Problem First Protocol (6-6)

6-06 Problem First Protocol

This 15-minute structured exercise is designed to help individuals or teams shift their focus from interpersonal conflict (blaming people) to functional problem-solving (fixing the issue). It is based on the principle of “attacking the problem, not the person”. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Exercise: The Problem-First Protocol (15 Minutes) [5]

Objective: To externalize a conflict, define the technical issue, and move toward solutions without involving personalities.

Materials Needed: Paper/sticky notes and pens. [6, 7]

Phase 1: Silent Brain Dump (4 Minutes)

Step 1 (2 min): Write down the current conflict in as much detail as possible. Focus on what is bothering you.
Step 2 (2 min): Go back through what you wrote and circle every time you used a person’s name, “you,” or “they.”
Purpose: To realize how much of the narrative is focused on people rather than facts. [8, 9]

Phase 2: “De-Personing” the Problem (4 Minutes)

Step 3 (4 min): Rephrase the entire issue on a new piece of paper, removing all names and pronouns. Instead of “John didn’t send the report, making me late,” write “The report was not delivered by the deadline, causing a delay in the project”.
Focus: Describe the process gap or the technical shortcoming rather than the human behavior. [9, 10]

Phase 3: Root Cause Analysis (4 Minutes)

Step 4 (4 min): Ask “Why?” five times to find the root cause, ignoring blame.
- Problem: The report was late.
- Why? I didn’t get the data.
- Why? The data extraction tool didn’t run.
- Why? The automated server was down… (Continue until a structural issue is found). [11]

Phase 4: Actionable Solutions (3 Minutes)

Step 5 (3 min): Brainstorm 3 potential solutions that fix the process, not the person.
- Example: Implement an alert system when the server is down (instead of yelling at John).

This method immediately separates the intent (problem) from the interpretation (people).

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6olj0O3h4w

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOdPwCaKwGY

[3] https://www.restoryatherapy.com/post/exercise-externalizing-your-problems

[4] https://www.calm.com/blog/negative-self-talk

[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPNUd-NgCnA

[6] https://www.npr.org/2022/10/13/1128983339/braving-the-quarterlife-crisis

[7] https://roxanemaar.medium.com/the-startup-family-relationship-vision-goal-planning-workshop-60e35f32ac54

[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TM0nmowC5I

[9] https://lianedavey.com/an-exercise-to-expose-team-dysfunction-in-one-meeting/

[10] https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWWyhvqiFvL/

[11] https://symondsresearch.com/conflict-management-activities/