Joiner’s levels of fix

Does the proposed change address the problem deeply enough?

Putting today’s problem right may be necessary. But if it keeps returning, ask what needs to change in the way the work is done and organised—not just who needs to try harder.

The levels below use this site’s practical labels. “Level 3 Deep” adds a question about beliefs and mindsets; it is an extension used here, not a separate numbered Joiner level.

One delivery problem, different depths of fix

Imagine late deliveries recur near each month-end. Investigation suggests a rush of orders, unrealistic promises and delivery capacity that cannot absorb the peak. These are illustrative explanations to check.

Level 1—fix the output. Put the immediate problem right: contact the customer and arrange delivery of the late order. This helps today’s customer but may leave the reasons for recurring delays unchanged.
Level 2—fix the process. Improve how the work is done: check available delivery slots before confirming a date. Make the check clear and easy to use.
Level 3—fix the system. Change the arrangements shaping the work: align sales targets with reliable delivery, plan capacity across teams and give someone authority to resolve conflicting priorities.
Level 3 Deep—reconsider beliefs and mindsets. Test the assumption: “We must promise the date the customer wants, or we’ll lose the sale.” What do customers actually value, and what happens when we offer a realistic date?

These levels can overlap. A process change can help substantially; a system redesign can fail. The labels help us question a proposal—not predict its success.

Choose a fix that fits—and make it workable

Connect the change to the explanation. How should it prevent or reduce the problem? More training will not, by itself, create missing capacity.
Identify control and dependencies. What can we change ourselves? Who else has the authority or resources needed?
Involve the people doing the work. Make the new arrangement clear, simple and practical, with time, resources and authority to use it.

Deeper changes can be politically and organisationally harder because they challenge responsibilities, incentives and familiar beliefs. Listen to concerns: reluctance may reflect habit, but also real risks, extra work or something people stand to lose.

A written rule is not enough. Check whether the intended change actually happens in everyday work.

Check whether it helped

Measure the intended result, whether the change is being used and possible harm elsewhere. Allow for variation and realistic delays.

A chart can help assess performance changes. It cannot identify the intervention’s level or prove its cause. No detected change is a reason to investigate—not an automatic instruction to move up a level.

Choose measures that show whether the change helped →

What’s your next useful question?

Are we putting today’s problem right—or changing what keeps producing it?

Take one proposed fix. Explain how it should help, what must change for it to work and who needs to be involved.

Return to right problem, right intervention, right measures →