Assign people the job of perceiving problems, give them time to investigate, and make sure they have independent reporting lines so that they can convey problems without any fear of recrimination.

Watch out for the “Frog in the Boiling Water Syndrome.”

Beware of group-think: The fact that no one seems concerned doesn’t mean nothing is wrong.

To perceive problems, compare how the outcomes are lining up with your goals.

“Taste the soup.”

Have as many eyes looking for problems as possible.

“Pop the cork.”

Realize that the people closest to certain jobs probably know them best.

Be very specific about problems; don’t start with generalizations.

Avoid the anonymous “we” and “they,” because they mask personal responsibility.

Don’t be afraid to fix the difficult things.

Understand that problems with good, planned solutions in place are completely different from those without such solutions.

Think of the problems you perceive in a machinelike way.

Diagnose Problems to Get at Their Root Causes

To diagnose well, ask the following questions: 1. Is the outcome good or bad? 2. Who is responsible for the outcome? 3. If the outcome is bad, is the Responsible Party incapable and/or is the design bad?

Ask yourself: “Who should do what differently?”

Identify at which step in the 5-Step Process the failure occurred.

Identify the principles that were violated.

Avoid Monday morning quarterbacking.

Don’t confuse the quality of someone’s circumstances with the quality of their approach to dealing with the circumstances.

Identifying the fact that someone else doesn’t know what to do doesn’t mean that you know what to do.

Remember that a root cause is not an action but a reason.

To distinguish between a capacity issue and a capability issue, imagine how the person would perform at that particular function if they had ample capacity.

Keep in mind that managers usually fail or fall short of their goals for one (or more) of five reasons.
