Problem-Solving Meeting (IDS) Template

A problem-solving meeting is where teams actually fix things instead of going in circles. The IDS method keeps it disciplined: Identify the root problem, Discuss it fully, then Solve it with a clear owner. This problem solving meeting template applies IDS so you leave with a decision and an action, not just a shared sense that something is wrong.

When to use it

Use it whenever a recurring issue, a broken process, or a conflict needs resolution. It is built for the moments when a team keeps complaining about the same thing without ever fixing it. If the problem is simple and obvious, just assign it; save IDS for the knots.

Who attends

The people closest to the problem, usually three to eight. You need the ones with context and the one who can commit to a fix. Keep stakeholders who only want to observe out of the room so the discussion stays candid.

How to run it

List the issues and prioritize so you start with what matters most. Spend real effort on Identify, digging past the symptom to the root cause, because solving the wrong problem wastes everyone's time. Then Discuss openly with data and perspective, resisting the urge to jump to a fix. Finally Solve: agree on an action, assign a single owner, and define what done looks like. Confirm the decision out loud before moving to the next issue.

Facilitator tips

• Spend most energy on Identify. The wrong problem perfectly solved helps no one.
• Hold the line on Discuss. Do not let the team leap to solutions too early.
• Assign one owner per solve, never a committee.
• Solve fewer issues fully rather than touching many superficially.

Common mistakes

• Jumping straight to solutions before the real problem is identified.
• Treating symptoms instead of root causes, so the issue keeps coming back.
• Discussing endlessly without ever committing to a solve and an owner.
• Trying to fix every issue in one meeting and resolving none of them well.

Track issues from identify to solved with clear owners. Run it in OrgTP.