/analyse-problem

name: analyse-problem
description: Comprehensive A3 one-page problem analysis with root cause and action plan

A3 Problem Analysis

Apply A3 problem-solving format for comprehensive, single-page problem documentation and resolution planning.

Description

Structured one-page analysis format covering: Background, Current Condition, Goal, Root Cause Analysis, Countermeasures, Implementation Plan, and Follow-up. Named after A3 paper size; emphasizes concise, complete documentation.

Usage

`/analyse-problem [problem_description]`

Variables

• PROBLEM: Issue to analyze (default: prompt for input)
• OUTPUT_FORMAT: markdown or text (default: markdown)

Steps

1. **Background**: Why this problem matters (context, business impact) 2. **Current Condition**: What's happening now (data, metrics, examples) 3. **Goal/Target**: What success looks like (specific, measurable) 4. **Root Cause Analysis**: Why problem exists (use 5 Whys or Fishbone) 5. **Countermeasures**: Proposed solutions addressing root causes 6. **Implementation Plan**: Who, what, when, how 7. **Follow-up**: How to verify success and prevent recurrence

A3 Template

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
                    A3 PROBLEM ANALYSIS
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

TITLE: [Concise problem statement]
OWNER: [Person responsible]
DATE: [YYYY-MM-DD]

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. BACKGROUND (Why this matters)                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [Context, impact, urgency, who's affected]                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2. CURRENT CONDITION (What's happening)                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [Facts, data, metrics, examples - no opinions]              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 3. GOAL/TARGET (What success looks like)                    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [Specific, measurable, time-bound targets]                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 4. ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS (Why problem exists)                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [5 Whys, Fishbone, data analysis]                           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 5. COUNTERMEASURES (Solutions addressing root causes)       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [Specific actions, not vague intentions]                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 6. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (Who, What, When)                    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [Timeline, responsibilities, dependencies, milestones]      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 7. FOLLOW-UP (Verification & Prevention)                    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [Success metrics, monitoring plan, review dates]            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Examples

Example 1: Database Connection Pool Exhaustion

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
                    A3 PROBLEM ANALYSIS
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

TITLE: API Downtime Due to Connection Pool Exhaustion
OWNER: Backend Team Lead
DATE: 2024-11-14

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. BACKGROUND                                                │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • API goes down 2-3x per week during peak hours             │
│ • Affects 10,000+ users, average 15min downtime             │
│ • Revenue impact: ~$5K per incident                         │
│ • Customer satisfaction score dropped from 4.5 to 3.8       │
│ • Started 3 weeks ago after traffic increased 40%           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2. CURRENT CONDITION                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Observations:                                                │
│ • Connection pool size: 10 (unchanged since launch)         │
│ • Peak concurrent users: 500 (was 300 three weeks ago)      │
│ • Average request time: 200ms (was 150ms)                   │
│ • Connections leaked: ~2 per hour (never released)          │
│ • Error: "Connection pool exhausted" in logs                │
│                                                              │
│ Pattern:                                                     │
│ • Occurs at 2pm-4pm daily (peak traffic)                    │
│ • Gradual degradation over 30 minutes                       │
│ • Recovery requires app restart                             │
│ • Long-running queries block pool (some 30+ seconds)        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 3. GOAL/TARGET                                               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Zero downtime due to connection exhaustion                │
│ • Support 1000 concurrent users (2x current peak)           │
│ • Al