XY Phenomenon: Avoiding “Wrong” Problems
Have you ever thought about how many hours, months, and even lives were wasted on solving the “wrong” problems?
Once, some people began to complain that they had to wait unbearably long for the elevator. Other people were worried about these slogans and spent a lot of time, effort, and money on improving elevator performance and reducing waiting times. But the original problem was completely different - "people started to complain."
The solution to the true problem was the installation of large mirrors in the lobby of the building. Watching your own reflection while waiting for the elevator turned out to be quite an exciting event, and the number of complaints about the slow operation of the elevators fell sharply.
In 2001, the American developer Eric Steven Raymond gave this phenomenon the name "XY-problem."
The XY problem often arises between the end user and the developer, the client and the contractor, but simply between the person and the person.
In simple terms, the XY problem is when we start repairing / helping in the wrong place, we go from the wrong end. This leads to a loss of time and energy, both on the part of people seeking help, and on the part of those who provide assistance.
Often, the XY problem arises when people get hung up on the small details of their problem and on what they themselves consider the solution to the problem. As a result, they cannot step back a step and explain the problem comprehensively.
Iteration number 1.
Experience, dexterity and folk signs will help here, by which it can be calculated that an XY problem is looming on you.
Pay attention to what people say and how. As a rule, the discussion of “wrong” problems begins with the following phrases:
All of these phrases actually ask the question of the solution (Y), not the problem (X). You need to keep your ears at the top of your head and closely monitor the thread of the conversation to determine if the problem can really be solved with Y. Most likely, you will have to go through the conversation several times to find out the true problem X.
Do not spare the time that you spend on walking in a circle, because ultimately this can save you from creating an unnecessary function or even a product.
As soon as I found out about the phenomenon of XY-problems, I realized that we put them upside down, every day, in working and personal situations. Simple knowledge of the existence of the phenomenon has become for me a life hack, which I am now learning to use.
For example, a colleague recently approached me to tell the bad news: he refuses to participate in a joint project, because there are more priority tasks. We talked and found out that in fact, everything rested on the problem of too short deadlines, which we designated for ourselves. My colleague realized that it did not fit (X) and found a solution - to exit the project (Y). Good thing we chatted. Now we have new terms, and no one is leaving anywhere.
Once, some people began to complain that they had to wait unbearably long for the elevator. Other people were worried about these slogans and spent a lot of time, effort, and money on improving elevator performance and reducing waiting times. But the original problem was completely different - "people started to complain."
The solution to the true problem was the installation of large mirrors in the lobby of the building. Watching your own reflection while waiting for the elevator turned out to be quite an exciting event, and the number of complaints about the slow operation of the elevators fell sharply.
The phenomenon of XY problems
In 2001, the American developer Eric Steven Raymond gave this phenomenon the name "XY-problem."
The XY problem often arises between the end user and the developer, the client and the contractor, but simply between the person and the person.
In simple terms, the XY problem is when we start repairing / helping in the wrong place, we go from the wrong end. This leads to a loss of time and energy, both on the part of people seeking help, and on the part of those who provide assistance.
How to get involved in the XY problem. Step-by-step user guide
- The user needs to solve the problem X.
- The user does not know how to solve problem X, but thinks that he can solve it if he succeeds in performing action Y.
- The user also does not know how to perform action Y.
- Asking for help, the user asks to help him deal with Y.
- Everyone is trying to help the user with the Y action, even though Y seems like a strange problem to solve.
- After many iterations and lost time, it turns out that the user actually wanted to solve the X-problem.
- The worst thing is to perform action Y would not be a suitable solution for X. Everyone tears their hair and with the words "I gave you the best years of my life" incinerate each other with a look.
Often, the XY problem arises when people get hung up on the small details of their problem and on what they themselves consider the solution to the problem. As a result, they cannot step back a step and explain the problem comprehensively.
In Russia, this is called the “Hammer Error”
Iteration number 1.
Iteration No. 100500. 
Authors of the photo: Nikolai Volynkin, Alexander Barakin (License: Hammer Error , CC BY).
How to understand what the smell of the XY problem is
Experience, dexterity and folk signs will help here, by which it can be calculated that an XY problem is looming on you.
Pay attention to what people say and how. As a rule, the discussion of “wrong” problems begins with the following phrases:
- What do you think we can do ...
- But will it be difficult to do ...
- How much time will it take ...
- We need help creating ...
All of these phrases actually ask the question of the solution (Y), not the problem (X). You need to keep your ears at the top of your head and closely monitor the thread of the conversation to determine if the problem can really be solved with Y. Most likely, you will have to go through the conversation several times to find out the true problem X.
Do not spare the time that you spend on walking in a circle, because ultimately this can save you from creating an unnecessary function or even a product.
How not to get involved and help others
- State your problem in the format “Object - Deviation”. Bad example: URGENT! EVERYTHING BROKEN AND WORKS NOT SO. Good example: XFree86 4.1 the mouse cursor on the Fooware MV1005 chipset is an irregular shape.
- Try to fit the essence of the problem in the first 50 characters if you are writing a message; in the first two sentences if you voice the problem verbally. Your time and the time of the interlocutor is expensive, use it wisely.
- Next, add context and describe the wider picture of how you got into such a situation, how large the scale of the tragedy is.
- If you come up with a solution, tell us a little about why you think this will help.
- If you were asked a lot of clarifying questions in response - rejoice and answer, it will do you good and help you find the right solution for you.
- Describe the symptoms of the problem in chronological order. XY-problems - this is the case when the change of places of the terms matters.
- Describe everything that you have already done to solve the problem. Do not forget to tell why this or that option did not work. This will give others additional information about your problem and reduce the time needed to find a solution.
Instead of conclusions
As soon as I found out about the phenomenon of XY-problems, I realized that we put them upside down, every day, in working and personal situations. Simple knowledge of the existence of the phenomenon has become for me a life hack, which I am now learning to use.
For example, a colleague recently approached me to tell the bad news: he refuses to participate in a joint project, because there are more priority tasks. We talked and found out that in fact, everything rested on the problem of too short deadlines, which we designated for ourselves. My colleague realized that it did not fit (X) and found a solution - to exit the project (Y). Good thing we chatted. Now we have new terms, and no one is leaving anywhere.
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