Problem · Nothing but firefighting
A new fire every day. And tomorrow, the same again.
If you only react, you solve problems quickly but never for good. The same fires usually come back because their cause never gets a date.
Root cause analysis
Where the fires come from come.
Think of the last four weeks, not the worst one. The result names the pattern behind the reactive work and a first step.
Your result
Answer all questions. Then this shows where the problem probably starts and which small step helps first.
Assumptions and limits
- The check shows patterns, not blame. Firefighting is almost always a problem of the system, not the people.
- Some roles are reactive by nature, such as support. Then it's about predictability, not zero interruptions.
- Your answers stay in the browser and are not saved anywhere.
Your entries stay in this browser. Nothing is saved or sent.
How you'll notice
Always on duty. Never done.
- You start the day with a plan and end it with five unplanned problems.
- The same glitch comes back every month, just with a different customer.
- Strategic topics have been slipping to next week for weeks.
Understand the causes
Four sources reactive work.
- 01
Causes are not fixed
- How you'll notice
- The same problems resurface at intervals.
- Why it happens
- Deleting is quick, fixing takes time that is never planned.
- What helps
- Treat one recurring fire per month as a small project with a deadline.
- Limit
- Not every cause can be fixed; sometimes clear instructions are enough.
- 02
No buffer in the plan
- How you'll notice
- Every interruption pushes something planned.
- Why it happens
- Weeks get planned down to the last hour.
- What helps
- Deliberately plan free time reserved for the unexpected.
- Limit
- If the buffer is fully used every week, the volume is the problem, not the plan.
- 03
One person as the bottleneck
- How you'll notice
- Without one particular person, nothing works when problems come up.
- Why it happens
- Knowledge and decision rights sit with one person.
- What helps
- Write down recurring cases and hand off decisions up to a limit.
- Limit
- Handing off takes more time at first than doing it yourself.
- 04
No fixed inbox
- How you'll notice
- Inquiries come by email, chat, phone, and in the hallway.
- Why it happens
- Without a shared entry point, everything lands directly with individuals.
- What helps
- One place for requests and fixed times when they get sorted.
- Limit
- Customers can't be retrained; the inbox has to work internally.
Ways to solve it
From deleting to prevention.
| Way | Enough if | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Fire list and one root-cause round per week | You are a small team and the fires are manageable. | Needs someone to lead the round, even when things are on fire. |
| Documented processes for recurring cases | The same cases keep coming back and can be described. | Processes need to be maintained, or they soon stop being accurate. |
| A ticket or helpdesk system | Most fires arrive as customer requests. | Sorts inquiries but doesn't fix internal causes. |
| Peak One | The bottleneck, due commitments, and your own three priorities should be in one view. | Peak One shows where things get stuck and what is due today. Someone with time for it still has to fix the cause. |
Peak One in action
From the fire to the cause.
- TriggerWhy is something on fire again?
- 01 · CommitmentSignalCommitments Today in Peak Accountability shows which commitments are due or at risk today.
- 02 · BottleneckUnderstandingActive Constraint in Peak Constraints shows why something is the bottleneck and what it costs.
- 03 · BottleneckDecisionConstraint Resolution records how you resolve the bottleneck.
- 04 · TaskActionThe fix becomes one of the three tasks in Focus Three, instead of waiting beside the daily business.
The apps for it
Available in Peak One.
Commitments TodayAvailablePeak AccountabilityWhich commitments are due today or at risk?
Active ConstraintAvailablePeak ConstraintsWhy is this the bottleneck, and what does it cost?
Constraint ResolutionAvailablePeak ConstraintsHow do we resolve the bottleneck?
Task InboxAvailablePeak TaskWhat is new and not yet sorted?
Focus ThreeAvailablePeak WorkWhich three things move the most important goal today?
Three steps
Observe for a week. Then fix a fire.
- 01 / 03
Log the fires
For one week, write down every unplanned problem in one line: what, where from, how long.
- 02 / 03
Choose the most frequent
Which brand shows up most often or costs the most time? Just that one.
- 03 / 03
Plan for the cause
Give the fix a firm deadline and a responsible person, like any other project.
Frequently asked questions
Briefly answered.
Isn't firefighting just part of the job?
Partly yes. It becomes a problem when the same fires keep coming back and there's never time for what matters. Then it's no coincidence anymore, but a pattern.
What is the difference from too many tasks?
With too many tasks, the list is the problem. When firefighting, outside disruptions set the day, no matter how good the list is.
What if I am the bottleneck myself?
That's common when everything runs through management. Start with one recurring case that you write down and hand off. More on the page about the management bottleneck.
Keep exploring
What's included.
- FunctionTasks & projectsProjects as a board, tasks in the daily plan, one chat per project.View
- FunctionFocusNext 3, daily plan and energy profile: start less, finish more.View
- Software categoryHelpdesk softwareEvery customer inquiry with someone taking care of it.View
- Use caseAnswer customer inquiriesEvery inquiry has an owner, and common questions are answered once in public.View
- ProblemEverything depends on the managing directorEvery question lands with you, and without you a lot stands still.View
- ProblemUndocumented processesHow something is done is known only by whoever always does it.View
✦ A Peak principle
Understand before changing. Then every step counts.
Peak learns with you
More problems
Typical bottlenecks in growing companies, each with a tool you can try right away, the causes, and the path Peak One provides for it.
Solve it once. The rest follows.
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