Wrong order deliveries have increased by 30% for a fashion & lifestyle e-commerce company. As a product manager, how would you identify the root cause and solve the problem immediately?

1.1 Clarify the question

How do we identify incorrect order deliveries?

What is the time frame for the 30% increment?

What is the source of data for the information?

Let's assume that within the last 14 days, the ratio of wrong size items received to the total number of delivered packages increased by 30%. The source of data is feedback from customers who requested an exchange of items.

(Of course, there are two other typical scenarios: receiving the wrong item and not receiving the package at all. Since the percentage is 30%, I will exclude the possibility that the source of the data is inaccurate, such as customers receiving the right item but intentionally reporting incorrect information.)

2.1 Rephrase the question

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3.1 I will use three steps to find the root cause and solve the problem:

Identify the problem stage. I will list all stakeholders and map the 'user journey of the package.'

Find and verify the assumed root cause.

Design a solution, analyze risks, and weigh trade-offs.

3.2 Identification of the problem stage

3.2.1. Four stakeholders and a simple user journey

CRM - the part that sends info to the warehouse.

Warehouse - the part responsible for putting items into the package.

Dispatch - the part responsible for attaching labels to the package.

Delivery - the part responsible for delivering the actual package.

3.2.2. Analysis

Since the issue involves receiving wrong-sized items, we can exclude stages 3 and 4, as they would only affect 'whether the package is received or not.' Thus, the root cause could be in stage 1 or 2. I also exclude stage 4 as I don't delivery men have the ability to swap the size of the items. 

3.3 Find and verify the assumption

To determine whether the problem is due to the CRM or the warehouse (incorrect information or execution), we can examine the fulfillment instructions. Depending on the website's volume, we can use a full-volume examination or sampling examination for the returned packages.

If the items in the returned packages do not match the invoice, it is likely due to fulfillment.

If they match the invoice, it is likely because of a mismatch between the invoice and the CRM (the CRM is not printing or displaying the item the customer ordered).

3.4 Solution and verification of the solution

If the issue is with fulfillment, check the fulfillment machine (apologies, I am not familiar with logistics).

If the problem is with the CRM, check the CRM's configuration.

The key is to compare the changes made or the system adjustments before and after the problem occurred. This includes system configuration, hardware configuration, human resource changes, and item changes.

For example, if we find out that the pattern of the tag on the item changed and caused the misrecognition of the tag by the fulfillment system, we can update the system, attach new tags, or notify the tag provider.

3.5 Trade-offs or risks

I will verify if the percentage of feedback on wrong delivery decreases.

The risk here is that in the assumption we are taking customers' feedback as our resource which is not accurate. 

During the improvement, we also have the possibility of introducing new issues which I didn't cover in my answer