Info
A person comes to you for help with a solution to a problem (Y), instead of the actual problem they are trying to solve.
This can lead to misunderstandings because the focus is on fixing the wrong thing.
To avoid this, it’s better to describe the original problem (X) and let others help find the best solution, rather than assuming the approach (Y) is correct. The XY problem occurs when someone asks for help with their attempted solution (Y) instead of the actual problem they’re trying to solve (X).