The DX organization did not fail because it lacked people.

Was the fall in productivity in the DX organization a staffing problem or a decision-structure problem? This separation was at issue in a DX development division of a large company. The mood on the ground was that there were not enough people. Task-management tickets had indeed risen by more than 10 percent in a short period, and many were overdue. But the data told a different story. Tickets whose direction had already been decided were accumulating without classification: not a staffing shortage, but a hygiene problem.

Hiring and reminders were rejected. Bulk closure and triage of dormant tickets became the highest priority. A kill condition was made explicit: no hiring decision until the triage was complete.

Solving busyness by adding people is abandoning diagnosis. Name the problem correctly first.