Problem-Solving · 6 min read
Solve the Root, Not the Symptom: The Consultant's Problem-Solving Craft
The difference between a top-tier strategist and a busy one is structure. Frame the problem right and the answer gets obvious.
Frame before you solve
Most stuck decisions are stuck because the wrong question is being asked. Start every hard problem by writing the single key question sharply — the decision to be made, the constraints that truly bind, the outcome that counts as success.
Structure it MECE
Break the question into branches that are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive. A clean issue tree turns an overwhelming problem into a set of solvable pieces and prevents both double-counting and blind spots.
Go to the root
Symptoms are seductive because they're visible. Use 5 Whys and Fishbone to push past them to the system cause you can actually fix. A fix aimed at a symptom always comes back.
Hypothesis-led, 80/20 always
Lead with a hypothesis and test the few branches that drive most of the answer. Rigor is not analysing everything; it is knowing what not to analyse.
Work through this with Sudarshan.
Turn the thinking into a plan in a focused 1:1 strategy session.