Eliminate obstacles to execution

- You're working on a project, and suddenly everything slows down. Why? It's because when problems happen at work, most people only have time to treat the symptoms, not the root causes, so things don't get fixed. Toyota solved this issue with their five whys method, and they reduced production errors by 85%. Take a stalled task that you have. First, identify the real problem. Clearly define the issue you think you're facing. Then ask, "Why?" Identify the first reason the problem probably exists. Then ask, "Why?" again. Dig deeper into the cause of that reason and continue asking "Why?" usually five times, until you reach the fundamental cause of the issue. Intel uses this method to reduce supply chain failures. They don't just fix surface issues. They dig deep, asking "Why?" when a problem happens, so they can identify core problems, eliminate them and improve. The idea is to fix a problem, not assign blame, and the goal is to eliminate an issue, not put a bandaid on it. Try it. Apply the five whys to one issue you have at work right now. The answer to the last why is your real obstacle. Solve that, and execution quickly follows.