Problem Identification: When You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

We all have problems.

I argued in an earlier post that admitting what you don’t know and seeking out the resources that can help is a (maybe the) key to success in graduate school. But what if you don’t know what you don’t know? What if you don’t even know what the problem is?

The First Step in Solving a Problem: Identify It

Problem identification is the key first step in problem solving. Incorrectly identifying a problem can lead to, as the authors of a recent report on AI in education wrote in a different context, “win[ning] the race to the wrong finish line” (Cardona et al., 2023, 44). For example, the other day, I spent 30 minutes standing outside in the cold with my neighbor and two delivery people whose truck wouldn’t start. They assumed that the problem was the battery, so we tried three different chargers with no success. Each time, we decided each time that the reason the truck STILL wouldn’t start is that the chargers were not made for a large delivery van, but rather for smaller vehicles that would need less power. When help showed up with jumper cables, we laughed about how funny it would be if, all along, the problem was actually that the van had run out of gas. We would have wasted our time trying ever more powerful versions of the wrong solution. (It turned out the problem was the battery – the jumper cables worked. But it’s a good story, anyway).

Advice for Problem Identification

The popular framework for instructional design, ADDIE, includes problem identification as part of the initial, analysis phase of planning instruction. The product development world talks about “problem framing.” A counselor might advise getting to the root of the problem.

But some of the most helpful advice I’ve seen for pinpointing the problem comes from Products Finishing, an online publication that has been, according to the website, “The Voice of the Finishing Industry Since 1936.” If you are interested, you can learn the latest on electroplating, anodizing, and vapor degreasing. You can also learn about problem identification. While the 2020 article is intended to provide helpful tips for troubleshooting bright nickel processes, the advice has a broader application. Here, I will stretch that application to its farthest limit — problem identification in graduate school.

Why Problem Identification Is Difficult

First, the article points out that troubleshooting is difficult because of the many factors and processes involved. Different underlying issues can cause problems that look the same. This is true in grad school. Are you stalled on your dissertation proposal? That could be because you don’t really like your topic, because you’re struggling to find an appropriate methodology, because your advisor is on sabbatical, because you have been sick, because you spend every evening watching reruns of Friends, or because you are trying to juggle two kids under 2 years old, a teaching job, and academics. The obvious symptom (a languishing proposal) has a hidden cause (maybe more than one). So, you need to go deeper than the obvious to solve the problem.

Is There a Problem?

Second, the article cautions: “Be sure there is a problem: Do not mistake random occurrences of defects for typical performance.” Applied to grad school, one might ask whether you are just having a rough week, which happens to everyone, no matter how motivated and high performing. Or perhaps you are simply coming to terms with the reality that graduate school is difficult and time-consuming. There’s nothing wrong with you. There’s nothing wrong with your program. It’s just going to be a challenging few years.  

Narrow the Scope

Once you have determined that there really is a problem, the article advises “narrowing the scope.” In bright nickel processes, this involves a “checklist of key questions.” Guess what? It does in graduate school, too. The idea of a checklist or other diagnostic tool is helpful because it organizes your inquiry. You aren’t just casting aimlessly for parts of your life that might be contributing to the problem. You are instead applying a system.

The Value of a Diagnostic Tool

You can certainly create a checklist to help you methodically address various responsibilities in your life (family, job, household tasks) and various behaviors (time management, self-care, motivation). This is also an area where an external auditor can be helpful. The Well-Ordered Mind has an Academic Wellness Inventory for graduate students (and one for undergrads, too) that can help me work with you to identify potential problem areas. If you are interested in finding out more, check out the Academic Wellness page on the website. If your problem turns out to be nickel plating, though, I won’t be able to help much.

Cardona, M. A., Rodríguez, R. J., & Ishmael, K. (2023). Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning. Office of Educational Technology. U.S. Department of Education. https://tech.ed.gov/ai-future-of-teaching-and-learning/

Lay, D. (2020, June 1). Troubleshooting Bright Nickel Processes: How to Identify the Problem. Products Finishing, 84(9), 34.