Abstract
Teams often go from noticing a problem straight to the first fix someone suggests. Tim Hurson's model puts six steps in between, starting with working out what's going on and ending with who does what.
The steps alternate between collecting widely and choosing carefully. You gather plenty of information and ideas, then narrow them down using the success criteria you wrote earlier.
Method
- 01
Ask what's going on
Describe the itch, what it's costing you, what you know and who's involved. Then describe the target future where it's gone.
- 02
Define success
Use DRIVE to write the criteria: what the solution must do, what it must avoid, what you can invest, the values to respect and the outcomes you can't do without.
- 03
Find the question
Write lots of questions starting "How might we". Pick the one that would help most if you answered it. Hurson calls it the catalytic question.
- 04
Generate answers
List as many answers to that question as you can without judging them. Star the ones worth a second look.
- 05
Forge the solution
Score the starred ideas against your criteria. Take the best one and fix its weak spots.
- 06
Align resources
Turn the solution into actions, each with an owner, a date and whatever it needs.
When to use it
- The problem is real but fuzzy, and everyone describes it differently.
- The team keeps arguing about solutions before agreeing on what success looks like.
- You need a plan someone can start on Monday.
Common pitfalls
- Rushing the first step. With a thin picture of the situation you end up answering the wrong question well.
- Success criteria that every idea passes. Good criteria rule some options out.
- Judging ideas while you're still coming up with them.
- Finishing without owners and dates. Plans with no names on them tend to sit there.
Origin and references
Attributed to Tim Hurson (2008).
- Hurson, T. (2008). Think Better: An Innovator's Guide to Productive Thinking. McGraw-Hill.