Make Problems Visible

Gather and analyze metrics to make problems visible, and to identify and develop opportunities to create capacity for growth.

Practitioners: tactical, integrative, and strategic

I once asked a CEO this question, “If you discover a problem in February, would you wait until November to address it?” You can imagine his response. Obviously, he said no. My point in asking the question was to challenge him to begin searching for the problems as early as possible. OpEx TopEx number 178 holds the key to success in this pursuit. To make problems visible we must analyze performance for success. This process offers the greatest impact when the Chicago voting strategy is applied – early and often. It looks like we are back in Strategy Deployment land.

Richard P Rumelt gives us a glimpse into the keys of strategy with his kernel concept from Good Strategy Bad Strategy. Moving from diagnosis to a guiding policy into coherent actions will take your strategy from meaningless fluff to impactful guidance. This is very much connected to the idea of making problems visible. Many problems go unnoticed because we have no strategy with any meaning. Diagnosis is all about problems. What is keeping us from achieving our chosen future. Can we identify the presence of the problem? Can we measure the difference between what we have and what we want? Can we make problems visible?

Make Problems Visible

Growth is a natural outcome of good strategy. When we clear the way to successfully achieving our goals, there is naturally more opportunity, unless we have chosen the wrong outcomes, which then suggests we are back to bad strategy. It is not easy. Much of what Rumelt points to is our reluctance to take on the hard work required to understand the opportunities in the market and find ways to satisfy them. Let the diagnosis ensue.

From my own experience, paying attention to the details of performance outcomes and drivers allowed me to participate in the diagnosis process, identify the most powerful guiding policies, and define the critical actions to move forward. To make problems visible is the beginning of the diagnosis process and according the Rumelt the beginning of creating good strategy. Good luck to you in your search for Good Strategy.