Separate four layers
Observation
What the evidence directly shows.Sales administrators re-enter customer details from email into the CRM.
Consequence
What the observation causes.This adds delay, increases error risk and consumes capacity during peak periods.
Root-cause hypothesis
Why the condition may exist.The intake process has no structured capture step and the current integration does not parse inbound requests.
Recommendation
What should be changed.Introduce structured intake and automate transfer into the CRM, with human review for incomplete submissions.Do not skip from observation directly to recommendation without validating the root cause.
Find patterns across evidence
Look for:- repeated handoffs;
- queues;
- duplicate entry;
- inconsistent decision rules;
- frequent exceptions;
- rework loops;
- system switching;
- manual checks;
- unclear ownership;
- known problems that persist because nobody has authority or incentive to change them.
Distinguish technical and operating-model causes
The same symptom may have multiple causes. A delay may be caused by missing integration, unclear ownership, policy design, staffing, incentives or approval structure. Do not recommend technology when the real constraint is organisational.Validate before finalising
Use a client validation session to confirm:- whether the reconstructed process is recognisable;
- which findings are factual;
- which are assumptions;
- where evidence is incomplete;
- whether the proposed causes are credible.