Problem solving with this simple framework

All life problems can be solved by asking 3 root questions about the problem at hand. Why? What? and How? In that order.

It’s a simple framework for problem solving. It does not promise that the answers will come easily but it gives a structure to getting the right answers to the problem.

Why?

This is the most important question that we most often overlook. This is the question to identify the purpose. Ask, why do you need to solve this problem? It makes you think deeply about something you are about to do. Ask, why does it matter? It forces to evaluate if this is even worth doing? Ask, why should ‘I’ be the one doing this? You may realize it should be done by someone else.

You may need to ask multiple ‘Why’ questions to get the right answer. But how do you know when you have asked yourself the right ‘why’? When the why results in an answer that’s motivational, inspirational and full of purpose you know that you have asked the right why. That is the reason the why is most important. You want it to be motivational so that it gives you reason to persevere for the What and the How later. There will be setbacks and roadblocks but if your why is strong enough it will give you the energy to overcome them.

Great leaders, teams and organizations know their “Why” clearly. When I joined Amazon more than 10 years ago and listened to Jeff Bezos talking about the company’s mission to be the World’s most customer-centric company it energized me and other new joiners in the room. Amazon followed through on the mission and it has been consistently ranked as the leader in customer satisfaction in multiple surveys year after year. I no longer work for Amazon but I still admire how obsessed the company is to serve it’s customers.

The “Why” motivated me to join Lyft. It didn’t want to just be a ride-share company. Lyft wants to change the face of transportation but building cities around people instead of cars. That’s a powerful mission which makes empowers a beautiful world, clean air while employing millions of people.

So, the existential question “Why” is the first step and critical to solving life problems. Once you have the answer for this one, it makes answering the next one a little easy.

What?

Ok. Now we know Why we need to solve a problem. So, we know the purpose of our solution. Next we need to ask what could be the solutions to the problem? Think of the What question as a plan or a design for the solution. What possible options can you consider to approach the problem?

The important thing to keep in mind while thinking about What questions is to not be limiting. Thinking big and thinking freely is crucial. Be fearless and don’t try thinking whether the solution is possible at this stage. The moment you start contemplating about the feasibility of the what, it will limit the possibilities of the solution.

The best example of a great “What” thinker is Leonardo Da Vinci. In the 1500s Da Vinci designed numerous inventions on paper such as the flying machine, helicopter and tanks. The technology at that time wasn’t advanced to achieve these but that didn’t stop him for envisioning all this. They all became a reality more than 400 years later.

So, dreaming big and bold is a pre-cursor to achieving big and bold. Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. And thinking big can be taught. We need to train our brains into not being content with small wins. We need to tell ourselves big things are possible and do it in a pragmatic way. As a graduate fresh out of college, it’s one thing to say that you will get a $100k job in a year. It’s another thing to say that you will be worth $1 Million in 5 years. Or $10 Million. The limit is what you want to set for yourself. The important thing is you need to think long term so that your goals look pragmatic and not foolish.

How?

You have the purpose, you have the plan. Now you will define how you will achieve it. This is the question to find out the implementation details of the solution. Lot of times the “how” of a solution will be straight forward. But at times the how will be elusive. You may need to dig deep to find it out or seek help from others. And there will be times when you will realize there is no how right now and it’s not possible. But it may be invented in the future.

James Cameroon, the director of blockbuster movies such as Titanic and Terminator-II conceptualized a sci-fi movie that he wanted to create and release in 1999. When he began working on it he realized that the technology wasn’t advanced enough to bring his vision into life yet. He waited and after the tech caught up, he created and released the movie in 2009, after 10 years of the original planned release. The movie was Avatar. It was made on a budget of $237 million and grossed $2.7 billions in the box office winning 3 academy awards. One of biggest blockbusters of our lifetime.

The implementation can be the toughest part of the problem solving. It’s the part that requires the hard-work, grit and determination. You will want to quit and give up. But you will need to push through this part. Some things that help to deal with How are -

1) Breaking down the work into achievable chunks. Accomplishing each chunk will keep you motivated. Think in terms of milestones.

2) Reviewing and evaluating progress regularly. You can feel good when something worked and learn when something failed.

3) Be open to seeking help from others who solved something similar.

4) Be stubborn on the vision (Why) but flexible on the details (How). Learn to take “Ls” when you know you will get the bigger “W” later.

5) Share your own progress with others. They might give you ideas that helps you solve the next milestones.

6) When you feel really down and out, revisit the “Why” to feel inspired. If you wrote the Why well it should make you get through the down times.

Conclusion

Like most human beings on the planet, I feel lost or stuck as well when life throws a curveball at you. Most of us don’t have a framework to deal with them and we falter. This simple framework of Why, What and How has helped me approach life’s problems. It’s not perfect but it can help you get some structure to your solutions. I hope this can help someone.