3DM6 Solution Design

Building Complete, Aligned, and Adaptable Solutions

The 3DM6 Approach consists of four interacting domains:

1. Objectives Analysis – Define what success looks like

2. Decision Analysis – Identify the influential decisions and understand their characteristics

3. Essential Analysis – Use accessible analytical techniques

4. Solution Design – Develop solutions that are complete, aligned, and adaptable

This article focuses on the final domain: 3DM6 Solution Design.

The gap between intended objectives and results is often blamed on a lack of talent, technology, or funding. While those can be real constraints, the deeper issue is often fragmented thinking, competing agendas, or incomplete solutions.

The 3DM6 Approach offers a way to close that gap. It gives leaders a structure to translate strategic or tactical objectives into clear actions, measurable benefits, and adaptive plans. Observing past disappointments compared to successes helped make this decision-centered framework clearer to me. It’s not a silver bullet, but applying the approach with intent can avoid a lot of wasted effort.

The central assertion for 3DM6 Solution Design is simple: most successful solutions, whether technical or not, share six components that need to be present and connected: