MY METHOD

A human-centred approach to solving complex problems

I don't begin with technology.

I begin with the problem, the people affected by it, and the outcome we are trying to achieve.

Over time, I have developed a way of approaching complex problems that brings together systems thinking, user experience, technology, organizational change and a simple question:

Is the anticipated gain worth the investment required to achieve it?

01 — Understand the problem

Before looking for a solution, I want to understand what is actually happening.

What is the barrier? Who is experiencing it? Why does it exist?

What happens when it isn't addressed?

I don't assume that the problem presented to me is necessarily the real problem.

02 — Understand the system

Problems rarely exist in isolation.

I look at the people, processes, information, technology, dependencies, constraints and unintended consequences surrounding the problem.

I want to understand how the system actually works—not simply how it was designed to work.

03 — Listen to the people doing the work

The people closest to a problem often understand it differently from the people who designed the system.

Their experience matters.

I listen to the people who use the process, depend on the information, provide the service and experience the consequences.

This is where user-centred design begins.

04 — Define the outcome

Before choosing a solution, I want to know what better looks like.

What are we actually trying to change?

What would be different for the patient, customer, clinician, employee, organization or community if we solved this problem? Is it quantifiable?

A solution without a meaningful outcome is simply activity.

05 — Explore the possibilities

I don't assume technology is the answer.

The solution might be technology, a process change, a policy, better communication, organizational change—or a combination of them.

I consider the available options rather than beginning with a predetermined solution.

06 — Evaluate the anticipated gain

This is a critical part of my method. A solution has to be worth doing.

I evaluate the anticipated gain against the investment required to achieve it.

That investment may include money, time, people, complexity, risk, organizational disruption, training, maintenance and the capacity required to sustain the change.

And the gain is not always financial.

It might mean:

• reducing unnecessary suffering

• improving access

• reducing delays

• giving clinicians more time with patients

• improving communication

• reducing risk

• eliminating duplication

• improving reliability

• helping people make better decisions

• making better use of scarce resources

First: What will be meaningfully better if we do this?

Second: Is that gain significant enough to justify the change?

Third: Look for hidden opportunity, can we make this solution be successful across multiple domains?

07 — Bring the right people together

Complex problems rarely belong to one department.

I bring together the people who understand different parts of the system and create a shared understanding of the problem, the possibilities and the desired outcome.

Different perspectives often reveal barriers—and opportunities—that would otherwise remain invisible.

You must address different barriers for different areas.

08 — Design the solution around reality

Once the problem and desired outcome are understood, I work toward the solution that makes the most sense.

Not necessarily the newest technology. Not necessarily the most sophisticated technology.

The right solution.

It has to work within the real environment, with real people, real constraints and real consequences.

09 — Make the change possible

Building the solution is only part of the work.

People need to understand why the change is happening, how it affects them and what their role is in making it successful.

Implementation requires communication, education, trust, governance, workflow design and persistence.

A solution isn't successful because it was built.

It is successful when people can use it, trust it and incorporate it into the way they work.

10 — Learn from the outcome

The work doesn't end when the solution goes live.

I want to know what changed.

Did we achieve the anticipated gain?

What worked? What didn't? What did we learn?

Every implementation creates information that can make the next solution better.

11 — Never lose sight of the human outcome

Behind every system is a person affected by it.

An employee.

A client.

A clinician.

A customer.

A community.

When systems become fragmented, inefficient or difficult to navigate, the cost is ultimately paid by people.

That is why I build.

To reduce barriers. To improve outcomes.

To make complicated systems work better for the people inside them.