D2-Describe-the-Problem.doc

Overview of D2: Describe the Problem D2 provides the opportunity to describe the internal/external customer problem by identifying what is wrong with what and detail the problem in quantifiable terms.Objectives After completing this section you should be able to: Explain the process for describing a problem Develop a problem statement Develop a problem descriptionOverviewWhy Describe the Problem? To be an effective problem solver, you need to know as much as possible about the problem before you pick a solution. Lets say you make a doctors appointment because you are having headaches. The doctor doesnt immediately schedule you for surgery.Instead, he or she learns as much as possible about your problem before offering any solutions. Can you imagine what might happen if the doctor did not take the time to find out your symptoms? Problem solvers who dont accurately define a problem may not solve the original problem at all. They are also more likely to create bigger or different problems.D2 helps you avoid inefficiency by focusing on the problem at hand. D2: Helps you define the problem as accurately as possible Acts as a database for describing the problem Drives the rest of the G8D processAny vagueness or inaccuracy at D2 can lead you and your team to the wrong cause, followed by the wrong corrective action.Tell Me What the Problem Is Instructions: Read the case below. Then determine what you think the problem is.There is a problem with one of our sheet-metal dies. If we dont take care of this problem, the customer will likely cancel the contract and we will be stuck with a terrible loss, since we paid for the tooling. This customer is well-known for pulling not only one job but all of the jobs we are doing for them.One of four sheet-metal dies is producing defective parts. Three of them work well, but the fourth die is a wreck. It produces the first 150 parts just fine, then things start to go wrong. Of the next 25 parts that are produced, 5 to 10 will be scratched. The damaged parts then get jammed in the die.The entire die must then be removed from the press. The die is disassembled and then reassembled. Then the die setters have to reinstall it, and the whole mess starts all over again.This problem only happens with the second pressthe newest one. The older press can run the die, but at a slower speed.But the operators dont like to use the slower press. They make less money when they run fewer parts. Also, there is a really expensive lubricant that we know we should use, but the cheaper lubricant has worked well for us before. Besides, the cheaper lubricant can be recycled. We cant recycle the expensive lubricant.Unfortunately, we have people who dont do as good a job at problem solving as they should. Henry is one of them. Ever since the problem started, he has been complaining about the variations in the sheet-metal thickness. We have told him to find evidence to support his theory, but he says it is not his jobit is the engineers job. Every time we have a problem, Henry wants to blame the sheet-metal supplier. The truth of the matter is that Henrys ex-wife works for the sheet-metal supplier. Whatever the problem is, we have to fix it soon.What do you think the problem is?Write your answer in the space to the right.Your answer:The Teams Answer:There may be quite a few answers to what seems like a simple question. For example, in a live G8D seminar, participants gave the following answers: Cheap lubricant was used. Employees arent using problem-solving skills. The die jams because the sheet metal has variations in thickness.The correct answer is that the parts are scratched. Think about how you might characterize some of the other answers given. Does it seem like some of the answers cover more than one problem? Or that some people may have jumped to conclusions? Observations vs. Conclusions When you describe a problem, are you making an observation or reaching a conclusion? Theres a big difference between the two. The types of insights you have can make a tremendous impact on your teams ability to solve the problem. The key to accurately defining and describing a problem is to make observations and save the conclusions for after youve gathered and examined all of the information.So whats the difference between an observation and a conclusion?The flow from observation to conclusion is like a one-way streetit seems impossible to back up. Once a conclusion is reached, it is extremely difficult for most people to reexamine the facts. As a problem solver, you must realize which side of the line you are on and cross the line only when appropriateObservationsConclusionsConsist of observable, quantifiable informationAre decisions based upon deductionsHave a high incidence of accuracyHave a low incidence of accuracyTend not to be disputed since they are usually just a list of factsTend to be debated until proven valid by testingUsually describe what, who, when, where, and how bigUsually describe the whyDetail the effectsDescribe the causeShould be done firstShould be done secondAre frequently done incompletelyAre frequently jumped toTend to be considered less important, go unrewarded, and are unappreciatedAre highly valued, usually rewarded, and reinforcedAre a function of D2Are a function of D4Reveal symptom/defectFocus on causeOverviewHow Do I Describe a Problem? To describe a problem, you need to: Develop a problem statement Develop a problem description Each step helps you accurately and thoroughly clarify the problem you are trying to solve. We will cover each step in detail.Develop a Problem Statement A problem statement is a simple, concise statement that identifies the object and defect of a problem for which the cause is unknown.A problem statement: Keeps your team focused Narrows the search for the root cause Serves as a starting point for the problem description To create a problem statement:1. Identify the object and the defect. (Ask What is wrong with what?) 2. Refine the object and defect using the repeated whys technique. Lets look at each of these stepsWhat Is Wrong with What? To identify the object and the defect of a problem, ask: What is wrong with what?What is wrong is the defect. A defect is an unwanted characteristic found in a product or process. Remember the example of the little boy plugging the leak in the dam with his finger? In that case, what is wrong is the leak.With what is the object. The object is the specific product or process that exhibits the defect. In the above example, with what is the dam.Asking What is wrong with what? helps you and your team focus on the two basic elements (the object and defect, or in this case, the leaking dam) you need for a problem statementRepeated Whys Once the object and defect are established, the next step is to refine them. Refining helps you: Focus efforts on a single problem with a single root cause Get as near as possible to the root cause using existing data Check to see if the cause of the problem is unknown To refine a preliminary problem statement, ask: Why is that happening to that object? Continue asking why until you cant answer with certainty. If the cause is unknown and you need to find the root cause, then the last object and defect is the problem statement. The process of asking Why is that happening to that object? over and over again is called the repeated whys technique (also known as stairstepping). Heres an example of repeated whys or stairstepping:Youve received a customer complaint about poor quality parts. The parts have dents and dings that cause the customers machines to jam. What is wrong with what? The customers machines are jamming.When you get to the point when you cant answer why, the last object and defect become the problem statement.Develop a Problem Statement Develop a problem statement for each, using the What is wrong with what? and repeated whys techniques. Write your answers in the text boxes provided after each scenario.Scenario 1: Every time I plug in my electric space heater, the fuse blows. I unplug the heater, install another fuse, plug in the heater and, again, the fuse goes kaput! It does not matter which electric outlet I use. I am going to freeze if I cant figure it outScenario 2: Greg has a problem on his hands. Six weeks ago, the inventory control system failed. The entire computer memory of part numbers was erased. All of the data that stated the number of parts and the types of parts were lost. Since then, Gregs people have conducted four full inventory counts. Each time, they come up with different counts for the 14,000 different part numbers. The computer continues to dump its memory, so they cannot use their bar-code readers to get an accurate count.Compare your answers to those given by G8D experts, shown below.Your answer:The teams answer:Scenario 1: Fuse blowsYour answer:The teams answer:Scenario 2: Computer dumps its memoryHow did your answers compare to those given by G8D experts? If your answers didnt match, you may want to review the section on developing a problem statement before you move on. If you feel you need additional practice developing problem statements, click hereDevelop a Problem Statement Develop a problem statement for each, using the What is wrong with what? and repeated whys techniques. Write your answers in the text boxes provided after each scenario.Scenario 3: This new paint supplier just isnt any good. They are slow to return our telephone calls, and they charge too much for their poor quality paint. The paint is inferior and it blisters in the drying oven. The engineer is frustrated.Scenario 4: Susan and Peter have two sons they love dearly. Their older son is 21 years old and has a good job with a good future. Their younger son is 17 years old. He is intelligent and has always been quite friendly, but he has been acting differently the last few months. He is very quiet and keeps to himself in his room. He refuses to spend time out of the house with his friends or his older brother. When Susan and Peter ask him what the problem is, he always replies nothing. There is no doubt that he has become very withdrawn.Compare your answers to those given by G8D experts, shown below. Your answer:The teams answer:Scenario 3: Paint blistersYour answer:The teams answer:Scenario 4: Child is withdrawn or child has become quiet and isolatedHow did your answers compare to those given by G8D experts? If your answers didnt match, you may want to review the section on developing a problem statement before you move on.Develop a Problem StatementSeparate Symptoms into Multiple Problem Statements In real life, problems come in multiples. Unfortunately, problem solving works best on one problem at a time. Complex, multiple, or vague problems should be separated, prioritized, and dealt with one at a time. The goal is to translate the customers symptom into a problem statementTo separate problems: Review your available data to see if more than one problem exists. Separate and prioritize the problems. Decide which problem to deal with first. Decide what to do with the other problemsYou and your team may want to prioritize problems and alert the Team Champion to these priorities. The Champion can then assemble another G8D team or ask another individual to solve the additional problems.A number of tools can help you focus on a single problem. Pareto charts help identify problems that happen most frequently. Keep in mind that frequency isnt the only factor to consider. Severity, urgency, and growth of the problem also need to be considered when setting priorities.Sorting Things Out Instructions: Read the case below. Then answer the questions that follow.John Dunn had encouraged Beaman Aviations executives to make a few concessions with the FAA in order to avoid the delay that a legal battle would create. Accepting the experimental rating for the HAWK was one of these concessions.Another concession was the FAA imposition of a flight-following program. This program defined detailed, cumbersome procedures for the collection of HAWK flight data. Beaman had tried without success to persuade the FAA to accept another program that would have been far easier to administer. The program was in effect until 3,000 hours of flight time (collectively) had been accumulated by the fleet of all operational (flying) HAWKs. The flight-following program required Beaman to compile data from its many customers. Any troubles that customers encountered were to be included in the programs report. Other information, including the type of mission flown, the duration of the flight, the location of the flight, etc., was also to be included in the report. A preliminary program report had just been compiled at the time of the HAWK crashes. Many of the troubles that customers had experienced were being resolved by Beamans Technical Representatives (tech reps). An inexperienced HAWK pilot will tend to become overconfident and will often ignore some of the taxi guidelines. Inexperienced pilots are the ones most inclined to underestimate the effect of a crosswind during takeoff and landing.Most ground accidents occurred early in a new pilots experience with the HAWKs. Actually, the HAWK is easy to control from the groundalmost too easy for an inexperienced pilot.Fortunately, the takeoff and landing accidents usually result in only minor damage to the HAWK.Most of the troubles reported by the customers first appeared shortly after the HAWK was introduced into service. But the unexplained crashes are quite a different matter. They have occurred only recently and pose the first legitimate challenge to the safety-of-flight issue the FAA has been challenging.From the case you just read and using the pareto chart below, choose which problem you should work on first. Fill in your answer and your reasons for choosing that problem in the space providedCustomer TroublesNumber of Incidents1. Operator accidents during takeoff232. Operator accidents during landing153. Lost signal during climb154. Lost communication with HAWK115. Unexplained crashes046. Electrical power failure037. Explained crash (pilot error)028. Failure of ground station01From the case you just read and using the pareto chart below, choose which problem you should work on first. Fill in your answer and your reasons for choosing that problem in the space providedYour answer:Unexplained crashes The teams answer:Four unexplained crashesAlthough other problems may have been more common, the unexplained crashes have the highest level of severity and potential growth because they pose the first legitimate challenge to the FAA safety-of-flight issueIn contrast, the other symptoms are easily explained by pilot error and result in minor damage, with no safety issues. Keep in mind that the problems with the greatest frequency might not be worked on first because: Someone else is already working on the problem The cause of the problem is known Severity, urgency, and growth might require you to work on other problems first Develop a Problem Description Next, develop a problem description. A problem description defines the boundaries of the problem in terms of what the problem is and what it is not, but could be. A problem statement gives you the basic facts, but a problem description gives you the details youll need to find the root cause.Why should you develop a problem description? Detectives limit their searches by excluding non-possibilities. Developing a problem description helps you and your team do the same thingnarrow the search.To develop a problem description, you need to relate the problem to the four dimensionswhat, where, when, and how big: What the problem is and what it is not, but could be Where the problem is and where it is not, but could be When the problem occurs and when it does not, but could occur How big the problem is and how big it is not, but how big it could beDetectives use just the facts techniques. Sticking to the facts (the rational method) of problem solving helps you focus on observations rather than jumping to conclusionsYou probably use the problem description process on a daily basis. Heres an example:You enter your home at night and turn on a light switch. The light doesnt go on. What do you do? Youd probably look for close cousins items or situations most similar, but without the problem. In this case, you might go into the hallway and try the light switch there.If the hall light goes on, youve already narrowed the scope of the problem. (The light near the front door may be burned out.) If the hall light doesnt work either, you might check other rooms in the house, check the fuse box, or see if your neighbors lights are working. Each step you take to describe the problem narrows your search for a solution.Develop a Problem DescriptionIs/Is Not Worksheets In the light bulb example you just read, you applied the problem description process. In most daily situations, you apply the process automatically without even realizing youre doing it. In the G8D process, you use an Is/Is Not Worksheet to help you identify and track the details of the problem, including the close cousins that will help lead you to the root cause. To the right is a sample Is/Is Not Worksheet. This worksheet helps you develop a problem description and organize the information according to a rational method. The pr