Find the root cause
Not “paperwork is slow” but “the formula is complex and nobody can check the result”.
Step 2 / 4 · When I spot the problem
Identify what’s broken
Noticing a problem is not enough. Before writing any code I work out the real cause and exactly who it affects.
- The root cause
- Who is affected
- A shared problem statement
What happens
In this step.
Name who it affects
Each role in the chain, and what the problem costs them.
Separate symptoms from causes
Fix the cause and the symptoms go away on their own.
Write it down plainly
A short problem statement that everyone involved can agree on.
Project references
See it in real projects.
Work where this step actually happened.
Examples
What that looks like.
Example 1
A complex formula
Calculation errors were frequent because the formula behind the white paper, orange paper and weekly summary is complex.
RannikonExample 2
No visibility
The farm manager had no digital view of daily operations, and the payroll team had no automated verification.
RannikonExample 3
A chain of manual hand-offs
Notebook, handwritten log, Facebook group, housemaster, payroll: every step was manual.
RannikonKeep exploring
The rest of the process.
Previous step
Spot the problem
Something slow, manual, or error-prone that people live with every day.
Learn moreNext step
Solve it
Build the complete solution on my own, from scratch, until it works.
Learn moreThe other way to start
Discovery
A quick call or written brief to understand the problem, the audience, and what success looks like.
Learn moreLet’s talk about your project.
Brand partnerships, freelance projects, or just to talk shop.