Your Problem. A symptom of the real problem?

The first question the effective innovator asks is:

“Is this problem I've got... is it a generic situation or an exception?”  Is this something that underlies a great many occurrences? Or is the occurrence a unique event that needs to be dealt with as such?”

The generic issue always has to be answered through a rule, a principle, a new process.

The exceptional can only be handled as such and as it comes and good shared ideas can fix it."

(from "The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done