Half-solving problems

During a busy season, any problems that turn up can get messy.

The problem has to be solved but solving it while you're busy might slow things too much which creates even more problems.

Usually the natural response is to solve the problem well-enough for now and then (hopefully) come back to fix it right later on.

That's a fine coping strategy if you remember to come back and correctly fix the problem in a less busy time. If you don't then a mess starts to form from the half-solved problems.

In development circles this is called a kludge:

A clumsy or inelegant solution to a problem.

One way to solve this is to keep a list of problems and their kludges. This list can then be used later, after things have calmed down, when you have the time to go back and fix the problem the right way.

This approach of "get a quick fix in now and solve it correctly later" when paired with a checklist can work surprisingly well. It's an approach you'll want to keep around this time of the year as problems and exceptions turn up on a daily basis.

Cohort reports let you detect seasonal spikes as well as long-term retention cycles. Repeat Customer Insights can automatically create cohorts for your Shopify store, going back to your very first order.

Directive: Keep a list of quick fixes and go back later to fix them.

Eric Davis