Problems and not symptoms
The cardinal rule in this analytic process is to be certain that what you identify as a problem is really a problem and not just a symptom of a problem. For example, a person suffers from recurring headaches and decides to go to the doctor for help. The doctor examines the person and determines that the headaches are being
caused by nervous tension. The headaches are a symptom and the tension is the problem. Similar examples can be found in business where the manager's attention is attracted to a particular situation because of a symptom (such as a drop in profits), and then he or she probes to find the root cause. The root cause is the condition or conditions that you will attempt to change in the case of a bad problem, or capitalize on in the case of a good problem