AgileCamp Silicon Valley 2016

We live in a world that craves innovation and solutions. Thankfully, we are surrounded by very talented problem solvers. Yet few solutions hit the mark. The challenge is two-fold. First, we prefer the comfort of the solution space, wanting to spend as little time in the problem space as possible. Second, most of us are filled with a desire to make our solution right, even if it may not be the right solution.

This session will provide a framework and tools to decouple the problem from the solution, and show how to bridge them together to avoid many common pitfalls of solution-jumping (from solving the wrong problem to falling in love with your solution and gold-plating). We will take an Integral view to understand the holistic impact of the problem, then leverage the ladder of inference and 5 whys to identify the real problem, giving us the insight to make a conscious decision about the right altitude of problem to solve. Finally, we'll discuss how to establish the qualities of the solution and what success looks like, to keep us on track when we start working on solutions.