Coaching practices for Mckinsey Problem Solving Framework

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Mckinsey Problem Solving Framework, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• I’m trying to build the whole breakdown of this problem from a blank page, reinventing the structure from scratch, and it’s slow and I keep missing obvious pieces
• This problem is so knotty and interdependent that every time we brainstorm it, the room just locks onto whoever framed it first, and half the disagreement is really people picturing entirely different versions of the same mess.
• The problem I’m chasing is still this big blurry "make it better" cloud, and every time I try to start I spin out because I’ve never pinned down the one sharp thing I’m actually trying to solve for whom.
• I have to open a hard conversation or a proposal and I never know how to set it up
• I keep fixing the thing right in front of me and the same trouble just keeps coming back in a new shape, which makes me think I’ve only been swatting at the surface

Practices that may help

1. Use proven MECE frameworks as starting structures
   Standard frameworks (profit tree, 4Ps, Porter’s Five Forces) are pre-built MECE structures — use them rather than rebuilding from scratch.
   Issue Tree Analysis
2. Use morphological analysis for wicked problems with many interdependencies
   The method shines on problems too complex for brainstorming to cover adequately.
   Morphological Analysis, Made Practical
3. Define — frame the right problem
   Synthesize your research into a single, sharp problem statement before solving.
   Design Thinking, Step by Step
4. Problem Reframing: Solving the Right Problem First
   Problem reframing means deliberately reconsidering what problem you are actually trying to solve before generating solutions. Min Basadur’s work on creative problem-solving shows that the framing you start with strongly constrains the solutions you find — changing the framing often unlocks solutions that were invisible under the original definition.
5. Issue Tree Analysis
   Issue trees (also called logic trees) are hierarchical diagrams that decompose a problem or question into its constituent parts, following the MECE principle (mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive). Developed and used extensively at McKinsey, they are a standard consulting and analytical method for ensuring all problem dimensions are covered without overlap. The evidence base is professional practice rather than experimental — these are structured thinking tools, not psychologically studied interventions.
6. Frame problems with SCQA (Situation–Complication–Question–Answer)
   Use the SCQA framework to establish context cleanly before stating your recommendation.
   The Minto Pyramid Principle
7. Climb the why–why ladder
   Ask "why is this a problem?" repeatedly to reveal the higher-level goal your current framing may be missing.
   Problem Reframing: Solving the Right Problem First
8. Iterate the matrix when solutions appear insufficient
   If all combinations seem mediocre, the dimensions may be wrong — reframe them before generating more.
   Morphological Analysis, Made Practical
9. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: Building On What Works
   Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg, directs attention to what already works — client strengths, past successes, and desired futures — rather than to analyzing problems. Meta-analyses report small-to-moderate positive effects across a range of presenting issues, with particular strength in behavioral problems and depression in adult populations.
10. Push recommendations up, not problems
    Require reports to bring a recommendation alongside any problem — it’s a delegation practice, not just a time-saver.
    Delegation Levels, Made Practical

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