ONE GOOD IDEA
Some Sage Advice
A reminder to focus on the problem before looking for a solution
FOR SEVERAL YEARS, Ive had an Albert
Einstein quote written on the whiteboard
in my office: If I only had an hour to solve
a problem, Id spend 55 minutes think-
ing about the problem and five minutes
thinking about solutions. It reminds my
co-workers and me not to jump to conclu-
sions by thinking about how to fix a prob-
lem before we take the time to understand
the problem.
I recently discovered a similar quote by
Abraham Lincoln: If I only had an hour to
chop down a tree, I would spend the first
45 minutes sharpening my axe.
Thinking about Einsteins 55:5 ratio
and Lincolns 45:15 ratio, I wondered
how these ratios might map to structured
problem-solving procedures. In manufac-
turing, the two most common problem-
solving procedures are define, measure,
analyze, improve and control (DMAIC)
and 8D. Einstein and Lincolns quotes
suggest that in DMAIC, we must spend the
vast majority of our time on the first three
steps (define, measure and analyze) and
less time on the last steps (improve and
control). The quotes also suggest that if
we focus intently on the first four steps in
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BY ART SPOONER
8D (team formation, problem definition,
containment and root cause analysis), we
would not need to spend so much time on
the final steps (corrective action, verifica-
tion, prevention and congratulations).
Theres urgency when we first hear
about a problemthere may be a line
shutdown in the factory, a phone call from
a frustrated field technician or an email
from an angry customer. If its a recurring
problem, theres the added reminder of the
previous unsuccessful efforts. The person
with the problem just wants it to go away
as quickly as possible, and the problem-
solvers also want to resolve it in as little
time as possible because they have other
responsibilities that are being interrupted.
Who can take the time for structured
problem-solving?
Whatever the urgency, effective
problem-solvers have the self-discipline
to develop a complete description of the
problem. They may be tempted to ask,
Have you tried ___? But then they slow
down and ask, Who first noticed the prob-
lem? and all those other tedious Who?
What? When? Where? Why? How? How
many? questions. This takes discipline.
Even if the team hasnt decided
whether to follow DMAIC or 8D, the first
two steps of the 8D process are helpful
early in problem-solving. Effective teams
often ask the people reporting the prob-
lem to provide photos or videos, describe
the failure mode precisely, or provide data
from products that are working well and
products that are failing. It often helps
to make a formal request for the people
who experience the problem to join the
problem-solving team.
Einstein and Lincolns ratios also help fo-
cus effective problem-solvers on root cause
analysis. Especially in customer-supplier
problem-solving, it is easy for one side to
assign responsibility to the other before
understanding the failure mode in detail.
This can set up an unnecessarily adversarial
relationship, which makes it even more dif-
ficult to understand the problem in full.
Experienced problem-solvers know
that, in many cases, it is necessary to
circle back to earlier steps in the
problem-solving process. The problem
definition may need additional details,
the team may need another member, or
understanding the failure mode may give a
clue to improve containment. In cases like
this, when everyone involved is eager for
solutions (when will you be done?), Ein-
stein and Lincoln remind us that we must
take the time to complete the first steps of
problem-solving. Spending this time at the
beginning of the problem-solving process is
an investment worth making. QP
ART SPOONER is a senior global sup-
plier quality manager at Life Fitness
in Franklin Park, IL. He has a masters
degree from Northwestern University
in Evanston, IL. An ASQ senior mem-
ber, he is an ASQ-certified quality
manager and Six Sigma Black Belt.
April 2015 QP 63