The Idea Group
Client AreaBring a problem

A practical problem-solving practice · Taipei

Find what is really stuck.
Build what changes it.

I help SME leaders and teams turn recurring workplace problems into clearer decisions, small testable responses, and evidence about what actually changed.

Bring me a problem See how I work

Based in TaipeiWorking across Asia18+ years working with teams

PHOTO / 01The work before it becomes tidy.
A hand arranging notes on a working wall filled with questions, assumptions, sketches, and early ideas.

Questions, assumptions, and competing explanations become visible before anyone commits to a response.

Show the mess
before the answer.

WHAT PEOPLE BRING

What does “stuck”
look like at work?

Problems rarely arrive with a useful label. They sound more like this.

Recognize one?
Carry it into the form ↓
Choose a workplace situation

Choose a line to carry it into your working problem frame.

A NOTE FROM THE WORK

The first request is often a symptom.

I hear “we need a workshop,” “we need better reporting,” or “we need an AI tool.” Any of those might help. None tells us what is actually preventing progress.

The useful question:
what must become easier, clearer, or different?

PROBLEM → PROOF

Move from signals
to proof.

Four stages keep the response tied to the real situation.

  1. 01

    Notice the signals.

    Collect examples. What keeps happening, to whom, and with what consequence?

    Output: a shared account
  2. 02

    Frame the problem.

    Separate the symptom, the assumptions, and the constraint that actually matters.

    Output: an actionable frame
  3. 03

    Build a response.

    Build the smallest useful thing that real people can use under real conditions.

    Output: something testable
  4. 04

    Look for proof.

    Observe what changed. Continue, adapt, expand, pause, or stop.

    Output: a better next decision

The response follows
the problem—not the other way around.

SELECTED WORK / HONEST STATUS

Show the work.
Then show what changed.

Built is not the same as proven. The status should make that distinction visible.

Enter the evidence room →
PILOT READY

PROJECT UPDATES

Can a shorter update create better decisions?

Status reports often record activity while hiding movement, risk, ownership, and the next decision. The working prototype reorganizes each update around those four things.

BUILT
A focused reporting structure
NOT YET CLAIMED
Adoption or decision improvement
NEXT EVIDENCE
Usefulness during a live team pilot
Open case file →
PROJECT UPDATE / DECISION VIEW
MOVEMENTPrototype moved into team reviewOWNER / TA
RISKDecision criteria are not yet sharedNEEDS / ALIGNMENT
DECISIONChoose the first pilot teamBY / FRIDAY

A focused view of movement, risk, ownership, and the next decision.

More honest than
a “success story.”

IN USE

Just 3

A personal execution system that makes choosing three consequential priorities unavoidable.

Open case file →

BEHAVIOUR MADE VISIBLE

Zombie Supply Run

A live team challenge that exposes communication, assumptions, and trade-offs under pressure.

Open case file →

THE PERSON BEHIND THE WORK

A problem-solving partner who stays close to the work.

Troy Abbey presenting during a workshop to a seated group.
FIELD NOTE / IN THE ROOMFacilitating the people around the problem.
Clarity is built
with people—not delivered to them.

I’m Troy Abbey, founder of The Idea Group. For more than 18 years, I have worked across corporate training, marketing and growth, technology programmes, and business communities in Taiwan.

That mix taught me to be suspicious of tidy answers offered too early. I work directly with leaders and teams to make the situation visible, choose a practical response, and learn from what happens when real people use it.

BASED
Taipei, Taiwan
WORKING WITH
SME leaders and teams across Asia
FOCUS
Training, practical AI workflows, communication, problem solving, marketing, and growth
ROLE
Frame the problem, build the response, keep the evidence honest

THE IDEA LAB

Experiments in progress
—not finished stories.

I use the Lab to keep the problem, test, and missing evidence visible.

Experiment status
should stay visible.
01In use

Just 3

Can a strict limit of three priorities improve daily choices?

Current experiment stage: Proof
  1. Signal
  2. Frame
  3. Response
  4. Proof
02Pilot ready

Project Updates

Can a shorter update make movement, risk, and decisions easier to see?

Current experiment stage: Response
  1. Signal
  2. Frame
  3. Response
  4. Proof
03Testing

More Doors, More Luck

Which repeated actions actually create more useful opportunities?

Current experiment stage: Response
  1. Signal
  2. Frame
  3. Response
  4. Proof
Five colleagues gathered around a table, organizing notes and mapping a workplace problem together.
PHOTO / 02 · PEOPLE AROUND THE PROBLEM
Two colleagues testing and discussing a simple paper workflow prototype at a table.
PHOTO / 03 · RESPONSE IN USE
People first.
Then the prototype.

It starts with a simple, honest chat. Tell me what keeps happening. If the problem is suitable for a small test, we will name the test and the evidence together.

Bring a problem into the Lab →
No innovation theatre.

WAYS TO START

Start where
the problem is.

You do not need to choose a service before we talk.

  1. “Something important keeps happening, but we cannot name it clearly.”

    01

    Problem Clarity Session

    Leave with a shared account of the situation, assumptions to check, and one useful next question.

    Use this starting point →

  2. “We can see the pattern, but we need evidence before investing.”

    02

    Focused Diagnostic

    Leave with a practical problem definition, relevant constraints, and an evidence plan.

    Use this starting point →

  3. “The problem is framed and ready for a real-world test.”

    03

    30-Day Idea Sprint

    Leave with a working response, observations from use, and a decision about what happens next.

    Use this starting point →

BEFORE WE TALK

Useful questions.
Straight answers.

The practical details people usually want before starting a conversation.

01What kinds of workplace problems do you help solve?

Recurring problems where the visible request may not be the real constraint: slow decisions, reporting that hides what matters, training that does not change daily behaviour, unclear AI workflows, unused customer feedback, or ideas that have not met an honest test.

02Are you a consultant, trainer, or product developer?

The form follows the problem. The useful response may be a diagnostic, a facilitated working session, a practical learning experience, a workflow, a prototype, or a small experiment. I do not prescribe the format before the problem is clear.

03Who do you work with?

I work with SME leaders, department owners, and cross-functional teams—especially people responsible for making progress visible and turning decisions into action. I am based in Taipei and work with teams across Asia.

04What happens after I bring you a problem?

I read the problem note, look for the recurring signal and the consequence, and reply with useful questions. If there is a fit, we choose the smallest sensible starting point: a clarity session, focused diagnostic, or 30-day idea sprint.

05Does every problem become a project?

No. A useful conversation may reveal that the problem needs reframing, that the timing is wrong, or that someone else is better placed to help. Stopping early can be a good decision.

06How is pricing decided?

Scope and price depend on the problem, the people involved, the evidence needed, and the smallest useful response. You will know the proposed work, fee, and decision points before anything begins.

Still unsure?
Bring the question with you.

BRING ME A PROBLEM

It starts with a simple, honest chat.

Tell me what keeps happening. You do not need a diagnosis, presentation, or proposed solution.

Start the
conversation.

Prefer to write directly? start@theideagroup.com

WORKING NOTE / PROBLEM FRAMERNot a formal brief.
0 of 5 framing questions0 / 5 FRAMING QUESTIONS
YOUR WORKING PROBLEM FRAMEIN PROGRESS

[recurring situation]. This affects [affected people] and leads to [consequence]. A useful response should make [observable change] observable through [evidence].

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