Many companies seek to improve their business using various continuous improvement methodologies including Lean principles. The proven method for deploying these concepts is to tie them into an overall strategy of business improvement. This leads to the highest rate of return on investment over the long term along with ensuring sustainability of a continuous improvement culture. As part of this overall strategy of continuous improvement is the use of the tool: Practical Problem Solving.

Course Objective

• What makes this Lean tool unique is the straightforwardness of the application.
• By simply using the materials provided to you during the training, you will be able to step through the process to solve the problem knowing that each phase is completed.
• The worksheets can be used for communication of the problem and the follow up effectiveness within your organization.
• It can also be used to respond to customer complaints and be valid towards any formal complaint resolution procedure required.
• Our  Consultant will work with you to develop the skill sets essential to practical problem solving. The course involves applying the training by assigning a real life problem to be solved by your staff.

• Participants will receive instruction on the following tools that are used in Practical Problem Solving:
• Problem Definition: How to properly define a problem and plan improvements
• Root Cause Analysis Determine point of cause of defect(s) and find true root cause.
• Countermeasure Implementation Communicate and execute short and long term countermeasures to eliminate problem(s) and adjust as needed to stay on target.
• Effectiveness and Standardization Follow up on countermeasures and performance indicators of solution. Standardize effective countermeasure, leverage to other opportunities and take action to begin the problem solving process again.

Benefits

As a result of utilizing this approach to the Practical Problem Solving tools, companies report seeing reoccurring problems eliminated reduced costs, and a highly effective and engaged workforce. Additionally, this specific approach becomes the driving force behind sustaining your improvements and standardizing countermeasures.

The training will help you to answer questions around the following:

• Declining profit margins
• Difficulty controlling costs, poor levels of productivity
• High defect or scrap rates
• Low customer satisfaction
• Additional benefits expected for all participants include the following:
• Problem solving is a process and skill set that you develop over time, to be used when the need to solve immediate problems in order to achieve goals
• An opportunity to transfer knowledge from the key participants of your team that will be responsible for maintaining this tool, to others in the organization

Course content

• Problem solving and decision making defined
• Evidence-based decision making
• Non-evidence based decision making
• Groups versus individual : the pros and cons
• The Five-Step Problem Solving Process
• Define and Analyze the Problem
• Create a problem statement
• Analyze and understand the problem
• Apply tools and techniques for problem identification and analysis
• Determine the Causes of the Problem
• Collect data to understand the problem
• Identify possible causes
• Analyze causes
• Select the root cause
• Apply tools and techniques to determine the root cause
• Generate Alternative Solutions
• Identify possible solutions
• Apply the tools and techniques for generating alternative solutions
• Select the Solution: Make a Decision!
• Determine a decision-making approach
• Develop criteria for selecting a solution
• Select the best solution
• Validate the solution
• Apply the tools and techniques for decision making
• Implement the Solution
• Develop an action plan
• Implement the solution
• Marshall support for the solution

Who should attend

Office managers, supervisors, general managers, administrative officers etc..

Methodology

Participants will practice the problem-solving process by working on actual problems in the course.  The focus in the course is on group problem solving and decision-making, but participants will be able to apply the same processes and tools to individual problems and decisions.