The same problem keeps returning
You fix it, it comes back, and each fix treats a different symptom.
Courses
See what you would learn
Stop fixing symptoms and find the problem underneath.
A course on problem-solving for messy, real situations. It covers separating symptoms from causes, questioning the assumptions baked into the problem statement, and testing a likely explanation before committing to a fix.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.
Type this when Cadence asks what you want to learn
I want to get better at solving messy problems. Help me separate symptoms from causes, question assumptions, and test a promising explanation before choosing a solution.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
- Best for
- Decision-making
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons, sized to your goal
- Lesson pace
- About 10 minutes a day
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store, with early features and Android testing access
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- What kind of problems do you face: operational, people, technical, or personal?
- Do you tend to jump to solutions, or get stuck analysing?
- Is there a recurring problem that keeps coming back after being fixed?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
You solve fast and wrong
Your first solution is quick, confident and aimed at the wrong thing.
The problem statement came from someone else
You inherited a framing and have never checked whether it is right.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06Why we solve the wrong problem
Speed, familiarity and the comfort of a problem we already know how to fix.
Symptoms and causes
Asking why until the answer stops changing, without turning it into a ritual.
The hidden assumptions
Reading a problem statement for what it takes for granted.
Several explanations
Holding more than one hypothesis so the first one does not win by default.
Cheap tests
Finding out which explanation is right before building the solution.
Fixing the cause
Choosing an intervention that addresses what you found, and checking it held.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Tell symptoms from causes
Trace what you can see back to what is producing it.
Question the framing
Find the assumptions hidden in how the problem was described.
Test before you fix
Check a likely explanation cheaply before spending on a solution.
Ideas this course corrects
Experienced people see the problem faster
Experience often supplies the familiar answer faster. Seeing the real problem is a separate skill.
More analysis means better solutions
Analysis without a hypothesis to test is just delay. The goal is a checkable explanation.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course on problem-solving for messy, real situations. It covers separating symptoms from causes, questioning the assumptions baked into the problem statement, and testing a likely explanation before committing to a fix. It sits under Decision-making in the Work & ambitions part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Courses run 7 to 30 lessons of about 10 minutes, sized to what you asked for. One lesson a day is the intended pace, and you can go faster. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
The sentence to type
I want to get better at solving messy problems. Help me separate symptoms from causes, question assumptions, and test a promising explanation before choosing a solution.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.