EOS IDS tool: how to run issues meetings that actually solve problems

Executive overview

Most meetings stall because teams avoid uncomfortable conversations or lack a method to prioritise what matters. The EOS IDS (Identify, Discuss, Solve) tool is a structured process that guides teams to surface the right issues, focus discussion, and reach decisions.

The hardest issue to raise — the one nobody wants to discuss — belongs at the top of the list.

Identifying the right issues

• Prioritise by urgency and stakes: time-sensitive, mission-critical, or people/process issues come first.
• Rocks (quarterly priorities) and off-track scorecard numbers qualify as issues.
• The most uncomfortable conversations are typically the highest-priority ones.
• If a topic feels avoidable, that resistance is a signal it should be addressed first.