Sometimes, the problem you end up needing to solve, is not the problem you set off to solve.
In the 80’s there was an adventure game (those of you who played it will recognize the description), where you needed to get in to the castle. The castle had a moat with a bridge. The bridge had a stubborn goat, that wouldn’t let you pass. So, to get in to the castle, which is the ultimate objective, you have to go find a carrot to feed to the goat, to get the goat off the bridge, so you can cross the bridge, to get in to the castle, to win the game.
This Rube Goldberg approach to problem solving works well in video games, but is not practical nor effective in the business world. Simple processes are usually more reliable and repeatable.
If the objective is in the castle, figure out how to get the carrot, goat, and bridge OFF the critical path.
Likewise, maybe whatever is in the castle can be sourced in another way, bypassing the whole problem.
This is my way of saying “simplify the problem“.