What are the main ways of understanding why a problem happened or reoccurs, how can one investigate it and reveal a series of steps to solving it? Knowing the root cause of something can give ideas of immediate small steps to build habits or patterns which will lead to lasting change.

Motivation is something that is fleeting and constantly questioned. There are so many wonderful and exciting opportunities and paths to choose that it is hard to decide which ones are going to be the best choice, and this can lead to self-paralyzing behaviour. Through research and practice, I’ve determined that two big ways to approach this are through prioritization and understanding why you want to do something. Prioritization methods will come in a later post.

If like me, you’re at a point where you’re poised to tackle many projects and all are wanting your attention, or you’re flitting from one idea to another without committing: take some time to read the list and choose one of the main branches to address with some quick writing, or just get back to being awesome!

• Values are the origins of behaviour
  • Personal actions are guided by the underlying values we believe in
  • Understanding values clearly resolves ambiguity and provides a compass
• 5 Whys – fast, can be done by an individual & suitable for linear causation
  

  Asking Why repeatedly will reveal the underlying Value driving the behaviour.

  • Ask Why 5 times recursively.
    • Why? Ok, but why that? Yes, and why that? etc
  • People are not failures, processes are. Habits and structures are responsible not individuals.
    • Mistakes happen, failures exist when we didn’t implement an adequate safety net
  • Requirements – look for these
    • Clear understanding of the issue
    • Distinguish causes from symptoms
    • Take care of the logic of cause & effect system
    • Reversing the flow from the root does indeed lead to the issue
    • Extra precision is helpful
    • Step by step is much greater than going on assumptions
    • Facts & knowledge essential to include
    • Root cause is never: human error, or worker inattention. There’s a process behind that
    • Trust & sincerity are integral
    • Final why when solved must necessitate a waterfall to a resolved issue
• Cause & Effect (fishbone diagrams of factors) – good for exploring issues with many contributing factors
  • 1. Identify problem
    • Reveal the originating cause
      • What is the most proximal step causing the unwanted result
    • Start with symptoms rather than assumptions
      • e.g. “I’m just lazy” is unsuitable for a host of reasons
        • self-denigration is counter productive. Your belief is part of what’s holding you back
        • the actual problem is that things aren’t getting done
        • there is a cause underlying the symptom of this action
  • 2. Identify factors as contributing domains
    • Brainstorm all possibile contributing factors
    • Reduce into a few major branches (6 or less) by grouping similar under a header topic or nickname
    • Concept maps are of use here
  • 3. From each factor branch, create sub-branches of potential issues
    • So, if beliefs, network and resources are major branches, list the rest of your brainstorms underneath
    • For each sub-branch start connecting the causes you see
  • 4. Go & investigate the sub issues to see if relevant, realistic, or need revision
    • Make sure they are real, well-described and addressable.
• Root Cause Analysis – a general problem-solving method for organizations
  • What happened
    • 1. Define the problem
      • What is happening?
      • Symptoms you observe
    • 2. Collect Data
      • How do we know it is happening?
      • Is it really happening or hiding something else
      • Scope, time, extent, scale; bound the problem
  • Why it happened
    • 3. Identify possible causal factors
      • What sequence lead to it?
      • What conditions allowed it?
      • What other problems surround the central issue?
    • 4. Identify the root causes
      • Why does the causal factor exist?
      • What is the real reason the problem occurred?
  • What can be done to improve
    • 5. Recommend and Implement solutions
      • What can prevent it
      • How to implement solutions
      • Who will be responsible
      • What are the risks of implementing actions

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