Why AI Needs You to Rethink Your Problem
Strategies and Techniques for Change Agents, Strategists, and Innovators
A problem well stated is a problem half solved — John Dewey
Like lemmings listening to the pied piper of AI, it’s far too easy to follow the enticing AI music over a cliff …” Look at the cool tricks ChatGPT can do for you! It can THINK for you and accelerate your innovation!”
Maybe.
Shorten the Playing Field
Generative AI is like a magic trick. Applied to the right use cases, used with the right intent and the right guardrails, it yields amazing results. AI can shorten the playing field and accelerate all types of work. Rarely can generative AI score the touchdown…complete a somewhat difficult function.
For example, I just asked ChatGPT to explain what “shorten the playing field means” since not everyone thinks in football and sports analogies:
The phrase "shorten the playing field" originates from American football, though variations of the concept can be found in other sports as well. In the context of American football, the phrase refers to strategies or situations that reduce the amount of field a team must cover to score or advance the ball.
In essence, to "shorten the playing field" is to create an advantage, either by reducing the distance to the goal or by limiting opportunities for the opposition. The phrase can also be used metaphorically in other contexts to describe gaining an advantage or reducing the challenges faced.1
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It’s Not a Rhetorical Question
We can “shorten the playing field” using AI and other disruptive technologies, but that puts an even bigger focus on the real strategic skill. The skill that separates “tricksters” from “value creators”.
»»»WHAT’S MY PROBLEM???««
Identifying the right problems to solve is half the battle. Problem identification is the process of pinpointing customer pain, challenges, new value propositions, the “job-to-be-done” for the customer, inefficiencies, or areas of improvement within an organization.
[Read about my problem solving and innovation cohort class at the end of this email]
What are the valuable problems my customer has (which I might be able to solve)?
What are the critical operational or business challenge we have?
How do we differentiate from the competition?
How do we do more with less and greatly simplify our processes?
OR the provocative question I have been working with several clients on…How could we decrease costs by 50% while improving products, service & quality?
(If you’d like to discuss this question or a variation of it, please schedule time with me)
Problem definition often starts with observation, data analysis, benchmarking and feedback collection from various stakeholders. This ensures that we are not just addressing symptoms but are diving deep into underlying issues.
Reframing: A New Perspective on Problems
Reframing is the art of viewing a problem from a different perspective, allowing for a broader range of potential perspectives and seeking deeper understanding. In business, reframing can mean shifting from a product-centric viewpoint to a customer-centric one, or from a short-term revenue goal to a long-term sustainability focus. By changing the lens through which a problem is viewed, we can discover innovative solutions, see holistic factors and solutions, and find a more valuable version of the problem to address. Pathway to Identifying Use Cases
With a well-defined problem and a reframed perspectives you’re on the path to evaluating the use case. A use case describes how a user (or system) interacts with a situation (current or future) to achieve a specific goal. In essence, it maps out the journey from problem to solution. By starting with a clear and reframed understanding of the problem, you can craft use cases that are genuinely relevant and valuable. Part of the value of not starting with “applying AI” is that the non-technical issues and opportunities pop out.
For example — simplification! The best step, part or requirement is one that does not exist. Instead of starting with technology, work to radically eliminate, simplify and rationalize each step or requirement. Don’t repave the cowpath.
Create Business Value
At the risk of sounding a bit Gordon Gecko, let’s avoid the “all hat, no cattle” form of innovation and create business value. The ultimate goal of any business initiative is to create the maximum longterm value possible, whether in the form of increased revenues, cost savings, improved customer satisfaction, employee safety and experience, less waste and environmental impact, or enhanced brand reputation. Sometimes, we can do many of these at once.
Problem identification and reframing, followed by the creation of relevant use cases, form a robust foundation for value creation.
Problem Solving and Innovation with ChatGPT -- The Amazon Way
Use promo code “Earlybird20” to get 20% my problem solving and innovation class. ChatGPT will be incorporated, but the emphasis is on thinking, problem solving, & collaboration.
Don’t forget to expense this for education and development!
Example — Financial Crime Solving
The cost of fraud, embezzlement and other financials crime compliance is estimated at over $50B annually and growing at over 20% a year.2 What a tax to pay!
Zeroing in on the problem and then designing both avoidance and identification of financial crimes is how I would tackle the problem. THEN, apply a variety of technologies.
AWS and GenPac just announced an AI based solution tackling financial crime: “Genpact Integrates riskCanvas with Amazon Bedrock to Transform Financial Crime Management with Advanced Generative AI Capabilities.”
Fantastic! But here’s the lesson —->you will have 10x the impact if you tackle the dual problems of “avoiding financial crime” and “detecting financial crime” as your core problems, versus starting with this question — “How do we apply AI to financial crimes?” Regrettably, far too many people are starting with this question.
Subtle differences that make all the difference.
If you want to create maximum value with AI, you’ll find the most important skill is problem identification, reframing, and building use cases. Then experiment, build solutions and apply AI.
Please share, like and comment on this post! Thanks.
Onwards!
John
About The Digital Leader Newsletter
John Rossman is an innovation coach and strategy advisor. He is the author of The Amazon Way and Think Like Amazon. The Digital Leader Newsletter is a weekly coaching session with a focus on customer-centricity, innovation, and strategy. We deliver practical theory, examples, tools, and techniques to help you build better strategies, better plans, and better solutions — but most of all, to think and communicate better.
Question — does the prompt engineer and editor get credit for the quote, or ChatGPT???
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2021/09/28/634127.htm