In the previous post, I addressed steps 1 and 2, Structure the Issue and Plan an Analysis, for solving a problem. I’ll continue the discussion with steps 3 and 4, Execute the Analysis and Find the Solution.
Step 3: Execute the Analysis. Part of finding evidence is asking test questions. When answered, these questions support or disprove the hypothesis. Continuing with the example I used in the previous post for steps 1 and 2, here are three test questions…
- Is mistrust a widespread sentiment in the organization?
- Are leaders more or less trusted in certain departments or organizational levels?
- How many people have resigned due to trust issues?
It’s simple to ask the questions, now we have to find the answers. And, we really need quantitative, or numerical, answers. Numbers and statistics speak very loudly when used as evidence to support your idea. If you were able to go to the CEO of your company with information that said 82% of his employees have some level of mistrust for their direct supervisor, then that’s a leadership issue that needs to be solved.
When you define the problem and prove the underlying issues, you are the person who has the first opportunity to solve the problem and to make certain your ideas drive action.
Step 4: Find a Solution. So far, we have addressed these areas in defining the problem, using the issue diagram and creating hypotheses and test questions.
To move beyond the test questions, you must begin to think about how to prove the answers. So, how do you get the facts to answer the test questions? Don’t leave any stone unturned and look everywhere possible for answers. Here are some tips…
- Look for historical data to analyze.
- Ask around. It’s amazing how much quantitative information sits in various parts of many organizations.
- Think about how to create the data through interviews and surveys. Look to outside sources that have information about your topic.
- Search the Internet for previously conducted, relevant research.
When you have uncovered all potential data sources, then you can create a Data Matrix. The Data Matrix identifies the data sources required to answer each Test Question. Data sources are limitless, but don’t be overwhelmed. Sometimes, only one simple data source is required to easily answer your test question and prove the hypothesis.
We’ll go back to our sample scenario and explore the four data sources that will answer our test questions from step 3.
On the diagram, take a look at our three test questions (column 2), you can see in the Data Matrix the data sources (columns 3-6) will help answer each individual question.
Here is further information about the data sources shown in columns 3-6…
- Employee Satisfaction Survey: You can create a survey evaluating employee satisfaction components. Some of these components will explore leadership and trust issues.
- Individual Meetings: Senior managers conduct meetings with front-line team members, explore the employee satisfaction and extract viewpoints on the trust level of leadership.
- Exit interviews: Data exist on the past two years of exit interviews. Cull the answers to quantify the findings.
- Research Other Companies: It is good to find information that benchmarks your organization against others. In this digital age, you’ll be able to find a lot of information online to compare.
Though working with the Data Matrix involves a number of steps and tools, once you use these models to explore your problems, the steps should be easy to follow.
This rounds out the four steps to solving problems: Structure the Issues, Plan an Analysis, Execute the Analysis and Find the Solution. It’s true that this process could take a lot of work, especially if you do the research necessary for each step. In Part 11 of the Communicate to Win series, I’ll look at the RACI Matrix, which is a responsibility chart to help you assign some of this work to other people. You can use the RACI Matrix not only as part of this problem solving process, but for assigning responsibilities for any set of tasks within your organization.