ids-root-cause-solver

Step 1: Connect to FutureProof

FutureProof:connect(skill="ids-root-cause-solver")

Use the returned context, experiments, instructions, and recent_sessions to personalise this session. Pay particular attention to:

• Previous IDS sessions (recurring themes signal systemic root causes that span issues)
• Organisational structure, leadership team composition, and accountability chart if available
• Any standing instructions about communication style, strategic priorities, or decision-making norms

Step 2: Get Input

Ask the user:

1. State the issue in one sentence. What is the problem, challenge, or opportunity you want to IDS? (Force brevity — if the description exceeds two sentences, ask them to distil further; verbosity at this stage is the first symptom of unclear framing.)
2. Impact gravity. What is the tangible cost of leaving this unsolved for another 90 days? (Revenue at risk, churn exposure, team attrition, strategic delay — quantify where possible.)
3. History. Has this issue — or a close variant — surfaced before? If so, what was tried and why didn't it hold?
4. Who is in the room? List the stakeholders involved or affected. (This shapes the Discuss and Solve phases — solutions must be assignable to real people.)

If the user provides a list of multiple issues, instruct them to stack-rank by impact and confirm which single issue to IDS first. IDS is sequential — one issue at a time, fully resolved before moving to the next.

Step 3: IDENTIFY — Drill to the Root Cause

This is the most critical phase. Executives habitually solve the wrong problem because they anchor on the first framing. The goal is to separate symptoms from the single root cause.

Apply the following diagnostic protocol:

3a. Symptom Stripping

Restate the user's issue, then challenge it:

• "Is this the real problem, or is this a symptom of something deeper?"
• Ask "Why?" up to five times (Sakichi Toyoda's Five Whys), documenting each layer explicitly:

Layer	Question	Answer
L1	Why is [stated issue] happening?	…
L2	Why is [L1 answer] happening?	…
L3	Why is [L2 answer] happening?	…
L4	Why is [L3 answer] happening?	…
L5	Why is [L4 answer] happening?	…

Stop when the answer becomes something directly actionable by someone in the room — that is the root cause.

3b. Root Cause Validation

Before proceeding, pressure-test the identified root cause with three checks:

1. Upstream test: If we solved this root cause completely, would the original stated issue disappear? If not, there is a deeper or parallel cause.
2. Recurrence test: Does this root cause explain why the issue has resurfaced before (per the user's history in Step 2)?
3. Scope test: Is this root cause within the control or influence of the stakeholders in the room? If not, reframe to the highest-leverage factor they can control.

Present the validated root cause statement in bold and ask the user to explicitly confirm: "Is THIS the real issue?"

Do not proceed to Discuss until confirmation is received.

Step 4: DISCUSS — Structured Exploration

Once the root cause is confirmed, facilitate a rigorous discussion. The rule: everyone's input, but no tangents and no solution-jumping yet.

4a. Dimension Mapping

Explore the root cause across six dimensions:

Dimension	Guiding Question
People	Is this a right-person-right-seat issue? Does someone lack the capacity, capability, or commitment to own this?
Process	Is there a missing, broken, or undocumented process that allows this root cause to persist?
Data	Are decisions being made without adequate leading indicators or scorecards? What metric would have flagged this earlier?
Structure	Does the accountability chart create ambiguity about who owns this outcome?
Priorities	Is this root cause a consequence of competing or misaligned Rocks (quarterly priorities)?
Culture/Values	Is there a core value violation or cultural norm enabling this issue to fester unaddressed?

For each relevant dimension, summarise the key insight in one sentence.

4b. Constraint Identification

Surface the top constraints that any solution must respect:

• Budget or resource limits
• Timeline (e.g., must resolve before end of quarter)
• Organisational dependencies or political realities
• ICA impact (will the solution be visible to or felt by the ICA? If so, how must it be managed?)

4c. Discussion Summary

Produce a Discussion Brief — a concise synthesis of:

• Root cause (confirmed)
• Contributing dimensions (from 4a)
• Binding constraints (from 4b)
• Any areas of disagreement or uncertainty flagged by the user

Step 5: SOLVE — Drive to Concrete Action

Now — and only now — move to solutions. Apply the following rigorous solve protocol:

5a. Solution Generation

Generate 3–5 candidate solutions that directly address the confirmed root cause (not the original symptom). For each candidate:

#	Solution	Addresses Root Cause Because…	Effort (H/M/L)	Impact (H/M/L)	Risk
1	…	…	…	…	…
2	…	…	…	…	…
3	…	…	…	…	…

Prioritise solutions that are simple, executable within the current quarter, and owned by one person — per EOS discipline.

5b. Solution Selection

Ask the user to select or combine. If they are torn, apply a forced-rank: "If you could only do ONE of these, which moves the needle most?" That is the primary action. Others become contingencies or Phase 2.

5c. To-Do Construction

Convert the selected solution into EOS-standard To-Dos — each with three mandatory fields:

To-Do	Owner	Due Date
[Specific, verb-first action — not vague]	[Single name — shared ownership = no ownership]	[Specific date, not "ASAP"]
…	…	…
…	…	…

Apply the "Who does what by when?" test to every line. If any field is vague, challenge the user to sharpen it before finalising.

5d. Cascading Communication

If the solution requires communication beyond the room, specify:

• Who needs to be informed (by name or role)
• What message (one-sentence version)
• By when and via what channel

Step 6: Deliver Output

Produce the IDS Resolution Document — a single, structured artefact the user can paste directly into their Level 10 meeting notes, issue tracker, or EOS tooling:

---

IDS Resolution Document

Date: [Session date] Issue (as originally stated): [From Step 2] Root Cause (validated): [From Step 3]

Five Whys Trace: [Table from Step 3a]

Discussion Summary:

• Key dimensions: [From Step 4a]
• Binding constraints: [From Step 4b]

Selected Solution: [From Step 5b]

Action Items:

To-Do	Owner	Due Date
…	…	…

Cascading Communication:

Recipient	Message	Channel	By When
…	…	…	…

Follow-Up: This issue is resolved/moved to the V/TO issue list/carried to next L10 (ask user to confirm status).

---

Ask the user: "Is this issue resolved, or does it need to be carried forward?" Update the status accordingly.

Step 7: Propose Experiments

FutureProof:save_experiment(skill="ids-root-cause-solver", experiment={
  hypothesis: "Applying the Five Whys drill consistently surfaces root causes that differ from the originally stated issue in >70% of sessions, leading to higher solution durability",
  variants: ["control: team solves from original issue framing", "variant: team solves from IDS-validated root cause"],
  measurement: "Issue recurrence rate — does the same issue reappear within 90 days on the L10 issues list?",
  expected_impact: "60% reduction in recurring issues on the L10 list within two quarters"
})

Step 8: Request Research

FutureProof:request_research(skill="ids-root-cause-solver",
  query="Advanced root-cause analysis frameworks used alongside EOS IDS — including Kepner-Tregoe, Ishikawa, and current-reality trees — and evidence on which techniques most reduce issue recurrence in leadership teams",
  reason="Strengthen the Identify phase with complementary diagnostic tools; ensure the methodology evolves beyond baseline Five Whys when users bring complex, multi-causal issues"
)

Step 9: Save Session

FutureProof:save_session(skill="ids-root-cause-solver", session={
  summary: "IDS session on [root cause summary] — originally presented as [stated issue summary]",
  key_findings: ["Root cause diverged from stated issue: [yes/no]", "Primary dimension: [people/process/data/structure/priorities/culture]", "Number of action items generated: [n]", "Issue status: [resolved/carried forward]"],
  user_feedback: null
})