The way in which problems are defined is critical to producing a good enough solution. Most people don’t stop to think about the constraints they introduce to problem-solving by defining problems in a certain way.

In the examples that follow, I use an IT system solution, as this illustrates how solution requirements are missed or constrained by ways of defining the problem.

Example 1 – Focusing On How (A Typical Mistake)

Element Description
The problem of … Order processing is too slow and prone to human error because this is done manually.
Affects … Customers, order processing staff, order fulfillment staff, complaints staff and managers.
And results in … Orders are not processed in a timely manner, some orders are never dispatched, and some customers receive the wrong items.
Benefits of a solution … A system to automate order-processing would eliminate errors, provide more time for order processing staff and order fulfillment staff to get on with their work, and increase customer satisfaction, resulting in more business.

What the system will actually do (its functional purpose) is not defined here – you now need a lot of investigation (and negotiation) to agree what should be involved in automating order processing.

Example 2 – Focusing On What (Better)

Element Description
The problem of … Order processing is too slow and prone to human error because there is no way of recording what has been done, to process an order, and no way of tracking the status of an order.
Affects … Customers, order processing staff, order fulfillment staff, complaints staff and managers.
And results in … Orders are not processed in a timely manner, some orders are never dispatched, and some customers receive the wrong items.
Benefits of a solution … A system to record and track order-processing activities would eliminate errors, provide more time for order processing staff and order fulfillment staff to get on with their work, and increase customer satisfaction, resulting in more business.

This problem definition hinges on what is not being done properly. The functional purpose of the system is defined by the problem definition – all that remains is to determine how this should be performed by people using an information system.

Example 3a – Focusing On Parts of “What” (Best) – Part 1

The best way is to define problems around what people need to do, rather than what the IT system does not do, in supporting them. Then you can think really laterally about whether solving this problem requires work-process changes, IT system changes, or both.

Element Description
The problem of … Order processing is too slow and prone to human error because staff are not trained in effective work procedures and lack any formal coordination mechanisms to ensure that they understand and follow best practice.
Affects … Customers, order processing staff, order fulfillment staff, complaints staff and managers.
And results in … Customer dissatisfaction – orders are not processed in a timely manner, rush orders are not prioritized, some orders are never dispatched, and some customers receive the wrong items.
Benefits of a solution … A system to manage and track order-processing activities would ensure that staff process orders effectively, increasing customer satisfaction and resulting in more repeat business.

Example 3b – Focusing On Parts of “What” (Best) – Part 2

Element Description
The problem of … Order processing is too slow and prone to human error because there is no way of recording what has been done, to process an order, and no way of tracking the status of an order.
Affects … Customers, order processing staff, order fulfillment staff, complaints staff and managers.
And results in … Customer dissatisfaction – orders are not processed in a timely manner, rush orders are not prioritized, some orders are never dispatched, and some customers receive the wrong items.
Benefits of a solution … A system to record and track customer orders would flag errors and communicate order priority and progress, allowing problems to be detected before they affect customers.

Example 3c – Focusing On Parts of “What” (Best) – Part 3

Element Description
The problem of … Order processing is too slow and prone to human error because work is poorly coordinated, between departments, and between individual staff.
Affects … Customers, order processing staff, order fulfillment staff, complaints staff and managers.
And results in … Customer dissatisfaction – orders are not processed in a timely manner, rush orders are not prioritized, some orders are never dispatched, and some customers receive the wrong items.
Benefits of a solution … A system to record and target delivery of the information required to process each step of order processing would eliminate errors and communicate work priorities.

These three problem definitions allow us to specify the (IT system) solution purpose:

The new system will support order processing and fulfillment activities. Specifically, it will fulfill the following high-level purposes (functions):

1.The system will coordinate order information between the order processing system and the order fulfillment system, so that orders are scheduled for fulfillment by the expected date of delivery. This is determined by the combination of (i) date of placing order, and (ii) order priority (1-day, 3-day or 4-5 days). Order processing staff will be able to determine and to change the status of an order in case of customer queries.

2.The system will manage and track order fulfillment processing. The system will signal, through a daily management report and on-screen tracking reports, how many and which orders have not been processed to meet their scheduled delivery date. The main stages of order processing tracked will be: (i) order placement, (ii) order verification against inventory, (iii) customer confirmation of order, (iv) inventory delivery to packing station, (v) order packed, (vi) order delivery to shipping station, (vii) order shipped, (viii) delivery confirmation received.

3.The system will communicate the information required to process orders effectively. It will provide daily management reports, that summarize the percentage of orders processed on time for expected delivery and that list outstanding orders for immediate action. This report will also be available on request, reflecting real-time order processing and fulfillment status. The system will communicate order processing information to each work-station, on the basis of priority and staff availability.

Because of their depth, they also allow us to specify the (IT system) solution features:

The new system will support order processing and fulfillment activities. Specifically, it will provide the following user features:

1.An order processing staff member can determine the status of an order from customer or order identifying information. A list of recent orders will be presented for selection, if order ID code is not available.

2.An order processing staff member can change the status of an order (cancel or change priority) in case of customer queries.

3.A manager can print or view a dynamic order-tracking report. A daily management report will summarize the percentage of orders processed on time for expected delivery and list outstanding orders for immediate action. On-demand reports will summarize real-time order processing and fulfillment status. The user can drill down to locate and see the progress of an individual order.

4.A manager can view or print the status of work at each stage of order-processing, for each employee work-station. The main stages tracked will be: (i) order placement, (ii) order verification against inventory, (iii) customer confirmation of order, (iv) inventory delivery to packing station, (v) order packed, (vi) order delivery to shipping station, (vii) order shipped, (viii) delivery confirmation received.

5.Order processing and order-fulfillment staff will receive work-scheduling information at their work-station, that provides them with the information that they need to process the next order, on the basis of priority and staff availability. The information provided will depend on the stage of order processing (see feature 4).

Validating The System Purpose and Features

The system purposes can be validated fairly easily – ask people if this is what they need a new system to do!

System features are more difficult — how do you know if you’ve missed anything?

Any of these methods is useless unless validated by people who will work with the system (and their managers).

© Copyright Susan Gasson, 2014-17. Created 12 December 2014.