Problem Solving

Problem Solving Is All About Turning Data Into Useful Information

To solve problems, collecting the right data is important, and being able to turn that data into useful information is paramount in determining the right countermeasure to solve a problem.  The place to accurately capture the true state of the workplace is the workplace itself.  If we can catch defects on the spot, we can find the true cause and immediately take countermeasures. Problem-solving...

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Effective Problem Solving Isn’t About The Tools You Use – It’s How You Think!

How we think and react to situations is unique to humans beings.  No other species on earth has this ability.  But as employees how many of us try to solve problems on a daily basis?  Do we try to make things better or are we content with the status quo? A good problem solver has three important traits.  They must be: quick and decisive resourceful and creative systematic and...

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Utilize Six Thinking Hats To Better Solve Problems & Make Decisions

The Six Thinking Hats, co-designed in 1983 by Dr. Edward de Bono with Dr. Michael Hewitt-Gleeson and Eric Bienstock, was developed to improve creativity and lateral thinking.  It helps us overcome one of the biggest enemies of thinking which is complexity.  When thinking is clear and simple, it becomes more enjoyable and more effective. Unlike when I was growing up, very few people today wear...

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Root Cause Analysis Takes Practice, Patience, and Perseverance

Root cause analysis is a broad term that is used to describe a wide range of approaches, tools, and techniques used to uncover the causes of problems.  It is a structured investigation whose purpose is to identify the true cause of a problem and the actions necessary to eliminate it. I think people often get confused when problem solving because problems sometimes have more than one cause....

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Want To Be A Kick-Ass Problem Solver? Nine Lessons I’ve Learned Watching Murder Mysteries

  My wife and I recently cancelled our TV cable subscription and began streaming our television programs.  In addition to all the local and national stations, ESPN, etc. we also get to watch some of the old favorite shows like Cheers, Mash, Seinfeld, and Columbo.  For those of you not familiar with the show, Columbo was a homicide detective that worked for the L.A. police department and...

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Use Gemba Walks to Uncover Problems & Promote Accountability

Gemba is a Japanese word that means the real place where value is created.  A gemba walk is a management tool whose purpose is to have managers walk the front line where they can see problems as they are occurring, ask questions and allow them to create follow-up on problems and promote accountability.  Problems are most visible where they occur and the best ideas for solving them will come...

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