4/4/2014 CATWOE - Developing a Robust Problem

Definition

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CATWOE
Developing a Robust Problem Definition
What do you do when you're faced with a really big business problem? (Maybe your
employee retention is low, and you are looking for the reasons why.)
Perhaps your first step is to brainstorm the possible reasons, and maybe then you
apply a range of different problem-solving skills.
But what if you've focused on the wrong problem, or you're just looking at a symptom
of a larger problem?
By focusing on one specific problem, you tend to stop looking for other problems. And
Examine y our problem f rom all perspectiv es.
that's when you risk missing something that's potentially more fundamental than the © iStockphoto/sdominick
problem you first decided to investigate. This is where CATWOE can help you avoid
making a serious mistake.

Understanding CATWOE
In the 1960s Peter Checkland, a systems engineering professor, developed a problem-solving methodology called
Soft Sy stem s Me thodology (SSM), which sought to apply systems principles to business and other "soft" problems.
SSM conceptualizes the activities or business being examined as a system, the essence of which is encapsulated in a
"Root Definition."
In 1975, David Smyth, a researcher in Checkland's department, observed that SSM was most successful when the
Root Definition included certain elements. These elements, remembered by the mnemonic CATWOE, identified the
people, processes, and environment that contribute to a situation, issue, or problem that you need to analyze.
CATWOE stands for:

Customers Who are they, and how does the issue affect them?

Actors Who is involved in the situation? Who will be involved in implementing solutions? And
what will impact their success?

Transformation What processes or systems are affected by the issue?

Process

World View What is the big picture? And what are the wider impacts of the issue?

Owner Who owns the process or situation you are investigating? And what role will they play in the
solution?

Environmental What are the constraints and limitations that will impact the solution and its success?
Constraints

When you look at all six of these elements, and consider the situation from all of these perspectives, you open your
thinking beyond the issue that sits directly in front of you. By using CATWOE, the output of your brainstorming and

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problem solving should be much more comprehensive, because you have considered the issue from these six, very
different, perspectives.

Using
CATWOE
Before you try to solve an important problem, use the CATWOE checklist to brainstorm the various people and
elements that are affected.
Taking the example of low employee retention rates that we used at the start of this article, start your thinking not with
reasons why it is happening or by trying to identify solutions, but by using CATWOE to expand your thinking about the
situation in general.

Step
One
Define what you are thinking about. Remember, this is not a problem statement; It is merely a statement describing
the situation.
"Thinking about ways to improve employee retention."

Step Two
Brainstorm ideas around the various CATWOE elements:

C: Customers "Who is being served and what problems are they experiencing?"
Organization as a whole:
Lower productivity because not enough people. High costs of retraining.
High costs of losing customers. Teams/Employees:
More work with lots of vacancies. Stress because of increased
workload. Low moral with the high turnover.
Organization's Customers:
Low production and inexperienced staff affects quality and supply.
Higher levels of dissatisfaction.
A: Actors "Who will implement the solution?" HR department:
Must look at recruiting techniques.
Must look at internal systems that may be affecting employee leaving
rates.
Organization wide:
Must look at how employees are treated. How are employees trained and
supported? How can we keep people happy?
Impacts:
Lots more work for everyone, may trigger cultural changes.
T: Transformation "What is being affected?"
Process
The system of recruiting and selecting employees including advertising, resume
screening, interviewing, testing, reference checking.
Other systems:
Performance evaluation. Rewards and recognition. Training
and development. Mentoring and coaching.

W: World View "What is the larger picture?"

Is our company culture driving people away? Or are we not hiring the right employees? Or
are we driving the right employees away? Do people feel that they – or we
– are making a positive contribution to the world?

O: Owner "Who owns the process currently?"

Individual managers across the organization HR Department.
Must be aware of resistance to change. Have to show value in terms of money and
satisfaction.

E: Environmental "What constraints must you work under?"

Constraints
A culture that is traditional and change resistant. Time and money – we need lots
of both. Employees' market – it's hard to find staff.

Step Three
Analyze your "answers" to the CATWOE questions. Look for underlying processes that are having the greatest impact
on the issue you are investigating. In the example above, the following likely have the greatest impact on the issue:
Corporate Culture.
Employee Training.

Step Four
From these processes, separate out the problems that you can identify and then begin your process of proble m
solv ing. Notice that you will have a larger number of problems, and presumably more root problems, than you would
otherwise have started out with. For instance:
Our company culture isn't people-oriented – new people are left to "sink or swim."
There's no orientation training.
The rewards we give aren't motivating and engaging people.

Key Points
CATWOE is a method for expanding your thinking about a problem or situation before you zero in on a specific problem
 that you want to solve.
By analyzing the CATWOE factors (Customers, Actors, Transformation process, World view, Owner, Environmental
constraints) that are influencing an issue of concern, you keep your perspective broad and are able to see the issue from
many angles.
This is a great tool to keep in mind, especially when you first start thinking about a problem, or try to come up with a
solution.

Where to go from here: Next article

Ask que stions, or share y our e x pe rie nce

What members say...

Rachel wrote

Hi All

Too often, people fail to look at problems from a variety of perspectives.

This results in a flawed problem-solving process, and ultimately, the wrong
solution.

You can avoid this issue by using the CATWOE check list, and that's what
we're looking at in this week's Featured Favorite.

Click below to find out more!

http://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/newTMC_83.php

Best wishes

Rachel

April 3, 2012

Yolande wrote

Hi Charles

Well, your honesty about being impulsive is a huge step forward! As you
say, being impulsive doesn't always lead to the best results and then we
need to retrace and fix etc... I also like this approach - especially when I am
stressed, when I also tend to be impulsive.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us - we look forward to 'seeing' you
on the forums often.

Kind regards
Yolandé

January 25, 2011

charles1972 wrote

I really like this approach in problem solving.I find myself to be very

impulsive at times and quick to offer solutions which is mostly not helpful.I
will from now onwards remember to rely on this tool in my problem solving
area!
Charles Matope

January 25, 2011

dp7622 wrote

I'm a big fan of SSM and the tools that go along with it. It's very analytical
and forces you to think of the root causes of issues and not just deal with
the symptoms that are more recognizable and often look like the problem
itself. Whenever I talk about SSM with my clients I relate this sad but true
story of my wife and a car that wouldn't start. She called me panicked that
the car wouldn't start - first she was going to get it towed to get the battery
replaced. I asked her if the interior lights were on. They were, so the battery
wasn't the problem. Then it must be the starter. "Let's tow it to the shop and
get the starter replaced." Hold on, before we make such a drastic, and
potentially expensive move, "Is the car in "Park"? "Oh...." I hear the gear
shift move. "Thanks honey, it started!"

What at first seems to be the problem is not always the problem. In this case
the problem was really very simple compared to the "more obvious" ones.
Sometimes it's the other way around. Either way it is always wise to look at
the CATWOE factors and determine what the real problem is.

Don Powell

March 21, 2007

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