Do you know this situation? There are teams sitting together and are looking for solutions. A lot of proposals are coming in and a lot of creativity is in the air. We listen to them, maybe still write them down, but somehow the last or first one or the one given by a specif person is the one that stays in mind – and it is not always the one that may solve the problem.

But what was the problem? I mean “exactly the problem”. The one you can express in one sentence and if you ask the team all can tell you and all are aligned on it?

Have you ever tested if the problem is really clear before collecting all the ideas that might lead to a solution? I mean you would not buy a train ticket before knowing where to go, very exactly, not just somehow to a region, but a clear and precise city, wouldn’t you?

If you never tested if all were aligned on the problem issue you should definitely do. Invest the time to fix it. Because it makes things so much easier. Sometimes we emphasize too much on creativity because this is something most of us like, even more than claryfying the need first. We just trust our own perceptions.

Own perceptions of a need may create a lot of time and money waste

If we create solutions that somehow go in the direction we are looking for it gets complex, often expensive …too much strategy papers and in consequence a low outcome.

Did you have similar experiences?

Well, there is a simple way on how to manage it better: write the need down, align it with the team and make it the focus of your team work. It’s really key.