02 Systematic Problem Solving 354h8

Systematic Problem Solving

Content

1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

Background to Problem Solving Setting the Problem Statement Analyze the Problem in Detail Identify Likely Causes Define Actual Causes

Background to Problem Solving

A logical problem solving process

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Problem Statement Analyze the problem in detail Identify likely causes Define actual cause(s)

Problem vs. Symptoms • Problems exist when someone or something is not performing as expected; • Actions need to be taken to solve the problem thus action should follow from a clear understanding of the problem. • To understand problem solving it is necessary to distinguish between symptoms of a problem and its causes.

Problem identification • Identification of the cause of a problem is the key to problem solving; • Once you know the real cause of the problem, you can decide how to deal with it; • In many cases people tend to combat symptoms only instead of real problem solving; • It is necessary to distinguish between the symptoms of a problem and its causes!!!

Avoiding Pitfalls A. B. C. D.

Giving up too early; Jumping straight to conclusions about the cause; Not getting the right people involved; Not collecting all the relevant data.

What is the worst one? The worst one is “B " because: it is always very tempting to think you know the cause of a problem straight away, jump to conclusions and take action to “solve” it.

Setting the Problem Statement Not the cause of the problem, but the problem itself!!!

Setting the Problem Statement  A problem statement is a single sentence which specifies your understanding of the problem.  Not the cause of the problem, but the problem itself!!!

 Setting the problem statement is the single most important action you will take in the whole problem solving process.  It is so important that you must be prepared to put in time and effort to get it right.

Setting the Problem Statement • Why is setting the problem statement so important? • Several potential reasons are given below 1. Get the problem statement wrong and you will search in the wrong areas for the problem's cause. 2. A clear problem statement enables you to decide what actions must be taken to find the cause. 3. Keeping the problem statement visible during the search for the cause keeps effort focused in the right area.

• The problem statement provides the context within which all further work takes place.

Analyze the Problem in Detail Analyze what is wrong Analyze what is right

Analyzing what is wrong

• Here you are aiming to develop a detailed specification of the problem; • This involves measuring its scale and scope, determining what the detailed symptoms are; • Determine the current and future negative impact or consequences of the problem; • It also needs to determine who is involved and when and how often the problem occurs.

Analyzing what is right • The purpose of this is to determine what the problem is not; • If things are going well, then they can't be part of the problem; • By analyzing what is right you can eliminate potential causes of the problem and limit the scope of your investigation.

The Role of Questions

• Asking questions is the key to analyzing problems; • A systematic approach to questioning ensures you don't miss any important areas; • If you don't ask the right questions, you can't possibly get the right answers; • The best questions nearly always start with 6Ws: What? Why? When? Who? Where? With what (How)? • Avoid to get the right answers for the wrong questions!!

Analyzing the Problem To summaries, the key questions you need to ask are:  What is wrong?  Why it went wrong?  When did it go wrong?  How much went wrong?  Where did it go wrong?  Who is involved?

Identify Likely Causes What is different? What has changed? What are the most likely causes?

Identify Likely Causes • Identify the differences between what you have identified from your analysis of what is right and what is wrong. – This will enable you to discover what is distinctive about the problem.

• What has changed? Something happened to cause the problem. – So what things changed round about the time the problem started to manifest itself.

• What are the most likely explanations? – The work you have done so far should enable you to identify potential causes of the problem.

What's Different? In this stage look for things which are: – Distinctive in the symptoms identified which distinguish the problem situation from the areas where you are satisfied; – Distinctive in the parts of the organization and specific locations where the problem arises which distinguish them from the areas where you are satisfied; – Distinctive about the time a problem arises from times when it does not; – Different about a group which is affected by the problem compared to groups which are not affected by it.

What Has Changed? Often the changes involve:  Equipment. This includes introduction of new equipment and changes in maintenance procedures;  Processes. Introduction of new systems and procedures, changes to patterns of communication, training processes and so on;  People. These include changes in personnel, organization structure, workgroups, skill levels and leadership style;  Materials. Use of different materials, changes in material specification and changes in quality are all relevant.

Define Actual Causes What is the most likely explanation? Can I prove it?

Define Actual Causes • Identifying what is the most likely explanation. – Of all the potential causes identified, which is the most likely explanation for all the symptoms which have been identified?

• Proving the cause. – This involves testing whether the cause identified can explain all the symptoms presented by the problem.

Questions & Discussions