The word 'problem' covers a lot of ground. A bridge engineering challenge and a market entry decision are both problems, but they require fundamentally different approaches. Conflating them is one of the most common reasons strategy work produces impressive documents and modest results.

What makes a problem complicated

A complicated problem has a knowable answer. It may require significant expertise, careful analysis, and precise execution, but there is a correct solution that a sufficiently skilled person can find. Aircraft maintenance is complicated. Tax optimisation is complicated. The difficulty is real, but it's the difficulty of gathering the right information and applying the right expertise, not the difficulty of navigating genuine uncertainty about how the system will behave.

What makes a problem complex

A complex problem involves actors who respond to each other, feedback loops that change the system as you intervene, and outcomes that can't be fully predicted in advance. Entering a new market is complex. Redesigning an organisation is complex. Navigating a founder succession is complex. The difficulty isn't a lack of information; it's that the system itself shifts in response to what you do. More analysis doesn't resolve this. A different kind of process does.

Why the distinction changes what help looks like

For complicated problems, the right help is expertise: someone who has solved this type of problem before and can apply proven methods. For complex problems, the right help is a structured process for making a defensible decision under genuine uncertainty, combined with explicit checkpoints for learning and adjusting. A consultant who treats a complex problem as complicated will produce a confident answer that doesn't account for how the situation will evolve. That's a common failure mode in strategy consulting.

A practical test

When you're scoping a problem, ask: if we gathered all the information we could possibly gather, would the right answer become clear? If yes, it's probably complicated. If the answer is 'it depends on how our competitors respond' or 'it depends on how our people react to the change', it's complex. The honest answer to that question shapes everything that follows, including what kind of external help is worth paying for.

What this means for how we work

At Tessera Quanta, we spend the first two weeks of most engagements establishing which type of problem we're actually dealing with. Sometimes the answer surprises the client. A situation that felt impossibly complex turns out to have a knowable answer once the right information is gathered. More often, a situation that felt like it just needed more analysis turns out to be genuinely complex, and the work shifts accordingly. Getting this right early saves significant time and money.

If you're unsure which type of problem you're facing, that's a reasonable starting point for a conversation. We're happy to think through it with you before any engagement is agreed.