“You asked me to look at problem X, but the real impact on our performance will come from solving problem Y. Now I can solve problem X, if that’s what you really want, but I think it’s in our interest to focus on Y.”
Redefine the problem. You can tell your client that the problem is not X, it’s Y.
if you have the data to back you up, the client can either accept your recommendations or tell you to stay on the original problem, but you will have fulfilled your responsibility to act in the client’s best interest.
Tweak your way to a solution. dont worry about implementing the solution immediate. As people leave the organization, you can “tweak” your way to your optimum over time.
Facts Based Analysis, move forward with this. rework on the initial hypothesis
Work through the politics. Even political problems are soluble. Most people in business are rational, at least in their business conduct. They react to incentives. Therefore, when you face political opposition, it usually means that your solution has negative implications for someone in the organization. So politics is just people acting in their own interests.
