PEP Strategy

The Process

Event: Strategic Prioritization of Epic Problems (PEP Talk). Definition: a controlled debate method for finding common ground by separating solutions from problems and prioritizing what matters most.

Time Span

The time until the next Prioritization event is determined by Participants, but must not exceed 12 months.

  • Recommendation: every 3 months.
  • Intent: align with Agile/PMP quarterly planning cadence (roughly 8-12 weeks).
  • Too long: strategy loses relevance. Too short: creates a moving target.

New Philosophies

People-first leadership models can outperform hierarchy in speed and quality. A cited example is David Marquet’s experience in Turn This Ship Around, where empowerment transformed underperformance into top results.

Four-Part Operational Sequence

  1. Part 1: Craft Problem Statements. Facilitators remove solution language and coach participants toward pure problem framing.
  2. Part 2: Research and TED Talks. Publish proposals, collect short submissions, index rebuttals, and maintain a public proposal library.
  3. Part 3: Prioritized Epic Problems. Use rounds, floor management, objections, debate limits, and voting rules to produce ordered priorities.
  4. Part 4: Metrics Definition. Community organizers and data scientists define measurable indicators for each prioritized problem before solution requests.

Part 1 Guidance: Crafting Problem Statements

  • Solutions dictate how; problems explain why.
  • Beware negatives that hide solutions, e.g. “We don’t have national healthcare service.”
  • Use the “5 Whys” to identify the underlying problem(s) beneath a proposed solution.
  • Use “1-2-4-All” to refine statements alone, in pairs, then in groups of four before facilitator review.
  • Publish proposal call publicly for all Designated Assembled Representative Participants.
  • Recorded submissions should be 10 minutes or less.
  • Librarians categorize by proposal, and may reject by 2/3 plurality if a submission does not apply.
  • Rebuttal submissions are allowed under the same call-for-submissions rules.