How do you know if you have a problem?

How do you move from the first hint of an issue to understanding if something is seriously out-of-control and a major liability? Perhaps there is no problem at all? Maybe that snippet of information was a misreport, anyway?

Symptoms do not always signify serious issues; though they are the clues through which we investigate and understand.

Problems can be in many forms: Personnel, Systems, Operations, Technology and so on. Yet a liability is a liability regardless of its form. Potential issues should never be easily dismissed or ignored.

Personally, I find having a system to run things down is the best approach.

Good management practice suggests we keep tabs on issues and research them later, as/if it becomes necessary.

When first you hear of a potential problem begin by recognizing: Is this Serious, Urgent or could it have a major Impact?

If any issue can bite you on any (or all?) of these accounts, you first need to make a mental and then physical, note. Having a Potential Problems list is a smart way to begin, as it avoids the matter being forgotten and leaves it visible for routine review or later assessment. Be sure to record symptoms, suspected potential problems, or both items.

You can check out things on the list later either yourself or by assigning someone to investigate, depending on the Seriousness, Urgency and potential Impact. In either case be sure that whenever possible you choose simple, precise mechanisms and approaches that will quickly and simply expose underlying problems.

Perhaps an item/potential problem doesn’t make the cut as an immediate priority? Fine, let it sit on the list, anyway.

My personal rule-of-thumb has always been:

• You hear of something the first time, it’s a potential liability and likely may need checking into
• A second warning sign and you’ve probably got an issue and need to look more closely
• A third indicator (or more) typically means you have a can-of-worms that needs serious attention!

Problems rear their heads in different forms. Often we need to be creative to see the potential connections that imply a deep-rooted issue.

Also, types of issues can be diverse:

• Consider Madeleine; someone absentmindedly mentioned about her leaving work suddenly, without comment, recently. Next, she was publically overheard on an obviously distressing phone call. There was probably an issue. It turned out this key R&D contributor was heading into a separation and divorce.

Proactively approaching the problem and offering some understanding on work-time flexibility really helped her managing two school-aged children during a difficult time.

• Consider some data gathered on a manufacturing process. The particular parameter very uncharacteristically drifted and ran high for many batches; yet, it was still within specification. Then suddenly, a couple of normally stable products on the same process began having yield issues.

It turned out both products were too design-sensitive to this one parameter. Fortunately, the manufacturing parameter could be kept targeted to avoid the issue without compromising process integrity.

Clearly problems can be very diverse. Their Symptoms are equally varied and sometimes not obviously connected. So, it’s essential to think very carefully about the consequences and relationships of suspicious symptoms and to what underlying, root problem they might relate.

Solving problems is a codified skill in its own right. There are complete and comprehensive tools and training you can experience to become a more expert practitioner. If you need to enhance your skill, check this  out, or read more here.

In lieu of detailed study, apply the useful method described above, which can be applied to even the most diverse sets of problems and circumstances. Just begin with a simple list of Potential Problems that helps keep tabs on liabilities until they become better understood or warrant closer attention because of their Seriousness, Urgency or potential Impact.

Do you already keep tabs on potential problems? Are you good at recognizing warning signs and connecting the dots between those symptoms?

Even if you’re the best problem solver in your company (department, division, or even industry) it still behooves you to be systematic in your approach.

So, keep an eye on those Symptoms. Don’t ignore them in the heat of the moment or by thoughtless dismissal.

After all, every major problem you head off with early detection is a crisis you’ve avoided downstream!

Ian R. Mackintosh is the author of Empower Your Inner Manager Twitter @ianrmackintosh