PROBLEM SOLVING

LEAN L. SEVERINO
 We need to learn what we are
primarily paid to do: To solve-
Why are problems using the scientific way

we having To master the methodology of

this doing it and do it every day.

session? In short, -We want to see a

culture of problem- solving where
ALL PEOPLE solve problem
everyday.
 • Plan 6.Do ( 5w-2H)
1. Understand The (Next • Implement Or
Target) Condition
Execute The Plan
THE 8 2. Understand Current
• Who, When,
Where, How Etc.
STEPS IN Condition
7.Conduct Potential
PROBLEM 3. Identify Obstacles (Or
Problem analysis(PPA)
SOLVING Problems)
8. Study and Adjust
4. Identify Root cause of • Assess If The
the problem Countermeasure
(Solution) Is Effective
5. Formulate Or Not….. Or
Countermeasure • If The Implementation
Was Done Correctly
Or Not
 What do you
Set the want to
Target achieve?
Condition
• About image
• About people/people’s behavior
•
(Goal)
About customer
• About processes
• About profitability/ efficiency
• etc.
Understand the Current Condition
• One should understand the current condition so he
can assess if can reach its target condition

1. What is the current Image of my group?

2. How does our customer current see my group?

Step 2 Understand the Current Condition
3. What is the current efficiency level of our group?
4. How does our people behave currently?
5. What is the current profitability standing of our
group?
6. How do people see our current or present
workplace?
 • Here, it is tricky when there
Step 3 Identify are many probable causes.
To solve this, we need to lay
the Most Likely down all the problems . We
Problem (or can do this using Fishbone
Gap) That Analysis or Ishikawa
Prevents you Diagram (5W-2W) and
select from the list which
from Reaching one , you think (thru data or
you Goal gutfeel) is the most likely
Problem.
 Start with Simple Problems
What kind
of Problems whose solution requires
no investment
problems Problems which, if solved, the
will you result can be seen quickly

solve first? Problems About Safety of People

 Recurring/Irritating Problems
What kind
of Strategic Problems (Disrupting
The Direction Of The Company)
problems Economic Problems (Costing
will you The Company a lot of money)
solve first? Problems Pertaining to Waste
Minimization
 THE EIGHT (8) WASTES

D DELAY

O OVERPRODUCTION

UNDERSTANDI W WAITING

NG MUDA N NON-UTILIZATION OF TALENTS

(WASTE) T TRAVELLING

I INVENTORY

M MOTION

E EXCESS PROCESSING
STEP 3 DETERMIND THE MOSTLIKELY PROBLEM
 NO
ORIENTATION

WEAK LEADER
ARE THEY
ALIGNED?

HIDDEN AGENDA

NO TRAINING/
COACHING
ARE THEY
COMPETENT ?
POOR TRAINING

MAN WRONG
TRAINING

LOW SALARY

NOT
ARE THEY PASSIONATE
ENGAGED?

WEAK LEADER

WEAK LEADER

ARE THEY DECENTRALIZED

ENABLED? MGT SYSTEM

LEADERSHIP
STYLE
IF THE ANSWER IS NO, PROCEED
OLD MACHINE
TO THE NEXT QUESTION

POOR
MAINTENANCE
ARE THEY
SYTSTEM
REALIABLE?

POOR REPAIR
STAFFING

NO
REPLACEMENT
PROGRAM
ARE THEY
ENOUGH ? NO BUDGET FOR
CAPEX
MACHINE
NOT UPGRADED

NO PREV MAIN

NO REGULAR
DO THEY OFTEN MAINTENANCE
STOP?

NO QUALITY
MAINT.

NO SPARE MGT

POOR TROUBLE
SHOOTING

POOR REGULAR
ARE THEY FAST?
MAINTENANCE

LOW CAPACITY
 NOT SIMPLE/
IF THE ANSWER IS NO , PROCEED COMPLEX TO
TO THE NEXT QUESTION USE

IS THE SUPPORT
DOES IT SERVE SYSTEM
ITS PURPOSE EFFECTIVE?
(EFFECTIVE)?

IS THE METHOD
CLEAR?

DESIGN
IS IT EFFICIENT?
(QUICK, WITH
QUALITY, LESS
COSTLY) CAPACITY
METHOD
PROCEDURES

DOCUMENTED

WITH TRAINING
ARE THEY MANUAL
SIMPLE TO
FOLLOW?

SIMPLY
PRESENTED

ORIENTATION
TIME

GOOD DESIGN

DOES IT CREATE REGULAR

WASTE? TRAINING

NO PROCESS
ANALYSIS
IF THE ANSWER IS NO, PROCEED NO INSPECTION
TO THE NEXT QUESTION

POOR SOURCE
DOES IT HAVE
QUALITY?

POOR
INSPECTION

FEW SOURCE

IS IT ENOUGH?
POOR INVTY
MGT
MATERIAL
NO/ POOR
WAREHOUSE

INVENTORY MGT

SHIPPING
ARE THEY PROBLEM
AVAILABLE
WHEN NEEDED?

POOR TRACKING

DISORGANIZED
STOCKING

POOR
SOURCING

ARE THEY
COSTLY TO FEW SUPPLIERS
ACQUIRE?

TOO SPACEOUS
 TOO MANY
IF THE ANSWER IS NO , PROCEED GOALS?(MORE
TO THE NEXT QUESTION THAN 5)

DOES IT NO IMPACT
MEASURE THE GOALS (NOT KPI)
RELEVANT
THINGS?
ARE THE GOALS
“SMART”?

DOES IT DO YOU HAVE

MEASURE THE PROCESS
PROCESS AND GOALS?
NOT THE
DEPARTMENT DO MEASURE
ONLY ? THEM?
MEASUREMENT
IS THERE
SOMEBODY IN-
CHARGE OF
EACH PROCESS

IS IT PUT ON THE
WALLS?

IS THE
MEASUREMENT IS IT UPDATED?
VISUAL(CAN BE
SEEN BY
EVERYBODY)? DOES IT
CONTAIN
GRAPH?

IS IT IN THE
STRATEGIC
AREAS?

WAS THERE A
BIAS FOR
ACTION?

DOES
EVERYBODY
DOES IT HAVE
ACT ON WHAT
DEADLINE?
WAS
MEASURED?

IT IS MONITORED
FOR FINAL
CLOSURE?
 NO AREA FOR
IF THE ANSWER IS NO , PROCEED
EACH PART?
TO THE NEXT QUESTION

POOR
LABELLING?
IS ORGANIZED?

NO SORTING?

WITH LITERS?

IS IT CLEAN?
WITH NO
HOUSKEEPING
ENVIRONMENT TOOLS?

POOR
WAREHOUSING?

NO SAFETY
SIGNS?

NO SAFETY
INSPECTION?
IS IT SAFE?

NO SAFETY
OFFICER

NO SAFETY
PROCEDURES

NO SECURITY
POLICIES

IS IT SECURED? FEW CONTROLS

NO SECURITY
INSPECTIONS
If there Try each problem, one by one –
until the problem disappears
are many
probable Or you can use Pareto Diagram to
prioritize the Problems you want to
causes? solve

What do Using one’s gutfeel is an acceptable

you do? method.
Step 4 Finding The Root-Cause is
necessary to arrive at a
Finding countermeasure that is more
likely the best
the Root- countermeasure.
Cause of Different Root-Causes will
the mean different
Countermeasures.
Problem
Step 4 Finding the Root-Cause of the
Problem
• We have to keep on finding the True –Root cause
until the problem disappears. Otherwise, we might
have identified the wrong problem or the wrong
root-cause of the problem such that we deploy the
wrong countermeasure.
• How you understand the situation, will make it
easier for you determine the problem and its root
cause.
 The 5-Why’s method doesn’t
always end in 5 questions. It
To identify could end in 3, 4 or 7.

the Root-
cause we need
The idea is - you keep on asking
to use the 5- “why” until there is no more
“why- to- answer” or the answer
WHY’S is obvious, or you already know

Method. the answer.

 If you don’t know the answer to a
To identify “Why” find or ask around about the
answer to it. But don’t stop because
the Root- you don’t know the answer.

cause we need
to use the 5-
WHY’S The last answer to the last “why”
question, is presumably the root
Method. cause.
 5-WHY
EXAMPLE
5-WHYS EXAMPLE
 Normally if we are good in
finding the root-cause, the
countermeasure is easy.
Step 5 Formulate
the
Countermeasure If the root-cause is “People
s
do the job poorly”, the
countermeasure is
probably - training.
WHAT KIND OF COUNTERMEASURES(SOLUTIONS)
THAT YOU WILL TRY FIRST?

1. The first step is – find the countermeasure which answers

the root-cause. Pure and simple.
2. If the solution is complicated and entailed so many solutions,
then a well-defined criteria for selection of countermeasures
must be pre-agreed and another methodology is used (Not
covered in this webinar)
 Step 6 “ Do”
• IDENTIFY : What to do , Who will do it, How to do it,
When is the best time to do it, where is the best place
to do it , how much is need to do it, and How often
should it be done.
• In short the “DO” step is clarifying the details to have
an organized and effective execution.
• For very complex problems, we need a different
approach. Some are not covered in this training.
Step 7 Conduct Potential
Problem Analysis (PPA)
 POTENTIAL PROBLEM ANALYSIS

It is a test if your
chosen countermeasure
If so, what are you
(we don’t call it
planning to do about it?
solution) will create
another side problem.
 It means we need to step back and
see or evaluate if we did well or
not.
Step 8
“Study and What do you need to evaluate?

Adjust” • See if the problem disappeared or not.

Otherwise maybe you might have identified
the wrong problem, or you have identified
the wrong root cause of the problem. Then
you have to do it all over again.
 The next thing you need to evaluate
is – to see if the chosen measure is
correct and / or it is effectively
implemented well otherwise the
problem will not disappear.
Step 8 “Study
and Adjust” You also want to check that there
are no bad side effect of the
countermeasure you have chosen.
To do this we need to conduct PPA
(or Potential Problem Analysis).
 What is A3 report?

Present
your It is a report where the whole problem can
be stated and solved in one page using a
standard format in A3 SIZE Bond Paper.

problem
solved in
It is called A3 because the paper size use is
A3 to accommodate all the data.

A3 report However if you can use the standard paper

and you can just by use some attachments
so it will fit.
 Sample Problem Solving
• Say, you have problem of delayed delivery.
• Step 1 Target Condition
• Deliveries are never delayed.
• Step 2 Current Condition
• Sometimes Deliveries are delayed (or to have a
better view of the problem, present it figures the
better like 42% of the time deliveries are delayed)
 Sample Problem Solving
• Step 3 What is the most likely problem?
• Using Fishbone what do you think are the problems (5M’s,
1E)
• Step 4 What is the root cause (Using 5Whys)
• Why 1- Delivery Equipment not ready
• Why 2- Sudden breakdown like poor start up in the
morning, is experienced
• Why 3- Upon Check-up in the morning , defect is detected
• Why 4 –No time to repair (ROOT CAUSE)
 Sample Problem Solving
• Step 5 Select a Countermeasure
• Inspect at Night the vehicle , Upon arrival from the latest delivery.
• Step 6 Conduct the Potential Problem Analysis. What could be the
negative side effects if we implement the project?
• No one is available to check at night
• They will not check it thoroughly because no one is watching.
• If we do it at night, do we need to pay OT to the repairman and
driver who should be watching the repair.
• Step 7 Study and Adjust
• Check if the proposed countermeasure will turn out right and
effective.
• Check if the execution(how repair is done) is done properly
The following technique can be simplified
using the Case Study 5 step method
Method:
• Step 1 State you Goal (or Target Condition)
• Step 2 Define your Current Condition
• Step 3 Identify the Most important Problem
• Step 4 Find the Root Cause
• Step 5 Recommend Countermeasure
End of Session