The Power of Obvious Solutions: How Simplicity Drives Business Improvement

Most Opportunities to Improve Are Obvious — If You Learn to See

It’s not that we can’t see the problems and their solutions. We’re not blind to what’s happening around us. But at work, we often get sucked into the minutia of the problems, the drama, the politics, the self-preservation, the work itself, and even the boredom that can strike so many of us. Or we use our intelligence to make things far more complicated than they need to be.

No wonder we miss what’s right in front of us – obvious solutions.

If we could learn to notice differently, we’d see dozens of simple opportunities to make our businesses (and ourselves) better. They’re not hidden. They’re obvious. They’re simple actions, straightforward fixes, and clear lines forward – only we don't notice them.

As a business improvement consultant, much of my role is simply pointing out the obvious – the things people could see if only they learned to notice, had time & space, and could approach things from a simple and obvious place.

This is why bringing in consultants works – they see things differently. Often, my work is just highlighting the factual, the simple, the obvious and the plain.

The path to a better business isn’t about shortcuts. It’s about learning to think, to notice, and to join the dots across the organisation. That’s where the obvious — and the best solutions — tend to live.

What follows in this article are ideas from the book: Obvious Adams (aff link). It's a wonderful (and short) book about getting to the heart of ideas, solutions and problems. And the solutions are normally very obvious indeed.

Let's jump in.

The Obvious Isn’t Intelligent Enough

Many people dismiss obvious solutions to problems.

“If it’s so obvious, it can’t be right,” they think. Or: “That’s too simple. We must make it smarter, more sophisticated, more… complicated.”

The result? Instead of taking the direct route, we take the detour. We go around the houses, as we say here in the UK. We make things complicated and complex.

"The obvious is so simple and commonplace that it has no appeal to the imagination". We discard it. We reject it. We try too hard to arrive at solutions that are obvious. Then we make them so complex, layered, and fraught with risk that we can’t implement them — and many give up.

Here’s the trap: our intelligence convinces us that simplicity can’t be enough. We talk ourselves into rejecting the obvious, then rationalise our overcomplicated answers as if they were the only possible solutions.

We often trick ourselves with clever, rational thinking. “The obvious won’t work,” we tell ourselves. “Those who suggest it are wrong.” Yet that intelligence — our intellect, our training, our competency, our higher thinking — can be exactly what blinds us to the right, obvious and simple solutions.

The truth is simpler: the obvious usually works.

Testing for the obvious

In the spirit of keeping things simple and obvious, here are a few ideas from the small but brilliant book Obvious Adams (aff link) – about how to test the obvious solutions.

1. This Problem, When Solved, Will Be Simple

When you finally land on the right solution, it will feel almost embarrassingly straightforward.

If your answer is complicated, full of extra steps, or impossible to explain, it’s probably not the obvious and simple answer. If it’s simple and it works — run with it. Don’t let your own cleverness make it harder than it needs to be.

The right solution often fits on a small piece of paper, in a 10cm x 10cm “Vending Machine” packet (see point 3), or in a quick diagram. If it doesn’t, you’ve probably added complexity for no reason.

2. Does It Check with Human Nature?

In other words, can you explain it to a child?

This is how I arrive at many principles and laws, and simple solutions – I ensure I can explain it quickly, easily and with clarity to a variety of audiences.

There’s also another aspect to this – do you feel comfortable explaining it to others? Do you feel awkward, confused and worried about answering questions about your idea or solution? If so, maybe it’s not so obvious and simple. Maybe it's not really solving the problem at hand.

And if you can explain it to a cross section of society (friends, colleagues, kids, parents, local shop keeper, etc), then the chances are you can then galvanise people around it. You can win hearts and minds. You can explain it so that people get clarity, can align around it and move into action.

The true test of obviousness is whether it can be understood and acted upon easily by everyone in your organisation.

3. Put It on Paper

Write it down. Draw it. Map it. Visualise it.

If your explanation sprawls across pages and slides, you’ve probably made it too complex. The act of writing or drawing forces clarity. Gaps in your thinking become obvious. Holes in the plan appear immediately. Weaknesses that were invisible become visible.

In my Problems from a Vending Machine workshop, participants create small, attractive products to represent problems they need to solve – designed to lure people into vending them.

Each packet contains the problem, proof it is a problem worth solving, and, on the rear, a proposed simple and obvious solution.

The limited space forces simplicity. A complex solution doesn’t fit. By condensing ideas into a small, desirable format, participants are pushed to articulate what matters most — and to keep the solutions simple and obvious.

This is why writing things down or drawing diagrams isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s essential. It makes you confront the gaps, the inconsistencies, and the areas where you’ve overcomplicated things. It forces you to think.

4. Does It Explode in People’s Minds?

The acid test of an obvious solution: when you share it, do people say, “Why didn’t we think of that?”

If they’re frustrated, annoyed, even a bit piddled that they didn’t spot it first, you’ve probably nailed it.

Keep it short and simple. Long, technical explanations rarely spark excitement. But a crisp, clear idea, well presented, simply stated and articulated with clarity can light up faces, energise a team, and mobilise action. Obvious solutions are memorable, shareable, and galvanising.

5. Is the Time Ripe?

Obvious solutions must be timely.

Sometimes we arrive too late — the problem has morphed, the markets have shifted and the solution is no longer relevant.

Other times we’re too early — our idea is right, but the organisation isn’t ready, or the business doesn’t have the appetite. Timing matters as much as simplicity.

As Obvious Adams (aff link) points out, you don’t always need all five tests. One may be enough. But testing your ideas ensures that your solutions are both simple and effective. And obvious.

The Power of Obvious

You don’t need to overthink this. The more elaborate and elegant the solution, the harder it is to implement. Complexity creates friction. Simplicity creates movement.

Obvious doesn’t mean unimportant. It means practical, clear, and ready to use. It means solutions that work, teams that understand, and actions that happen. It means we've not overcomplicated our solutions and ideas. It means we can explain it simply. It means we thought about it deeply. It means we've taken the time to poke holes in it.

But at the end of the day, our solutions are simple and obvious. And, in business, simple and obvious usually wins.