Analysis Paralysis and Overthinking: Are You Guilty of Missing the Mark?

At times, analysis paralysis and overthinking are just as bad as implementing a solution to the wrong problem. Let me explain.

I was in a conversation the other day with a colleague where Design of Experiments (DOE) came up. During our discussion, we talked about the factors involved, controllable and uncontrollable variables, the number of levels or settings in the experiment, and the various responses for each trial. It was fun, until I realized quickly that we were definitely overthinking it.

Then, I quickly brought myself back from the clouds and remembered that, while it might be fun to conduct a DOE, it is likely that it would be overdoing and overthinking the problem. Most optimization problems can be answered much quicker, cheaper, and with much less effort than a traditional Taguchi Design of Experiments.

I find this analogous to the relationship between men and women – or, specifically, my relationship with my wife. On appearance, my wife seems very complicated, much akin to a sea of variables with different knobs, turns, settings, and levels. But, that’s just in appearance. In reality, there are just a few things I need to do to make her happy: listen to her, treat her well, be thoughtful, involve her in my life. You know. The basics.

Actually, sticking to the fundamentals probably solves most problems, eliminating the need to get fancy.

How have you been guilty of overthinking? Share your examples here.