Category: Problem examples

Worked problem examples detailing how to deconstruct a problem into the component parts and how they were resolved.

The Case of the Declining Newsletter Engagement

Background: A B2B SaaS provider relied heavily on email marketing to nurture leads and retain customers. Their weekly newsletter shared case studies, feature updates, and opinion pieces. Over a six-month period, email open rates dropped by half and click-throughs declined even more. Feedback was minimal, and marketing ROI fell off a cliff.

Workaround

The marketing team tried increasing frequency—sending multiple campaigns per week, experimenting with send times, and tweaking subject lines. They also ran one-off promotions to re-engage users. However, these efforts only resulted in increased unsubscribe rates and flagged emails.

Symptom: Open and click-through rates were steadily declining. Engagement was down and complaints were up.
Workaround applied: More frequent, more aggressive emailing.

Deeper Analysis

A review of email data showed no segmentation in the audience list. Long-time customers, new sign-ups, and trial users all received the same generic newsletter. Many emails were flagged by spam filters due to lack of authentication protocols and poor domain reputation. Feedback surveys revealed the content wasn’t relevant or timely.

Cause: Poor audience segmentation and deliverability issues.

Root Cause

An outdated CRM with basic mailing list functionality and no clear owner of email performance KPIs. Content planning was done reactively, based on internal priorities, not audience needs.

Root Cause: No clear owner of KPI measures, no audience need research t drive content planning and an out of date CRM with poor functionality – a perfect storm!

Solution

They moved to a modern marketing automation platform with smart segmentation and behavioural triggers. The team reworked their content calendar around user journeys and implemented proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).

Solution: New content calendar based on user journeys and a new modern marketing automation platform with segmentation.

Outcome

Within two months, open rates rose 45%, and user feedback became positive. New leads received tailored onboarding content, while long-term customers were offered relevant product tips and advanced usage guides. Engagement and pipeline value rebounded.

Feature Problem examples

The Case of the Inaccurate Inventory

Background: A regional online retailer experienced frequent disruptions due to incorrect stock records. Products listed as available would turn out to be out of stock when pickers arrived at the shelves, leading to delayed shipments, cancelled orders, and dissatisfied customers. The issue worsened during promotional periods and seasonal peaks.

Workaround

To prevent order errors, warehouse supervisors instituted daily manual counts for top-selling items. Staff used spreadsheets to log counts and reconcile discrepancies each morning before operations began. This temporary fix created new problems: increased workload, delays in order processing, and stress among floor staff.

Symptom: Frequent fulfilment errors and a spike in customer service complaints.
Workaround applied: Manual daily recounting of popular SKUs.

Deeper Analysis

The root of the issue wasn’t human error, but system design. The inventory management software updated stock levels in batches overnight, and it wasn’t connected to the ecommerce platform in real time. As a result, stock shown online didn’t match physical inventory. Discrepancies compounded daily.

Cause: A disconnect between sales and inventory systems, with no live syncing.

Root Cause

Technology and process had not kept pace with changing workplace behaviours. The company had no visibility over how spaces were actually used, nor any consequences for hoarding or misusing shared resources.

Root Cause: The company had grown quickly and patched its operations with separate tools. Integration and automation were sacrificed for speed. Inventory logic had not been reviewed since the company was much smaller.

Solution

They adopted a cloud-based ERP solution that integrated sales, inventory, and warehouse management. The system updated stock levels in real time and included handheld scanner integration for immediate adjustments during picking. Inventory accuracy was audited weekly to improve discipline.

Solution: the organisation adopted a cloud-based ERP solution that updated stock levels in real-time.

Outcome

Order accuracy improved dramatically. Customer complaints reduced by over 60%, and warehouse efficiency improved as manual tasks were phased out. Seasonal peaks were handled without overtime or errors.

Feature Problem examples

The Case of the Overbooked Meeting Rooms

Background: In a fast-growing professional services firm, meeting rooms had become a precious commodity. With hybrid working patterns, need for video-calls, desk-sharing, and an increase in collaborative project work, the demand for quiet, private meeting spaces surged. However, despite having enough rooms on paper, teams constantly found themselves wandering the building looking for an available space. Double-bookings and phantom reservations (where a room appeared booked but was unused) became a daily nuisance.

Workaround

To combat this, staff began reserving rooms informally. Some left their personal belongings and laptops to stake a claim; others created back-to-back recurring bookings “just in case.” A few teams even adopted unofficial room ownership, treating certain spaces as their default.

Symptom: constant scheduling clashes, missed meetings, and frustration about the lack of transparency.
Workaround applied: Employees relied on physical indicators (laptops, jackets) and informal norms to book and hold rooms.

Deeper Analysis

The company’s room booking software was outdated. It allowed for bookings without check-ins, didn’t automatically cancel no-shows, and wasn’t integrated with employees’ calendars. As a result, the system showed rooms as occupied when they weren’t and couldn’t identify patterns of misuse. Additionally, no policies were in place to guide booking etiquette.

Cause: An ineffective booking system and lack of governance around shared space usage.

Root Cause

Root Cause: Booking technology and policies not moving more quickly than workplace behaviours.

Solution

The organisation deployed a smart meeting room system with real-time availability, automatic check-ins using occupancy sensors, and integration with MS Teams and Google Calendar. They also introduced booking guidelines and monthly reports highlighting no-show rates and underutilised bookings. Training helped embed the new approach.

Solution: the organisation introduced a smart meeting room system with automation, reporting, and training to improve usage.

Outcome

Meeting availability increased by 40%. Teams reported higher satisfaction with the booking system. Rooms were no longer claimed with jackets but scheduled fairly and visibly, and missed meetings due to room confusion dropped significantly.

Feature Problem examples

Slow Software Deployment

Background: A tech company experiences slow software deployment, causing frequent delays in launching updates. This has led to customer dissatisfaction and a decline in product reliability perception.

Workaround:

The development team decides to increase manual testing and patching before each release to catch and fix issues quickly. This helps minimise the delays and ensures the software works as expected, but it’s not a perfect solution. It still consumes a lot of time and resources, adding to costs.

Symptom: Slow software deployment and frequent delays.
Workaround Applied: Manually patching and increasing testing time to catch last-minute issues.

Deeper Analysis:

Upon investigation, it is found that the cause of frequent delays is frequent bugs and integration issues appearing late in the development cycle. The manual patching helps to catch some of these issues, but it doesn’t address why they happen in the first place.

Cause: Frequent bugs and integration issues late in the development process.

Root Cause:

Looking further, the root cause was discovered to be a lack of proper code review and integration testing throughout the development process. Developers worked in silos, leading to a buildup of conflicts that were only noticed during final integration.

Root Cause: Lack of continuous integration and code reviews during development.

Solution:

The company decides to implement a Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipeline with automated testing and regular code reviews. This allows bugs to be detected earlier and fixed immediately, avoiding the last-minute rush to patch things up. Additionally, it encourages collaboration among developers, ensuring that code conflicts are resolved quickly and cleanly.

Solution: Implementing a CI/CD pipeline with automated testing and regular code reviews.

Outcome: With the new solution in place, the team can deploy software more reliably and quickly. The need for manual patches is reduced, and customers are happier with the timely, high-quality updates.

Summary:

Workaround: Manual patching and extended testing time.
Symptom Addressed: Slow software deployment.
Cause: Bugs and integration issues detected late.
Root Cause: Lack of continuous integration and code reviews.
Solution: Implementing a CI/CD pipeline with automated testing.

This scenario illustrates how a workaround can temporarily relieve symptoms but doesn’t solve the underlying issue. Giving developers greater access to testing tools and avoiding manual steps is a winner.

Problem examples

The case of the Late Homework

Background:
A school teacher notices that many students consistently turn in their work late, the late homework disrupts the class schedule and affects the students’ marks.

Workaround:

To address this, the teacher starts offering extra marks to students who turn in their homework on time. This motivates some students to be more punctual, but it doesn’t solve the underlying problem, and many students still struggle to meet the deadlines.

Symptom: Students turning in homework late.
Workaround Applied: Offering extra marks for on-time submissions.

Deeper Analysis:

After talking to students, the teacher discovers that the cause is that students often forget about the homework or feel overwhelmed by the amount of work they have. Many students do their homework at the last minute or not at all because they can’t organise their time effectively.

Cause: Students forget about homework or feel overwhelmed, leading to procrastination.

Root Cause:

Going deeper, the root cause is found to be that students lack time management skills and do not use planners effectively. They aren’t taught how to break down assignments into smaller, manageable tasks, and as a result, they get overwhelmed and miss deadlines.

Root Cause: Poor time management skills and lack of guidance on using planners to organise assignments.

Solution:

The teacher implements a two-part solution. First, they teach a mini-lesson on time management skills, showing students how to use a planner and break down big assignments into smaller steps. Second, they introduce a classroom routine where students spend the last few minutes of each class updating their planners and setting goals for when they will complete their homework.

Solution: Teaching time management skills and incorporating planner use into the daily routine.

Outcome: With these changes, students learn to organise their time better and keep track of their assignments, leading to a significant improvement in on-time homework submissions. The extra marks incentive becomes less necessary, as students have developed the skills to manage their workload more effectively.

Summary:

Workaround: Offering extra marks for on-time homework submissions.
Symptom Addressed: Students consistently turning in homework late.
Cause: Students forget about homework or feel overwhelmed by their workload.
Root Cause: Poor time management skills and lack of guidance on using planners.
Solution: Teaching time management skills and incorporating planner use into the daily routine.

This example shows how applying a workaround can temporarily address a problem, but teaching students better habits and skills (the root cause) leads to a long-term solution.