the problem analysis discussed in this book falls within the
wider discipline of business analysis that is described above.
As the problem-solving initiative goes forward, it is crucial to
continue to have somebody on board who can analyse the
detail of the situation and ensure that the solution is shaped
to meet your needs. The role of business analysis starts long
before the problem-solving initiative is formed, and continues
long after the problem is defined. Ensure that consistent and
sufficient analysis support is provided.
2. Assign a project manager: It is useful to have somebody who is
responsible for managing the implementation of the solution.
They will work alongside the business analyst to ensure
successful delivery. The business analyst will ensure that the
right thing is done – and the project manager will ensure that
it’s done in the right way. Two subtly different, but entirely
complementary roles.
3. Build on the plan: A good project manager will work with the
team to put together a project schedule, showing the tasks
required and dependencies. This will build upon and enhance the
Gantt chart and RACI matrix we discussed in Sections 6.4 and 6.5.

223

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 223 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

4. Hold a ‘kick-off’ event: Getting the relevant people together

to critique and agree the updated and more detailed plan
will help build additional commitment. It will also be the
perfect opportunity to revisit and discuss potential risks or
assumptions. Use the kick-off event to showcase the problem
canvas, and ensure people have a laser-like focus on the
goal that is being achieved. The business analyst is a perfect
candidate to facilitate this session.
5. Work the plan: As the implementation effort continues, ensure
that the project manager is keeping a tab on the activities that
have been undertaken, the progress that has been made, and
the deliverables that have been created. However, as Alfred
Korzybski is reported to have commented: ‘The map is not the
territory’.
Much in the same way that we wouldn’t blindly follow a map
if the terrain in front of us had flooded unexpectedly, we
shouldn’t follow a plan if we uncover unexpected problems
or issues. The plan should adapt to the territory, and we
should maintain constant vigilance against any unexpected
surprises.
6. Get regular feedback: Ensure that a regular ‘temperature
check’ is taken from people involved with the change. Do
they feel they are making adequate progress? Are there any
blockages? Are they still ‘on board’ and are they still willing
and able to help? If they are very busy in their ‘day job’ this
may affect their ability to help us with our initiative, and this is
something we should be mindful of throughout.
7. Communicate progress: Ensure that regular communication
takes place, so that people are aware of the challenges and
successes. Ensure this information is shared in an appropriate
way for the audience – in some situations a brief ‘stand-up’
meeting may be appropriate, in others a more formal meeting.
Some stakeholders may simply need a regular e-mail (followed
up by an occasional phone-call to check that everything is
clear). Ensure the communication is tailored to the needs of
the audience.
224

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 224 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Big picture

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
Association for Project Management (APM), n.d. What is Project Man-
agement? Available at: https://www.apm.org.uk/WhatIsPM
International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015. A Guide to
the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide), v3.
Toronto: IIBA.
Paul, D., Cadle, J. and Yeates, D. (eds), 2014. Business Analysis. Third
Edition. Swindon: BCS.

7.4 Get ready to measure success

Why
The whole point of problem solving is to create some sort of
benefit. Therefore, once a solution has been implemented,
assuming we have solved the problem well, benefits should start

225

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 225 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

to accrue. Prior to implementing the solution we will have forecast

the likely benefits in the problem canvas, and for larger scale
initiatives we may have carried out further analysis and created a
formal business case document.

This is a crucial step but it is true to say that it will only be an

approximation of the likely benefits. It is important that we
measure our actual level of success.

Knowledge briefing
Measuring the success of a problem-solving initiative ensures
that:
• The objectives have been met and the desired outcomes were
achieved.
• The anticipated benefits have been realised.

In some cases, we may find that the anticipated benefits have not
been realised, or the desired outcomes haven’t been met. This can
be for a number of reasons – perhaps the business environment
changed around us. A competitor may have launched a new
product or might have shifted strategy and started to target our
customers. Or perhaps there were additional internal complexities
– we ended up opening a ‘can of worms’ and although we were
able to realise some benefit, perhaps the costs were higher than
we expected.

Understanding the benefits that have (or haven’t) been realised,

and the costs that were incurred, helps us to estimate more
accurately next time. It can also help us identify opportunities for
tweaking or pivoting that may help us to realise further benefits.

How
The diagram below indicates an approach for ensuring that we
can measure success.

226

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 226 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Big picture

If not, then. . .

Is rop
ap
KP ria
p

I s te
re

l ?
asu

l
Me
Define Measure Implement
metrics baseline change

d identify
Analyse an
ov em ents
impr

Analyse/Problem
solve

Define metrics (and ensure mechanisms in place to

1. 
measure them)
The key to ensuring that benefits can be accurately measured
is to clearly define how the measurement should be taken. For
example, if a problem-solving initiative is intended to speed up an
order dispatch process, it would be important to ensure there was
a clear view on where the dispatch process starts and ends. Do
we start timing the process from when the customer places their
order to when the customer receives their order? Or from when
the warehouse receive the order to when the item is loaded onto
a van? Either measure will have pros and cons associated with it,
but it is important to settle on one.

2. Measure a baseline
It is also crucial to ensure that there is an accurate baseline of data
before the change is made. Drawing on the example mentioned
above, it will be important to have average measurements of the
time taken to dispatch an item before any solution is implemented.
If this baseline data does not exist, it will be impossible to know
for certain whether an improvement has been attained!

227

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 227 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

3. Implement the change

When crafting and implementing our solution thought should be
put into ensuring that the relevant performance data is regularly
collected. If the dispatch time is automatically collected, it can
be queried and reported on regularly. This makes our benefits
assessment much easier. This may involve adding data collection
steps into processes, or ensuring that automated systems
measure, capture and store the relevant metrics for later
retrieval.

4. Measure and identify opportunities for further

improvement and consider KPIs
Depending on the nature of the expected benefits, we may
set up some type of ‘dashboard’ so that we can track progress
regularly – with the ability to ‘drill into’ the data if we need further
information. An example is shown in the table below.

In this example, any over- or under-performance can be highlighted

for further consideration – the average dispatch time stands
out as not being on track, so may warrant further investigation.
Further changes or tweaks may be necessary to get back on
track. Equally, lessons may be learned where over-performance
has occurred.

Highlighting our progress in this way enables us to search for

areas where further opportunities for improvement may exist.
It is also useful to regularly consider and validate that the KPIs
being gathered and the targets set are still appropriate. If the
organisation’s environment or strategy has changed, then it may
be necessary to revisit the way that things are measured. This
will involve re-baselining, and may involve implementing new data
collection into the existing systems and processes.

228

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 228 20/04/16 4:20 pm

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 229
Prior
baseline January January February February
KPI (average) (forecast) (actual) Variance (forecast) (actual) Variance
Average speed of answer 1.5 mins 1 min 47 sec –13 sec 45 sec 30 sec –15 sec
(phone calls)
Average dispatch time 75 hours 24 hours 25 hours +1 hour 22 hours 22 hours –
Sales volume (revenue)/ £123k £150k £155k + £5k £160k £161k +£1k
month
Big picture

229

20/04/16 4:20 pm
 Making sure problems stay solved

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

7.5 Stay close to ensure problems don’t recur

Why
Having successfully ‘solved’ a problem, it is tempting to walk away
and think that our work is complete. Yet if we let our attention
wane, there is a danger that the problem will start to re-manifest
itself and reoccur. It is crucial that we continue to monitor the
situation and look out for warning signs.

Knowledge briefing
In Leading Change John Kotter describes declaring victory
too soon as one significant reason why changes fail within
organisations. He describes how change takes a time to ‘sink in’
within organisations. He points out that:

230

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 230 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Big picture

Source: Lord and Leverett/Pearson Education Ltd.

‘Until changes sink down deeply into the culture   .  .  .  new

approaches are fragile and subject to regression.’
(Kotter, 1996)

We have probably all seen situations like this occur in our own
organisations. Ideas get raised, solutions get implemented, but
they don’t stick. Over time, people slowly revert to doing things
the ‘old way’ and any potential benefits are lost.

There are a number of reasons why this may happen. Sometimes

it may be that the solution wasn’t well specified or perhaps
the problem wasn’t fully understood. Other times there may
be a passive resistance to the change. Other times it can be
that the change wasn’t reinforced – there was no support after
implementation and so the change fizzled out.

It is therefore crucial that we consider not only how to communicate

the change but how to support and sustain the change.

How

1. Refer to (and action) your communication and engagement

plan: The idea of communication planning was discussed in
Section 6.3. The act of creating a communication plan is useful –
but its utility is seriously diminished if it sits gathering dust
in a drawer somewhere! Ensure that the team are actively
revisiting, updating and actioning the communication plan
throughout the problem-solving initiative. Communication
efforts are likely to become of increased significance as you
get closer to implementing a change.
231

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 231 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

2. Keep communicating after implementation: After a change

has been implemented, it is still crucial to keep the lines of
communication open. It is important to hear the views of
those whose work has changed, and to take into account any
further changes or tweaks that may be necessary. Keeping
the lines of communication open also ensures that we can
reinforce the change. We can remind people of any important
nuances and subtleties.
3. Monitor regularly: As discussed in the previous section
it is crucial to track progress. Regular monitoring and
communication of these metrics will also help determine if the
change has ‘stuck’. If the metrics or KPIs start to ‘wander back’
to the previous benchmark, this could be a sign that people are
reverting to old methods. This is an opportunity to investigate,
discuss and understand why. By spotting this early, we have
the opportunity to bring people on board.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

232

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 232 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Big picture

References
Kotter, J., 1996. Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business Press.

7.6 Seek further opportunities to tweak and pivot

Why
Problem solving isn’t normally a ‘one-off’ activity. When we
implement a solution, we solve the problem that existed at a
particular point in time. However, over time things change –
our business environment changes around us, new technology
becomes available, external regulations change and so on. We
might find that a solution that once worked perfectly now needs
to be tweaked. Or alternatively, during our monitoring activities,
we might spot possibilities to make things work even better
(which will allow us to realise further benefits).

It also has to be said that until a solution is put into service, we

never really know how it will work. We may theorise, for example,
that a brand new website will make the purchase process easier,
and people will purchase more often. We might ‘test’ this idea
before implementing it, and work with customer focus groups to
understand their ideas and needs. Yet until we launch the website
we can’t be certain whether it will really have the desired effect,
nor can we be sure of the volume of additional sales that it will
generate. Therefore, building in the ability for further monitoring,
tweaking and pivoting is crucial.

Knowledge briefing
The idea of ‘pivoting’ was popularised by authors such as Eric Ries.
In The Lean Startup, Ries describes a pivot as:

‘[a] . . . structured course correction designed to test a new

fundamental hypothesis about the product, strategy, and
engine of growth.’
(Ries, 2011)

233

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 233 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

In this context, Ries is referring to higher level strategising,

decision making and problem solving – perhaps whether to launch
a new product in a new market, and if so what that product
should look like. However, the fact remains that even on small
yet important problem-solving initiatives we are hypothesising
that our preferred solution will be effective. We carry out analysis
to validate this in advance, but there will still be an element of
risk – an element of the unknown. We could consider our chosen
solution to be a hypothesis of benefit – we believe that it will be
beneficial, and we have projected the potential figures, but until
it is delivered we are unable to test it for sure.

Pivoting allows us to make large or small corrections, enabling us

to stay on course. It involves focussing on the core benefits that
we want to achieve.

Goal/Destination
(outcome and benefits)

Measure/check

Measure/check
Is rop
ap

Measure/check
KP ri
p

I s ate
til ?
ure

l
s
Mea

Change of course in
response to analysis
(‘pivot’)
Analyse and identify
improvements

Baseline (current state)

234

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 234 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Big picture

How

1. Look at the data: As we have described in Section  7.5, it

is important to regularly monitor the performance of the
chosen solution once it is in place. Make time to look at the
data and spot any anomalies. This involves investigating both
under-performance and over-performance. If performance
increases, even temporarily, it can be useful to know why.
Perhaps there is an opportunity to make this the new
normal! If the performance is consistently better than we
need, perhaps too much resource has been allocated, which
can be better utilised elsewhere. It’s also important to
reflect on whether the KPI and target is still relevant and
appropriate – if not, this may need revisiting too. The three-
stage approach of measuring, identifying improvements and
checking whether the relevant KPIs are still appropriate can
be helpful here.
2. Go and see with your own eyes: Speak to people who
are involved with the solution – what opportunities for
improvement do they see? Work with them, perhaps for a day
or more, to understand the environment and any constraints
that they work under. This is an excellent way of building
rapport, and also understanding whether there might be
other problem areas that haven’t (yet) been mentioned. It is
also a very useful opportunity to see if the solution is actually
working – sometimes we may find that there are ‘exceptions’
and ‘workarounds’ that haven’t been mentioned or considered.
By taking time to consider these we may well increase the
overall efficiency and effectiveness of the solution.
3. Pivot (propose a change): Where there are opportunities for
improvements, put forward the case for change. If the change
is fairly small, this might be a simple quick conversation. If the
change is larger in scale, it may be beneficial to put together an
amended problem canvas. It is useful to set this expectation
that there may be iterative changes/pivot-points early. With
every pivot we get closer to solving the whole problem and
maximising the organisational benefit!

235

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 235 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
Ries, E., 2011. The Lean Startup. London: Portfolio Penguin.

7.7 Embed the practice of continuous improvement

Why
Problem solving is an ongoing activity, and problems exist at
different levels. Some might be extremely large and wide ranging
(‘Our revenue has dropped by 25 per cent overnight – how do we
address this?’), some might be much smaller and more localised
(‘This printer is continually jamming and it’s taking up our time’).

The problem-solving process described in this book can be

adapted to work at just about any level. For large organisational
changes, it can fit into a pre-project problem analysis phase (prior

236

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 236 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Big picture

to a formal business case). For small ‘tweaks’ the template may

provide a useful set of questions to ask – even if the document
itself is kept very, very brief.

However, the intention is not for this to become a barrier to getting

things done. Problem solving shouldn’t be bureaucratic, and the
problem-solving process (and the problem canvas) should enable
high-quality decisions to be made over which solutions to choose.
It should maximise benefits without slowing things down. Indeed,
it may even speed things up – once a firm decision has been made
on a solution, the problem-solving initiative can accelerate.

All of this is predicated on the fact that people are looking for
problems to solve. So often in organisations, people ‘get used
to’ particular ways of working. It is easy to become blind to the
inefficiencies of a system or process if you have been working the
same way for 20 years. Indeed, it can be difficult to imagine any
other way of working.

For problem solving to be of maximum effect, it’s useful to

empower the team and create an ongoing focus on continuous
improvement.

Source: Gines Valera Marin/Shutterstock

Knowledge briefing
Continuous improvement can be defined as:

‘  .  .  .  an ongoing effort to improve products, services

or processes. These efforts can seek “incremental”
237

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 237 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Making sure problems stay solved

improvement over time or “breakthrough” improvement all

at once.’
(American Society for Quality, n.d.)

Many continuous improvement philosophies and methodologies

exist including Lean, Total Quality Management and Six Sigma.
Whilst all of these approaches have their advantages, the most
important factor is to ensure that people are actively monitoring
and measuring effectiveness and efficiency at all levels of the
organisation, and feel empowered to question or suggest changes.

It is also crucial to ensure that any localised changes do not cause

problems for other areas. For example, a sales team might find
recording extensive client information rather laborious when making
a sale – but this information may become crucial for the finance
team when sending an invoice. End-to-end processes should be
considered, and any knock-on impact should be assessed.

How

1. Involve a wide range of stakeholders – at all levels in the

organisation – in problem-solving activity. Ensure their voices
are heard, and ensure that they feel that they can raise issues
and potential improvements too.
2. Implement suggestion schemes and openly welcome
suggestions for potential improvements. Ensure each
suggestion is replied to – even if a suggestion is not practical,
people will appreciate a considered response.
3. Ensure that senior and middle managers are behind the idea
and support continuous improvements. Ensure that everybody
is underlining the importance of this when they speak to teams.
4. When implementing solutions to problems, make it clear that
there is room for pivoting and tweaking, and ensure that the
team feel empowered to make these suggestions.
5. Where appropriate, make the KPIs (success measures) of the
problem-solving initiative public. Show how well the solution is

238

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 238 20/04/16 4:20 pm

 Big picture

working. If there is a gap in performance, solicit suggestions on

how to plug it. This should never be a blame exercise – it should
be about pulling on the collective expertise to iron out any final
creases and get the solution working as near to perfect as
possible.

Reflection

• How did it work?

• What will I do next time?

References
ASQ, n.d. Continuous Improvement. Available at: http://asq.org/
learn-about-quality/continuous-improvement/overview/
overview.html

239

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 239 20/04/16 4:20 pm

M07_REED9625_01_SE_C07.indd 240 20/04/16 4:20 pm
 Conclusions and next
steps

I hope that you have found this book interesting and useful.
As we have discussed throughout this book, for our problem-
solving activities to be successful, it is vital that we avoid falling
into the trap of inadvertently adopting a knee-jerk solution.
Thinking divergently, focussing on outcomes, and consciously
structuring our problem solving will help avoid some of these
traps.

Taking time to define a problem with a problem statement,

define the desired outcomes (with CSFs and KPIs) and create a
problem canvas will ensure that the problem-solving team and
any relevant stakeholders are all on ‘the same page’ with regards
to the problem that is being examined. This will save time in the
long run, as it will enable us to avoid scurrying down dead ends
that do not lead us anywhere useful.

Challenging ourselves – and our stakeholders – to think differently

about problems will help us deliver appropriate solutions, and
achieve the outcomes that our organisations need.

If you found this book useful, I’d encourage you to visit the book’s
companion website at www.problemsolvingbook.co.uk. You can
download a copy of the problem canvas for free, and you can
immediately start using this in your organisation. Other content
will be added over the coming months too, so do take a regular
look.

Z01_REED9625_01_SE_SUM.indd 241 20/04/16 3:35 pm

 Conclusions and next steps

Finally, please do let me know how you get on. I would love to
hear how your problem-solving initiatives are progressing and
how you have used and adapted the techniques mentioned in
this book.

Until next time,

Adrian Reed

Principal Consultant,

Blackmetric Business Solutions

[email protected]

242

Z01_REED9625_01_SE_SUM.indd 242 20/04/16 3:35 pm

 References and
further reading

ASQ, n.d. Continuous Improvement. Available at: http://asq.org/

learn-about-quality/continuous-improvement/overview/­
overview.html [accessed 25 October 2015].
Association for Project Management (APM), n.d. What is Project
Management? Available at: https://www.apm.org.uk/WhatIsPM
[accessed 16 November 2015].
Blackmetric Business Solutions. Further information at www.­
blackmetric.co.uk
Cadle, J., Paul, D. and Turner, P., 2014. Business Analysis Techniques:
99 Essential Tools for Success. Swindon: BCS.
Davis, J.R. and Atkinson, T., 2010. ‘Need speed? Slow down’. Harvard
Business Review, May.
International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2009. A Guide to
the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide), v2.
Toronto: IIBA.
International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), 2015. A Guide to
the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide), v3.
Toronto: IIBA.
Kahneman, D., 2012. Thinking, Fast and Slow. London: Penguin.
Kaplan, R.S. and Norton, D.P., 1996. The Balanced Scorecard:
­Translating Strategy Into Action. Boston, MA: Harvard Business
School Press.
Kotter, J., 1996. Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business Press.
Liker, J.K. and Convis, G.L., 2012. The Toyota Way to Lean L ­ eadership.
US: McGraw-Hill.
National Audit Office, 2011. The Failure of the FiReControl Project.
London: NAO.
Oxford Dictionaries, n.d. Oxford English Dictionary. Available at:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/holistic
[accessed 6 December 2015].
Paul, D., Cadle, J. and Yeates, D. (eds), 2014. Business Analysis. Third
E
­ dition. Swindon: BCS.

Z02_REED9625_01_SE_BIB.indd 243 20/04/16 3:37 pm

 References and further reading

Perspectiv, n.d. Creative Problem Solving – The Swiss Army Knife for
BAs. London: Presented at BA Conference Europe 2011.
Podeswa, H., 2009. The Business Analyst’s Handbook. Boston:
Course Technology PTR, a part of Cengage Learning.
Pullan, P. and. Archer. J., 2013. Business Analysis and Leadership.
London: Kogan Page.
Reed, A., n.d. Adrian Reed’s Blog. Available at: www.adrianreed.co.uk
Ries, E., 2011. The Lean Startup. London: Portfolio Penguin.
Rumelt, R., 2011. Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and
Why it Matters. London: Profile Books.
Sirkin, H.L. and. Stalk, G., 1990. ‘Fix the process, not the problem’,
Harvard Business Review, July–August.

244

Z02_REED9625_01_SE_BIB.indd 244 20/04/16 3:37 pm

 Index

aims and objectives see outcomes, conflicting views see consensus;

defining multiple perspectives
alignment, organisational 77, 96–9, 219 consensus 45–6, 66–8, 170–1, 183–4
analysing the problem 39–46, 119–21 constraints 8–9, 27–30, 61–3, 76,
defining the problem statement 93–6 see also prioritising
40–1, 51–4, 67 continuous improvement,
divergent and convergent thinking encouraging 212–13, 236–9
41–2, 54–6 convergent thinking 41–2, 54–6,
external factors (STEEPLE analysis) 139–41, 150–6
43–4, 60–3 costs and benefits 160–1
fishbone diagrams 42–3, 57–9 CSFs (critical success factors) 72–6,
gaining consensus 45–6, 66–8 84–6, 87–8, 89–92, 115, 131
holistic approach (four-view model) culture of continuous improvement
4–5, 15–16 212–13, 236–9
importance of 11–14, 39–40, current state (‘as is’ situation) 119–21
47–50
multiple perspectives 44–5, 63–5 data collection 228
‘why? what? how?’ approach 5–6, decision-making process 164–5, 219
18–19, 33 defining the problem see analysing
see also problem canvases; scope the problem
of problem disagreements see consensus;
‘as is’ situation 119–21 multiple perspectives
divergent thinking 41–2, 54–6, 137,
balanced business scorecards 75–6, 146–7
89–92 ‘do nothing’ option 141, 157–9
baselines 157, 227
benefits see outcomes, defining economic factors 61–3
benefits map diagram 101 effects versus causes 11, 42–3, 57–9
boundaries 111–12, 132–4 see also environmental factors 61–3
scope of problem ethical factors 61–3
brainstorming 55–6, 73, 92, 120, 148–9 evaluating potential solutions
business analyst role 209, 222, 223 comparing short list options 142,
business environment 43–4, 60–3 160–1
business use case models 109–10, long listing 139–40, 150–3
125–9, 131, 132–4 short listing 140–1, 154–6
external factors 43–4, 60–3
causes versus effects 11, 42–3, 57–9
commitment, gaining 172–3, 189–92 fishbone diagrams 57–9, 66–7
communication plans 187–8, 231–2 ‘five whys’ technique 48–50, 81–2

Z03_REED9625_01_SE_INDX.indd 245 20/04/16 3:38 pm

 Index

four-view model of business 15–16 legal factors 61–3

future states see outcomes, defining long-lasting change 210–11, 230–2
long lists 139–40, 150–3
Gantt charts 194–5
goals maintaining changes 210–11, 230–2
critical success factors (CSFs) measuring success 210, 225–9 see
72–6, 84–6, 87–8, 89–92, 115, also KPIs (key performance
131 indicators)
of stakeholders 108–10, 111, meetings and interviews 120
122–4, 125–9, 131 milestone plans 193–5
see also outcomes, defining mission statements see
organisational alignment
holistic approach 4–5, 15–16, 218–19 monitoring progress 210–11, 225–9,
230–2
ICE (identify, categorise, engage) 6–7, multiple perspectives 44–5,
20–4, 44–5, 63–5, 65, 106–7, 63–5, 78–9, 99–102 see also
116–18, 171–2, 185–8 consensus
impacted stakeholders 106, 108–9,
116–18, 187–8 objectives see organisational
impatience 7–8, 17–18, 24–6, 47 alignment; outcomes, defining
implementation of solutions 173, observation 120, 235
189–92, 207–13 opportunity statements 53
business analyst role 209, 222, 223 organisational alignment 77, 96–9, 219
milestone plans 192–5 outcome-based thinking 71–2, 81–3,
monitoring 210–11, 225–9, 230–2 145–7
prioritising 207–8, 215–20 outcomes, defining 71–9
project manager role 173, 194, 209, balanced business scorecards
222–4 75–6, 89–92
RACI (responsible, accountable, constraints 76, 93–6
consulted, informed) charts costs versus benefits 160–1
191–2 CSFs (critical success factors)
tweaking 211–12, 233–5, 238 72–6, 84–6, 87–8, 89–92, 115,
inner critic 55 131
interested parties see stakeholders importance of 71–2, 81–3
interviews and meetings 120 KPIs (key performance indicators)
Ishikawa diagrams (fishbone 73–4, 87–8, 115, 131, 228–9,
diagrams) 57–9, 66–7 235, 238–9
multiple perspectives 78–9,
Kahneman, Daniel 146 99–102
key performance indicators see KPIs organisational alignment 77, 96–9,
knee-jerk solutions 3–4, 11–14, 47, 219
145–7
Kotter, John 230–1 patience 7–8, 17–18, 24–6, 47
KPIs (key performance indicators) Paul, Debra 15–16
73–4, 87–8, 115, 131, 228–9, performance data collection 228
235, 238–9 pivoting 233–4, 235, 238

246

Z03_REED9625_01_SE_INDX.indd 246 20/04/16 3:38 pm

 Index

political factors 61–3 solutions 137–43

prioritising 110–11, 130–1, 207–8, ‘do nothing’ option 141, 157–9
215–20 knee-jerk 3–4, 11–14, 47, 145–7
problem analysis see analysing the long lists 139–40, 150–3
problem potential (multiple) 138–9, 147–9
problem canvases 9, 31–6, 115, recommending a solution 143,
169–76 162–5
as an internal sales tool 171–2, short lists 140–1, 142, 154–6, 160–1
185–8 see also implementation of
example of 180–1 solutions
gaining commitment 172–3, 189–92 stakeholder matrix 22–3
gaining consensus 170–1, 183–4 stakeholders
role and limitations of 169–70, communication plan 187–8, 224
175–6, 177–82, 192–5, 201–3 defining outcomes 81–3, 85–6, 91,
problem statements 40–1, 51–4, 67, 92, 95–6, 99–102
77, 98–9, 115 defining the problem 40–1, 51–4
project manager role 173, 194, 209, feedback during implementation 224
222–4 gaining commitment 172–3, 189–92
gaining consensus 170–1, 183–4
RACI (responsible, accountable, ICE (identify, categorise, engage)
consulted, informed) charts 6–7, 20–4, 44–5, 63–5, 106–7,
191–2 116–18, 171–2, 185–8
recommending a solution 143, 162–5 resistance to taking time 7–8, 24–6
regression, avoiding 210–11, 230–2 roles and goals 108–10, 111, 122–4,
resistance, handling 7–8, 24–6 125–9, 131
Ries, Eric 233–4 source of potential solutions 148–9
risk management 174, 196–200 STEEPLE analysis 60–3
roles of stakeholders 108–10, 122–4, strategic alignment 77, 96–9, 219
125–9 structured approach to problem-
solving 5–6, 17–19
scope creep 105, 113–15 success see CSFs (critical success
scope of problem 19, 66–8, 105–12 factors); outcomes, defining
boundaries 111–12, 132–4 suggestion schemes 238
business use case models 109–10, sustaining changes 210–11, 230–2
125–9
importance of defining 105–6, technological factors 61–3
113–15 thinking processes
investigative techniques 107–8, convergent thinking 41–2, 54–6,
119–21 139–41, 150–6
prioritising 110–11, 130–1 divergent thinking 41–2, 54–6, 137,
stakeholder impact, interest and 146–7
involvement 106–7, 116–18 fast and slow 146
stakeholder roles and goals 108–10, outcome-based 71–2, 81–3, 137–8,
111, 122–4, 125–9, 131 145–7
short lists 140–1, 142, 154–6, 160–1 time, taking 7–8, 17–18, 24–6, 47
social factors 61–3 tweaking 211–12, 233–5, 238

247

Z03_REED9625_01_SE_INDX.indd 247 20/04/16 3:38 pm

 Index

urgency, illusion of 7–8, 17–18, 24–6, 47 vision statements see organisational

use case models 109–10, 125–9, alignment
131, 132–4
‘why?’, importance of asking 47–50
variety of perspectives 44–5, ‘why? what? how?’ approach 5–6,
63–5, 78–9, 99–102 see also 18–19, 33
consensus workshops 120, 148–9, 183–4

248

Z03_REED9625_01_SE_INDX.indd 248 20/04/16 3:38 pm