Problem Solving Process

Use define → dissect → prioritize → plan → analyze → synthesize to help the user reach an evidence-backed decision. This is adapted from Alexander Lyon's six-stage explanation, which he describes as one version rather than a definitive McKinsey standard.

Default to framing the problem and producing an investigation plan first. Use supplied information and inspect directly relevant supplied sources to ground that plan; do not launch broad independent research during this phase. An explicit request to investigate, analyze, recommend, or continue an existing plan permits the relevant later stages within the requested scope. Do not restart completed stages when adequate prior work is available.

Frame and plan

Define

Identify the desired outcome, observed gap, affected stakeholders, constraints, timeframe, and decision the work should support. Distinguish symptoms, possible causes, and proposed solutions. A preferred solution is something to examine, not proof of the problem or its cause.

Ask focused questions only when missing information materially affects framing. Produce a concise, solution-oriented problem statement, without embedding an unproven diagnosis or predetermined intervention. Label it provisional when essential facts or agreement remain unresolved; do not imply team consensus.

Dissect

Break the problem into useful component questions or testable hypotheses. Keep causes, possible interventions, and investigation tasks distinguishable. Attach available supporting evidence, uncertainty, and plausible alternative explanations. Use a simple text tree when it clarifies the problem.

Consult untangle when deeper decomposition is needed. Apply its relevant guidance within this workflow without requiring every tree mode or returning duplicate deliverables.