CHAPTER 4

– BDA 10602 –

4.1 IDENTIFYING PROBLEM

4.2 DETERMINING THE OBJECTIVE
4.1 Identifying Problem
4.2 Determine Objective

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What is PROBLEM..?

Discuss with your friend

3 minutes….

A matter or situation regarded as “unwelcome”

or harmful and needing to be deal with and
overcome.

A thing difficult to achieve or accomplish.

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Problem Definition
 “It is worth spending an appropriate
amount of time making sure that you have
defined the problem properly BEFORE you
set out on an project. (Qvist, 2004)

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Problem Definition

• No matter how clever

we are at coming up
with solutions to
problems, if we are
working on the wrong
problems in the first
place we are wasting
our time. "The question is more important than the
answer" –Edward Deming

• Troubleshooting skill
Problem Definition

 Troubleshooting skill

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Types of Problem
Presented Problem:
- problems which come to us, or are given to us, or happen
to us.
- problems are presented to us by outside world [J. R. Hayes]

Examples
• Machinery breaking down
• A target set is by somebody else
• Being stuck in a traffic jam

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Types of Problem
Constructed Problem (we want it..!):
- problems that we make for ourselves.
- There may not be anything specifically wrong but we are
interested in the possibility of improvement, or change, or
doing something different.

Examples
• Gaining a qualification, master, PhD
• Innovating a new product
• Improving an existing procedure or service

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 Step to Tackle Problem
Using ‘HOW TO’ statement…

Examples
• Motocycle breaking down:
- how to repair the motorcycle?

• A target set is by somebody else:

- how to achieve the target?

• Being stuck in a traffic jam:

- how to get out of the jam? Jumping car, fly,….
- how to organize schedule to avoid traffic jam?

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 Test/Exam

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 Consider this problem

• A hospital was getting lots of complaints from

patients about the food.

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