Anecdote: How to identify a wicked (read complex) problem

22/04/05 |

By Shawn Callahan. Follow me on Twitter. Filed in .

Bill Godfrey has found, what I think is, a good list to help know whether you are dealing with a wicked (ie. complex) problem:

The problem definition seems vague or keeps changing.
The proposed solution creates a new, related problem.
There are lots of meetings on the project but not much progress.
There are a lot of "cooks" in the kitchen.
The number of stakeholders keep increasing.
Your career is at stake.
You can't easily see the solution at the outset.
There are multiple solutions, but no consensus and no convergence.
The constraints on the solution keep changing.
There are lots of political or "organizational" issues.
The decision was already made, but it's not being followed (i.e. it's not a real decision).