APPLYING THE FRAMEWORKS

The question I usually get asked at this point in explaining diagnostic frameworks is, "How am I supposed to know which framework to develop at which time? And how do I know whether to dig into all of a framework or only parts of it?" That of course depends on how much you know about the subject area under analysis. Good problem solving cannot be done in the abstract. It demands first that you have full knowledge of your field-manufacturing, marketing, information systems, etc. There is no substitute for extensive and accessible knowledge of the subject area within which the problem occurred.

Having said that, the diagnostic frameworks you need to develop to analyze a problem efficiently are generally implied by the Opening Scene of the problem definition. For example, Exhibit 46 shows the problem definition for a typical proposal to the Information Systems Division of a company called Barrows, and the steps the consultant said he would follow to solve the problem.