Review

Not what I was expecting! Going in I knew the book was about problem solving and came highly recommended by Shreyas Doshi.

It’s a whimsical part illustrated book of mini fables - designed to make you a more effective problem solver. I can see why it’s recommended for product managers. It focuses on the importance of problem definition and the difficult of it.

The book is on its way to being a cult classic, but I’m not sure ‘I get it’.

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Key Takeaways

The 20% that gave me 80% of the value.

• Without a common understanding of the problem - a solution will almost invariably be to the wrong problem.
• Don’t rush into solutions. Ask questions before stating answers.
• Who has the problem?
• Who is the client? Who do we need to make happy/
• Asking who will help lead us to appropriate solutions.
• What is the problem?
• Don’t rush in before taking time to define the problem being solved
• Social pressure leads to haste. Solutions are found - but not necessarily to the right problem
• Don’t endlessly circle around attempted problem definitions - you must amass the courage to get on with the solution
• Mentally to shift gears from singular to plural. Be a problems solver.
• Who has a problem?
• Then for each unique answering party ask… What is the essence of your problem?
• A phantom problem: a discomfort primarily attributable to perceptions.Phantom problems are still real problems!
• A problem is a difference between things as desired and things as perceived. A problem can be solved by changing desires or changing perceptions.
• Don’t take their solution method for a problem definition. Don’t mistake a solution method for a problem definition - especially if its your own solution method
• You can never be sure you have a correct definition, even after the problem is solved
• Don’t leap to conclusions, but don’t ignore your first impression
• We never get rid of problems. Problems, solutions, and new problems weave an endless chain.
• If you can’t think of at least three things that might be wrong with your understanding of the problem - you don’t understand the problem
• When a machine goes wrong we tend to blame the operator not the tool maker
• Problem displacement → giving somebody else your problem. Useful when consciously and conscientiously done.
• The problem of displacement is compounded by the existence of designers - they seldom experience the consequences of their actions
• Once you have a problem statement in words - play with the words until you’re sure they can’t be misconstrued
• Try blaming yourself for a change - even for a moment
• Where does the discourtesy come from?
• Approaching public servants with courtesy and respect for their humanity and competence will, for the most part, evoke humanity and competence
• Despite appearances, people seldom know what they want until you give them what they ask for
• Not too many people - in the final analysis, really want their problems solved
• When something new appears in our little universe, it is most stimulating. After it remains a short time, offering neither threat nor opportunity, it becomes part of the "environment," or background. Eventually, it is cancelled out entirely

Deep Summary

Longer form notes, typically condensed, reworded and de-duplicated.

• Without a common understanding of the problem - a solution will almost invariably be to the wrong problem.
• The person who talks loudest, or most effectively will shape the problem
• Don’t rush into solutions. Ask questions before stating answers.
• Who has the problem?
• Who is the client? Who do we need to make happy/
• Asking who will help lead us to appropriate solutions.
• What is the problem?
• Don’t rush in before taking time to define the problem being solved
• Social pressure leads to haste. Solutions are found - but not necessarily to the right problem
• Don’t endlessly circle around attempted problem definitions - you must amass the courage to get on with the solution
• Mentally to shift gears from singular to plural. Be a problems solver.
• Who has a problem?
• Then for each unique answering party ask… What is the essence of your problem?

• Parties need to listen to each other. When they begin to feel pain in synchrony - the problem will find a resolution
• How can we determine "What is wrong?"
• What is wrong?
• What can be done about it?

• Perception vs desire: when you feel the discrepancy between the way things are going and "their way"—the way they should be going
• A phantom problem: a discomfort primarily attributable to perceptions.
• Phantom problems are still real problems!
• A problem is a difference between things as desired and things as perceived
• A problem can be solved by changing desires or changing perceptions.
• Don’t bother trying to solve problems for people who don’t have a sense of humour

• Don’t take their solution method for a problem definition
• If you solve their problem too readily, they’ll never believe you solved their real problem
• Moral Issues tend to melt in the heat of a juicy problem to solve

• Don’t mistake a solution method for a problem definition - especially if its your own solution method

• How do you change your bid in a situation when all the others are changing their bids and thinking that they are the only ones who have bought the privilege of doing so? But that couldn't be right, because if one party could figure that out, all the others could, too?
• How do you change your bid when all the others are changing their bids with the knowledge that you are changing your bid while knowing that they are changing theirs? But isn't that just the equivalent of secret bidding in the first place?
• You can never be sure you have a correct definition, even after the problem is solved
• Don’t leap to conclusions, but don’t ignore your first impression
• You can never be sure you have a correct definition, but don't ever stop trying to get one.

• Each solution is the source of the next problem
• We never get rid of problems. Problems, solutions, and new problems weave an endless chain.
• We can hope to substitute are less troublesome than the ones we "solve."
• Problem displacement → giving somebody else your problem. Useful when consciously and conscientiously done.
• The trickiest part of some problems is just recognising their existence
• If you can’t think of at least three things that might be wrong with your understanding of the problem - you don’t understand the problem
• Think of reasons why it won’t work

• When a machine goes wrong we tend to blame the operator not the tool maker
• We assume that if the tool is on the market it must be OK
• The problem of displacement is compounded by the existence of designers - they seldom experience the consequences of their actions
• A misfit is a solution that produces a mismatch with the human beings who have to live with the solution.
• Misfits are easy to solve, once they are recognised.
• Human beings are adaptable, they put up with almost any sort of misfit (until they notice it)
• Once unfamiliarity has passed - we adapt - and problems become invisible again
• Don’t leap to conclusions - but don’t ignore your first impression
• Test your definition on a foreigner, someone blind, or a child, or make yourself foreign, blind or childlike. Each new point of view will produce a new misfit.

• How could we change the problem statement to make the solution different?
• What am I solving? Check back home once in a while to see if you haven’t lost your way

• Simple phrases can be misunderstood: “Nothing is too good for our customers” could mean
• There is no thing in the world that is too good for our customers
• Or giving them nothing would be giving them something too good for them
• Once you have a problem statement in words - play with the words until the statement is in everyone’s head
• You can even use a dictionary to see how others might read your statement
• Word games are usually cheaper than unwanted solutions.

• The smoke-filled room. Whose problem is it?
1. the ten nonsmoking students
2. the smoke
3. the teacher
4. the dean of the school
5. the college president
6. none of the above
7. all of the above (including f)
• Don’t solve other people’s problems when they can solve them perfectly well themselves
• If it’s their problem - make it their problem

• Many problems originate from systems designers and decision makers who don't experience the problems they're "responsible" for
• If we keep blaming problems on the "government" or on "big business" or on "people who don't care” - we can do little besides writing letters to congresspeople or newspapers.
• Try blaming yourself for a change - even for a moment

• The book gets its title from this problem/solution:
• Cars should have their lights on in tunnels - in case of a power failure
• A sign is made saying: “Please Turn Your Headlights On - Tunnel Ahead”
• But cars kept running out of battery at a local beauty spot as people forgot to turn them off
• The best solution was a second sign at the end of the tunnel that said - Are Your Lights On?

• Where does this problem come from?

• Peter Principle: people rise in an organisation until they reach their level of incompetence
• Where does the discourtesy come from?
• Approaching public servants with courtesy and respect for their humanity and competence will, for the most part, evoke humanity and competence

• Where does the problem come from?
• In the valley of problem solvers - the problem creator is king
• There’s two kinds of people in the world - those that do work and those that make work for others. Keep away from the make-workers and you’ll do all right

• Where does the problem come from?
• In an exam: Clearly, no problem should take more than the length of the scheduled exam period to figure out.
• If your method takes more than the hour it must be dropped\
• Some multiple choice exams testing arithmetic skills can answered without arithmetic!
• Who sent this problem? What are they trying to do to me?
• Are you solving a problem or a puzzle. A puzzle is difficult by design - and requires a designer.
• You can confuse your adversary by sending a message in plan text

• Do we really want to solve it?
• Most people, most of the time, feel they have some sort of problem.
• If you feel you have a problem, you do have a problem.
• Most people with problems also think they know what these problems are. In this, however, they are usually wrong.
• Even if not the real problem - we can make something the real problem because we want to solve it -the more heroically the better
• You can have your fun spoiled by someone disturbing our peaceful equilibrium
• Despite appearances, people seldom know what they want until you give them what they ask for

• Not too many people - in the final analysis, really want their problems solved
• Before seriously embarking on any problem ask: Do I really want a solution?
• We never have enough time to do it right, but we always have enough time to do it over

When something new appears in our little universe, it is most stimulating. After it remains a short time, offering neither threat nor opportunity, it becomes part of the "environment," or background. Eventually, it is cancelled out entirely

• Consider moral questions before you get close to a solution, or even a definition, and thereby begin to lose your sensibility.
• Problem-resolving can never be a morally neutral activity

• Not too many people, in the final analysis, really want their problems solved.