Atomic Knowledge #23: The XY Problem
Why your question might be hiding the real problem — and how to stop solving the wrong thing well
⏱️ Reading Time ≈ 1 min
The XY Problem happens when someone asks how to do X, believing it will solve problem Y. But X is just an assumed fix. If it’s the wrong fix, helping with X won’t help with Y — and both time and insight are wasted. It shows up everywhere.
A developer asks how to extract the last three letters of a filename (X) to detect its type (Y). But jpeg, html, or docx make that useless. A customer asks to reset their password online (X), unaware the service they need (Y) can only happen by phone. We don’t ask for what we need. We ask for what we think we need. And that’s the trap. We pre-package our problems into premature solutions, cutting off better paths before they can appear. To escape it:
If you're helping: don’t just answer — investigate.
If you're asking: share the whole context, not just your guess.
The XY Problem isn't just about support tickets. It’s about design, teamwork, leadership. Every time we solve the wrong thing well, we fail smartly. Clarity dies when we fall in love with our own solutions. Bad questions kill good answers. The real skill? Solving the problem behind the question.
👋🏼 Make the most of it! Until next time, S.
