Problem-Solving: One Size Does Not Fit All, Part 1
by Chet Marchwinski & Art SmalleySeptember 13, 2016
Problem solving is at the core of any lean transformation. But both beginners and experts will tell you that it isn't easy to do it efficiently and effectively. In fact you might even end up making it harder than it has to be! In this exclusive interview, Art Smalley dishes on an all-too-common hurdle he sees people struggle with in their problem solving and shares his best tips for getting past it.
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Elizabeth Carrington, Mike Rother, Steve Medland & William Costantino
Chris Vogel
By John Toussaint, MD
By Mike Rother
January 19, 2017
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I've seen some people make problem solving too complicated... making everything into an A3 or demanding root cause analysis for things that require just a quick fix (which can be done while maintaining the discipline of PDSA... not just Do).
Pascal Dennis, with his Toyota roots, teaches that we should use the simplest problem solving method for a particular problem... not the most complex.
Mandated use of A3 (or making everything a Kaizen Event) can sometimes discourage people... taking them in the opposite direction of creating a culture of continuous improvement.
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Elizabeth Carrington, Mike Rother, Steve Medland & William Costantino
Chris Vogel
By John Toussaint, MD
By Mike Rother
January 19, 2017
Thanks for this, and I look forward to the book.
The typology of problems is useful.
You usually don't need to ask "why" five times when the next process step is located at some distance across the room. You just need to figure out if and how you can get the pathway shorter, simpler, more direct!
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