In Four Types of Problems, continuous improvement expert and author Art Smalley shows you how to break the “hammer-and-nail” trap. He demonstrates that most business problems fall into four main categories, each requiring different thought processes, improvement methods, and management cadences

When faced with problems many business leaders and teams mechanically reach for a familiar and standard problem-solving methodology, creating unnecessary struggle, frustration, delay, and ineffectiveness in solving the problem -- if it is ever solved at all!
In other words, they keep reaching for the same old hammer as if every business problem were a nail.
In Four Types of Problems, continuous improvement expert and author Art Smalley shows you how to break the “hammer-and-nail” trap. He demonstrates that most business problems fall into four main categories, each requiring different thought processes, improvement methods, and management cadences:

Troubleshooting: A reactive process of rapidly fixing abnormal conditions by returning things to immediately known standards.
Gap-from-standard: A structured problem-solving process that aims more at the root cause through problem definition, goal setting, analysis, countermeasure implementation, checks, standards, and follow-up activities.
Target-state: Continuous improvement (kaizen) that goes beyond existing levels of performance to achieve new and better standards or conditions.
Open-ended and Innovation: Unrestricted pursuit through creativity and synthesis of a vision or ideal condition that entail radical improvements and unexpected products, processes, systems, or value for the customer beyond current levels.