The power of thinking tools & Identifying root causes of problems
Hi there, it’s Adam from Untools,
today I want to write about the importance of using external structures to support our thinking. It’s that idea that was behind starting Untools years ago but this is the first time I’m writing about it more.
I will also share a useful thinking tool for finding root causes of problems. I hope you enjoy this newsletter!
Why are thinking tools so powerful
People think in associations and visual representations, we’re visual thinkers. That’s one of the key insights of one of my favourite books: Figure It Out by Stephen Anderson and Karl Fast.
At the same time, our thinking capabilities are naturally limited:
“The power of the unaided mind is highly overrated. Without external aids, memory, thought, and reasoning are all constrained.” – Don Norman
That’s why writing our thoughts down or sketching them is so vital for better thinking. But even writing and visual models aren’t equal. Visual models help us understand abstract concepts and make sense of them more efficiently.
In a 1987 paper, researchers Jill Larkin and Herbert Simon at Carnegie Mellon found that even when sentences and diagrams contain the same information, diagrams unlock more associations with less cognitive effort.
And it’s not just about thinking more efficiently. Thinking tools like diagrams and frameworks also force us to switch from System 1 thinking (fast, intuitive but error-prone thinking, popularised by Daniel Kahneman) to System 2 which is more thorough and analytical. This helps us to avoid some common cognitive biases such as confirmation bias.
By using external structures like visual frameworks and diagrams, we can greatly enhance our thinking.
To help you put thinking tools into practice, I created Untools Vault:
25 ready-to-use templates in PDF, Miro or Notion
8 thematic toolkits and guides for problem-solving, decision-making, facilitation, AI collaboration and more.
Vault is buy-once, get lifetime access, no subscription.
Find root causes of problems with the Ishikawa diagram
Ishikawa diagram is a great tool to help you solve problems by identifying their root causes. Sometimes called also cause-and-effect or fishbone diagram, it was created by Japanese professor Kaoru Ishikawa. It's especially effective for tackling complex problems.
Ishikawa diagram example
How to use it
Building out this diagram consists of few simple steps. This can be done in a group as a workshop but also just as well on your own.
1) Define the problem
Start with defining the problem and then drawing a line to the left or right of it (that's up to your preference).
The line will be for adding factors in the next step.
2) Identify contributing factors or categories
List out the factors/categories that could be contributing to the problem you're solving. Plot them along the main line.
You can come up with your own factors or you might use generic categories: People, Equipments, Methods, Measurement, Material and Environment.
Categorising is very helpful for breaking down complex problems and looking at them from different perspectives.
3) Find possible root causes related to each factor
Ask "Why is this happening?" Write down each idea as a line under the factor it relates to. First principles thinking is useful here including the "Five whys" method.
Keep in mind that the problem might not have just one root cause but multiple. So it's important to capture everything that might explain the problem, even if just partially.
At this point, you should have a complete diagram but no definitive answer yet.
4) Analyse the diagram
The most important step is looking at all the possible root causes and analysing them. The diagram now provides a structure for your most important thinking and next steps.
There are many possibilities what you can do at this point. Perhaps you can gather more data/evidence for each root cause candidate or immediately identify the most likely one and quickly try to solve it. This will depend on your specific problems and identified possible causes.
Example
Now let's see how to apply this on a practical example.
Suppose you're a product manager and have to solve a trend of getting less and less new sign-ups. You start with this definition and then identify contributing factors.
In this example, you identified landing page issues, competition and marketing as factors.
Now let's find specific possible root causes under each factor:
With all of these written down, you can begin to analyse where the problem originates. In this example, you might first verify if the conversion rate is steady despite lower traffic. Then you might audit your sign-up flow to find any leaks and possibly streamline it.
This is a simplified example but this diagram can be definitely used for much more complex problems.
Put Ishikawa diagram to practice
I've created a template (in PDF and Miro) for creating your own Ishikawa diagram. It includes a step-by-step guide with examples.
You can get it with Untools Vault which gives you lifetime access to 24 other templates along with thematic toolkits and guides.
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