Problem Solving For Teams – Basic Process (continued)
3. Develop a definitive problem statement. A problem statement should come from the analysis of what is known. In one or two sentences the team should to describe what it is that needs to be solved. A willingness to revise the problem statement as new information is discovered is also essential.
4. Prepare a list of questions and actions. Document what the team thinks needs to be answered to solve the problem or ‘what do we need to know’ to move toward a solution. Questions may address concepts or principles or alternatively requests for more information (e.g. statistics) or reports on individual situations that demonstrate the problem. These questions guide searchers to the most effective information sources.
5. List ‘what should we do’. List actions to be taken, e.g., question experts, get on-line data; visit the department, customer or problem area.
6. Analyze the information. The team will usually need to revise the problem statement as the analysis proceeds however this is actually part of the problem solving process and should be encouraged. You may also identify more problem statements. At this point, the team can formulate and test hypotheses to explain the problem. Some problems may not require hypotheses; instead a recommended solution or opinion (based on research data) may be appropriate.
7. Deliver a solution. Deliver written recommendations, resolutions including predictions and inferences with supporting statistics data and rationale.
The steps in this model may have to be revisited a number of times. Some activities may also be undertaken simultaneously and constant revision should be undertaken as new information surfaces. Once again the problem statement should be constantly refined as the process proceeds and at each meeting the question should be asked… is the problem statement still accurate and appropriate?
Now this system was, I guess, suitable for the age of business operating in a local area just managing “things, processes and money” however, as I alluded to before, the world for most businesses has moved on. The system I have described above is a relatively ‘closed system’ that just utilizes internal staff. The problem as I see it is that internal staff will normally be overly reliant on how they did things in the past and will tend to approach problems with a lot of company cultural and political baggage.
Forward thinkers must realize that most problems need to be open to examination, provide opportunities for innovation and can only be rectified through creative solutions. As I said “non-thinkers” tend to look for answers based on past successes, a strictly adhered to set of well-learned procedures or some outside “expert’s” advice. To be effective problem solvers we need to understand what is required today are the people that can and will provide our organization with the only real ‘product’ that will make a difference to our company’s fortunes in the future, that product is NEW IDEAS. Today’s business needs to be driven by people trained to create ideas rather than be anchored by people whose lives are ruled by facts and tradition.
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