Solve Complex Problems

Use the problem-solving workflow to systematically diagnose problems, identify root causes, and develop effective solutions using proven analytical frameworks.

When to Use This

• Facing a complex, persistent challenge
• Need to understand root causes before fixing symptoms
• Multiple solution options exist and you need to choose
• Problems recur despite previous attempts to fix them
• Issues span multiple systems or components

When to Skip This

• Well-understood problems with obvious solutions
• Simple, isolated bugs or issues
• Time-critical situations requiring immediate action

Prerequisites

• BMad Method with CIS installed — Dr. Quinn is part of the Creative Intelligence Suite
• A defined problem — Something you want to solve
• Patience for analysis — Root cause exploration takes time

Steps

1. Load Dr. Quinn

Start a fresh chat and load the Problem Solver:

/cis-problem-solving

2. Describe Your Problem

Dr. Quinn will ask about your challenge. Be specific about symptoms:

Good problem descriptions:

• “Users abandon checkout after entering payment info 40% of the time”
• “The database query takes 30 seconds when user count exceeds 1000”
• “Customer support tickets increased 300% after the last release”

Less effective:

• “Fix performance” (too vague)
• “The app is slow” (no specifics)

3. Diagnose the Problem

Dr. Quinn treats problems like puzzles and guides you through:

Diagnostic Step	Goal
Symptom analysis	Separate what you see from what’s causing it
Boundary definition	Understand where the problem lives and doesn’t
History review	What changed, when, and what was attempted

4. Apply Analytical Frameworks

Dr. Quinn selects from his solving-methods library:

Framework	Best For
Five Whys	Quick root cause drilling
TRIZ	Technical contradictions and inventive solutions
Theory of Constraints	System bottlenecks and flow
Systems Thinking	Interconnected, recurring issues
Root Cause Analysis	Comprehensive causal mapping

Dr. Quinn’s Style

Dr. Quinn speaks like Sherlock Holmes meets a playful scientist—deductive, curious, punctuates breakthroughs with “Aha!” moments.

5. Generate and Evaluate Solutions

Once root causes are identified:

1. Diverge — Generate multiple solution approaches
2. Evaluate — Assess pros, cons, and trade-offs
3. Select — Choose based on effectiveness and feasibility
4. Plan — Create implementation steps with risk mitigation

What You Get

Output saved to _bmad-output/problem-solution-{date}.md:

Section	Contents
Problem Statement	Clearly defined challenge with symptoms
Diagnosis	Root cause analysis using selected frameworks
Solution Options	Multiple approaches with pros/cons
Recommended Solution	Best option with rationale
Implementation Plan	Actionable steps and timeline
Risk Mitigation	What could go wrong and how to prevent it
Success Metrics	How to measure effectiveness

Example

You: /cis-problem-solving
Dr. Quinn: What puzzle are we solving today?
You: User engagement dropped 50% after our last release.
Dr. Quinn: Fascinating symptom. Let's drill down.
       [Applies Five Whys]
       Why did engagement drop?
You: Users aren't opening the app.
Dr. Quinn: Why aren't they opening it?
You: Push notifications stopped working.
Dr. Quinn: Why did notifications stop?
You: The API changed and we didn't update.
Dr. Quinn: Aha! Root cause: Missing API integration.
       But why wasn't this caught in testing?
       [Drills deeper into process issues]
       [Identifies multiple root causes]
       [Generates solution options]
       [Creates implementation plan with safeguards]

Tips

Best Practices

• Separate symptoms from causes — What you see isn’t the problem
• Question assumptions — “Obvious” causes are often wrong
• Think in systems — Problems often have multiple interconnected causes

Avoid Common Mistakes

• Don’t jump to solutions — Dr. Quinn will slow you down
• Don’t accept first answers — Keep drilling
• Don’t ignore human factors — Process and people problems cause technical symptoms

Next Steps

After problem-solving:

• Use brainstorming (/cis-brainstorm) to generate creative solutions
• Apply innovation strategy (/cis-innovation-strategy) if the problem requires strategic pivots
• Use design thinking (/cis-design-thinking) if users are experiencing the problem

Providing Context

For best results, provide problem context via the --data flag:

workflow cis-problem-solving --data /path/to/problem-brief.md

Dr. Quinn will use this context to accelerate the diagnostic phase.