The Life of PHRED

Summer time

2011-07-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

Every summer business seems to slow down. People take vacations and / or spend more time than usual looking at the sky. If you have a little spare time, try something different. Pick a problem that bugs you and investigate. Don't set out to determine Root Cause. First figure out what the problem ACTUALLY is.

As smart people, we think we completely understand the problem........however, in my experience, even the biggest smarty pants-types will see the problem as a cartoon (in 2 dimensions), make a ton of generalizations and then guess what the root cause is based on these generalization. Excellent and quick, if you are right. Expensive and a giant waste of time, if you are not.

So, just for today, assume you know nothing. Then start asking questions. What is actually happening versus what should be happening, is a very good place to start. Then GO and SEE the problem first hand, if possible.

Check out PHRED Step D2 for more universal questions.

Problem Tracking vs Problem Solving

2011-04-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

Problem tracking is easy.   Its just maintaining a list. Customer Support / Claims departments often prefer to do this because investigating and solving problems is NOT something they are charged with (or are even interested in.)

This point of view is incredibly expensive. Problems recur and recur, since root cause is rarely determined, so any actions taken are just band aids or guesses as to the real problem.  The company's reputation is at risk when customers see the same issues over and over again. You don't return to the same restaurant after getting food poisoning for the second or third time, do you?

True Problem Solving requires structured investigation. What are the possible causes and why do each happen? When you have a verified root cause, only then should actions be taken to change the system permanently.

Unfortunately when a problem occurs, everyone wants to do something NOW.   But if you don't truly understand the problem and its causes, any solution is just reacting.    That action orientation, of Americans in particular, leads to unnecessary changes in the system that don't actually prevent much (I am looking at you TSA and Department of Homeland Security) Once changes are put in place, its a miracle if they are reversed, because someone has to admit they were a bad idea.

Bottomline: The more time spent defining and investigating the problem, the more appropriate (and often cheaper) the solution will be.

But....my problems are special and don't need to be shared.

2010-10-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, every problem instance is unique. However, all problems need to be understood and communicated in a consistent manner for the company to learn from them.

50 really clever problem solvers may each tell 2 or 3 of their friends about their problem solving exploits, which is good since they are sharing knowledge, but what happens when a problem solver is a shy guy? The knowledge they gained is not shared at all. If the shy guy wins the lottery, when he walks out the door that knowledge is gone forever.

8D is a great format for sharing. All aspects of the problem are addressed in a logical manner. The whole story should be present if you do all the steps. In D4 - Root Cause Analysis, determining the real root cause is important, but logging the Possible Causes you investigated but turned out NOT to be the root cause is valuable.

Personally, I have presented many a problem to a completely silent audience only to get "Well, did you consider this possible cause or that possible cause?" By documenting what you ruled out and why you ruled it out, those questions are answered. If you share the 8D report with customers or suppliers it shows all the work you did to figure out the true root cause.

Okay, so you've put in permanent solutions and all seems groovy. Then 6 months later, (gasp) the problem reoccurs! So what do you do now? Well, first you find the problem report and double check that the counter measures are still in place. Then you reconsider the root causes you previously ruled out. Something will have changed or was left out.

Or you can just start over. (Please don't do this) Learn from the last occurrence.

Our company doesn't have any problems

2010-07-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

Liars!

Does absolutely everything run perfectly all the time?

If it does, then you are probably radically over staffed, which itself is a problem (for the shareholders at least.)

Regardless, problems occur for many reasons. They are opportunities for improvement. And should be worked on as a part of normal operations, not as a one off, "Let's get this handled so we can go back to normal."

Unfortunately, just staying at 'Normal' means you are losing ground to your competitors, who are constantly improving.

Problem Solving is not a specialized Art. Everyone does it to some extent. Often it is haphazardly applied, based on the skill and experience of the individual problem solver. When a problem is solved to root cause, it is rarely communicated outside of the group who solved it.

Problem solving should be just another system (like the dreaded accounting system) so that problems are solved systematically and can be communicated / referenced by the whole company. 8D (Eight Disciplines) is a thorough process. So is Toyota's A3. Your company might have your own variant of one of these processes. As long as you have a thorough, consistently applied process, you are good.

If you are a small company, a problem solving binder will do. A little bigger and you'll need a file drawer. Everyone needs to be able to enter and solve problems, so manual processes will do when everyone can get to them. As soon as multiple binders or filing cabinets appear, you'll need an automated system, since adding paper to files and then leafing through the information is unlikely to happen unless you have a librarian position watching over the archive.

Now find the time and start problem solving as part of the normal process. You'll be amazed at how fast things improve.

Where was I?

2009-12-31T14:30:00.000-08:00

Like most folks, worked stopped for me on Friday the 18th. But it all starts up again on Monday January 4th, darn. The trouble is, I had a really good time during the break and I don't remember where I was in my many projects.

I am working on several problems and luckily I just happened to be using the 8D structured process (its excellent, you should try it sometime) and for those problems I can see what I was thinking. Also, my boss can see what I was thinking so he doesn't have to ask me about it whenever he feels he needs to know.

As everyone heads back to the grind, does anyone really know what the heck they were working on? I'm perpetually overbooked and HATE having to back track, since its wasting time I could be otherwise using staring out the window. One read through of a problem report and ka-freaky-boom I'm up to speed. Wish everything was that easy.

Have a happy 2010.......

fast, Fast, FAST

2009-08-31T11:56:00.000-07:00

One question that comes up frequently is, "We don't have any time. How can I make this a quick, yet thorough, process?"

When there is no structured problem solving process, everytime a problem occurs the problem solver has to figure out what to do and how to communicate the solution (if they even really solved it). Each problem resolution is a work of art which may or may not be shared / leveraged. Yeuw, what a time suck!

To make the process faster, you need a structured standardized process that includes investigation, interim countermeasures, root cause analysis and permanent countermeasures and the actions that need to take place. This requires management re-enforcement to get folks to use any process, let alone a process where folks have previously had complete freedom. Problem Solving does not conform to a "Field of Dreams" (1989) scenario, where "If you build it, they will come." Its closer to, "If it is required by management then resistance is futile."

Once you get past the whining and moaning, the questions in the process begin to seep into corporate culture. So instead of being told that, "XXXX is broken," you'll hear, "This is what's actually happening and this is what should be happening." By stating the problem clearly, in a standard pattern, folks can get moving faster and it becomes easier (not to mention faster, but then I'd be overusing the word faster) to get others up to speed and focused on the problem at hand.

Is that fast enough for you?

Rufus Update

Rufus the office canine is getting his every six weeks or so beauty treatment. His eyes are almost hidden beneath his curly locks and he smells ever so slightly of swamp water / damp dog. His dreadlocks take a couple of days to dry completely, so he'll spend the rest of today under towels.

I love Badger Mail

2009-07-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we are working on the next release (always) and I have a new favorite feature -- Badger Mail, an email reminding me to do my part.

Badger Mail badgers problem owners and action owners every so often until they close the problem or action. Because people procrastinate differently, the badger mail sends reminders before its due, on the day its due, and then every X days after its due. The system administrator decides how frequently to pester folks about overdue actions. Too many reminders and you'll ignore them, too few and things may languish too long, but what is just right? Depends on the accepted company norms of behavior.

The reminder task runs overnight, so when you skulk into work in the morning, you'll have your badger mails reminding you what you need to do today.

Yup, I think I can hear you saying, "Oh, Goody!" Let the Badgering begin.....

Solving small problems yields big benefits

2009-06-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Solving small problems is easier than solving big ones, Duh. Yet solving the 'big' problems tends to get more kudos. But in these tough times businesses have to improve the efficiencies of their systems to stay afloat.

One of my favorite restaurant chains, PF Changs, was the topic of an article in last week's Newsweek 'Try the beef and brocolli'. While I don't know if they use 8D, they have been seeking out issues that don't effect the food and making it more efficient. PHRED lives here. When companies solve many small problems, communication of the problem and solution becomes problematic. You can't just verbally tell folks. You need a consistent format and amethod to retain the learnings. Paper based system die after more than 5 people are involved (or there is flooding)

Blatant sales point --- PHRED provides the format and a database, so everything is worked on used a structured method and can be searched by anyone with access to it.

Ho Ho Ho

2008-12-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

My favorite TV Show Christmas line was / still is, "Ho, Ho, Homicide" (if you remember Homicide from the early 1990's), so this year when folks say "Merry Christmas" I answer back with "Ho, Ho, Ho" to reflect the cutbacks in Christmas shopping that everyone is doing this year. Personally, I always thought anyone who buried themselves in debt for their Christmas blowouts were a little wacko.

So what does this have to do with PHRED or 8D? Nothing. Just felt like sharing.

I'll share with you my favorite screen capture tool. Its called Snag It. For $49.95 you can capture regions and drop in arrows and text to explain what you are doing. http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp

Anyway, 2008 was a very good year for PHRED. We are all exhausted, but happy with what we accomplished this year.

Rufus Update

Rufus spends much of his business day, sitting in this chair so he can see out the window. He is a Portugese Water Dog and is quite famous in town because of his dreadlocks. Nick calls him a 'Rasta Dog' I prefer to think of him as Whoopi Goldberg with 4 legs.

8D and Food

2008-12-01T18:04:00.000-08:00

Next week I will be out training at food company. Although I can't tell you who it is, I will say you can find their products in your grocer's freezer.

The cool thing is 8D works everywhere, even when its tweaked to fit the local culture. I dig learning about the unique problems of client's industries. Last month it involved steel; next week pepperoni. Both are equally interesting to me, the latter just tastes better. Its too cold here for me to lick steel.

Totally Unrelated

We finally got a big dumper. (Dude-speak for 1.5 feet of snow) Next weekend, gravity based sports!!!

No economic slow down here

2008-11-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

Business’ have finally discovered that problem solving is a business process; same as accounting and production. For ages folks have treated problem solving as an art form, to be practiced only by a gifted / talented few which, while providing the experts with job security, could only address a small number of problems at any one time.

This is a waste of everyone else in a given company. Now people have their regular job to do, but every job can be improved. Personally, every job I have even done has something that bugs me about it. Usually it is an inefficiency built into a process that seems stupid ((to me at least). Given a problem solving structure to investigate a process, anyone can present their perspective of a problem and improve their job.

The trick is to address it in a structured way, not going off into fantasyland (although Disney’s Fantasyland does have some fun rides). It’s all about focus and methodically investigating the what, where and when of a problem and once you have stated the problem fully, investigating possible / probable causes until a root cause can be addressed which prevents recurrence of the problem.

Notice I didn’t say implement a solution or countermeasure. Most folks are dying to change the system, but that’s a waste of effort unless it addresses the root cause. The problem will come back or morph into another form if you don’t hit the root cause. Slow down and figure out the ‘why its happening’ (root cause) before doing anything!!!

This is not easy. Americans love this ready, shoot, aim approach. Experts are rewarded for ‘saving the day’. This is really just taking a guess as to what will fix the problem at hand. Sometimes guesses work. Most of the time, when the guess doesn’t solve it, they move on to another guess. Well 42 guesses later, the problem usually still exists.

Its hard really defining the problem when someone comes to you breathlessly saying, “We have a problem.” Exhaling then gathering a full problem description will yield a much better solution, than saying (equally breathless), “Try this.”

Rufus Update

Rufus, PHRED Solutions official Office Dog, is digging that winter is back. He’s got a thick coat of dreadlocks and he’s finally cool. He was stylishly cool before, but thermometer-wise he was hot, hot, hot.

He loves when visitors come by. Immediately, he needs to lean against new people and twist his head up at you as if to say, ‘love me, scratch my neck please.’ Schedule an appointment for a Rufus lean today.

Articles

2008-10-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

Nick Rennie, the inhabitant of the next desk over, had an article published on Capturing the Outsourcing Advantage.

It is in BONEZone® - Strategic Sourcing for the Orthopaedic Industry, VOL 7 NUM 3: FALL 2008. It applies to all industries, not just the Orthopaedic Industry, since almost anything can be outsourced including parts for artifical hips.

Problem Solving in outsourcing situations can become even more difficult, so it is important to have a business process that is up to the challenges.

Not Traveling!!

2008-07-31T15:36:00.000-07:00

I have been home the entire month of July. Hoooooray

Summer time in Colorado is excellent. More folks come here for the winter season, but I think summer is better. I get to hike, bike and row without the possibility of freezing to death while I am doing it. Getting frostbite can totally ruin your day -- I hate the blast of pain when your semi frozen skin wakes up. I'd rather sweat.

In the evenings I have been working on our 1889 double gig. I am the queen of varnish at the moment. The boat is made of mahogany 29 feet long and about 3 feet wide. The entire outside and the first 3 board from the keel on the inside need sanding then 5 (count'em five) coats of varnish. Major Groan. I'm about halfway done; it looks beautiful so far, but I hate hate hate the varnish when I drip it on myself. I scrub it until it looks gone and then an hour later it collects more freaking dirt. I don't want to dip my arms and legs in turpetine, but I am considering it.

Back at the orifice (that's the office to normal people) things are good. No economic slow down here. Manufacturing companies are waking up to the fact that Problem Solving should be a business process, not some haphazardly applied art.

8D Problem Solving ROCKS as a business process. It handles just about any problem with efficiency. It is not always easy but it is the fastest way I have seen for teams and companies to understand the problem, figure out its root cause and apply permanent countermeasures.

PHRED Solutions has been around for quite a while now and finally seems to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right offerings. We are all busy / happy campers.

Traveling

2008-06-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

The last few months I have been a traveling fiend. Travel seems to lump together. Isn't that always the way?

In December I went to Malaysia and Singapore then I had a bit of a break. It all started up again in April and is still going. If you say this list really fast, it will give you an idea what it felt like. There is, "St John USVI, Portland Oregon, Brownsville Texas, Frankfurt Germany, Rome Italy, Romania, Salt Lake City and then the ever fabulous Detroit Michigan." Arg, I need a vacation! Actually the first stop on the list was a camping vacation, so I shouldn't complain.

It is great that all of these locations are implementing PHRED. Every location (even in the same company) does things a little differently but it all works. It keeps me listening very carefully to the usage plans and intent, so I can tailor the class to deliver to exactly what they want/need.

One of my training tricks is to use the 'Easy' button. You know, the one from the Staples Campaign that says "That was easy" when you press it. I LOVE this button. It anchors the fact that solving problems to root cause is easy if you stay focused and just answer the questions in order with enough detail. Sites with any sense of fun just dig hitting the button after presentations. People with no sense of humor that are very, very important want to believe that Problem Solving is so hard that only they can do it, are very reluctant to hit the button.

One class that so didn't want to press the button was a group of German Engineers. These were all really smart guys (only 1 lady in a class of 25) and every single one of them was really important. I still don't know if it was the German Culture, the Engineering Culture, or just me presenting in a non-German manner that held them back. My favorite theory (as of today anyway) is that admitting something is easy is just not a culturally acceptible thing to do in that context.

My worldview is that everything is easier if you think it is easy. Things that you think will be difficult become more difficult if you think they will be difficult. Its all in your head.

I think the most helpful thing I learned in college is that I can figure out almost anything. It is a matter of believing you can and committing to whatever it is. But then I have always been a jump in head first kind of girl when it comes to challenges, so maybe it is just me.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

2008-02-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

Life at PHRED just keeps rolling along.

More staff and more customers keep us busy (and away from this blog, unfortunately)

We have focused most of our efforts recently on tailoring our applications for a few really large specialized clients. Some of these enhancements may find their way into the general release, once we decide if they are a generally good idea. Especially some automatic email functions when certain events occurs during the problem solving process.

Rufus Update

Rufus, the office dog, has become a Rastafarian. His dreadlocks are looking seriously long. He has become a walking photo opportunity. When I walk in town, almost everyday tourists will stop me and ask to take his picture, "Cause he is soooo cute." I've gotta agree with that, but he is a black dog with black dreads and black eyes, so he doesn't tend to photograph very well. Actually his latest nickname is 'Dog o Bear' reflecting the fierce beast without; within he is a 'love me, rub my tummy' kind of canine.

Happy New Year

2007-12-31T21:01:00.000-08:00

Gosh, its New Year's Eve and I should be at a party but slick roads and 50 mile an hour winds have kept me home, since I'd rather not total my car on the way to a party.

It's been a busy 2007 for PHRED. Bunches of interesting new uses and lots of folks are saying good things about us.

Personally, I've been doing lots of training in the US and in Southeast Asia. It's really neat to watch people pick up problem solving skills and start solving those mysterious problems that previously they only were able to address the symptoms of. Its a rush when a team uncovers the real root cause.

If you want to know more about my approach in my classes, watch the first 5 minutes of the movie, "Hoodwinked" Mr. Flippers illustrates the most effective way to investigate a problem.

Rufus Update

The fierce office dog, Rufus, continues to love everyone who will rub his tummy. His dreads are really getting long. Last week while I was walking back from the Post Office with Rufus, a group of guys I past said, "Look at the dog, its Whoopi Goldberg." Whoopi hardly ever walks around on all fours, so I am not sure of the resemblance.

Moving Forward

2007-09-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, the summer has come and gone. Nothing but Busy Busy Busy for the worker bees at PHRED.

The much anticipated upgrade was successfully deployed. We are getting lots of 'thank you's' for the new features. In particular, the new Problem Identification function lets you identify a problem and close it out all on the same page. Reducing time spent on simply logging a problem by 50%.

PHRED is being well used by a growing hospital chain who's goal is to become the safety health care provider in the US. They have a team of 30 Safety Coordinators who work through problems "shouted out" by the folks doing their normal jobs. It is the Safety Coordinator's job to follow through and get the problem solved.

Also a large chip manufacturer (silicon, not potato) is just beginning to deploy PHRED in one of its divisions. Really exciting stuff I will tell you all about once I get permission from the legal folks in the sky.

On a personal front, I won some tickets to see a band called Guster tonight. Should be a good show. I love winning stuff! Early this summer I won some tickets to see a group called 'Snow Patrol' at Red Rocks. It was unexpectedly awesome, especially since I had no idea who they were before the concert.

Stay fabulous.

Upgrade is almost ready!

2007-04-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

The upgrade is coming, the upgrade is coming!

All problems now start with Problem Identification. On this screen, the problem title, category, problem owner and problem team members are identified. When you just want to log the problem, but not work on it, it can be noted and then closed from this screen. One screen problem tracking, no fuss.

On the Problem ID screen, companies can choose to track whatever problem data they wish. Fields can be required or optional. Tracking data field types include:

Text - up to 256 characters
Long Text - up to 32,000 characters
Dates
Select Boxes (Drop Boxes)
Titles
Check boxes

I think this is pretty cool. Hope you do too. Below is some tracking fields that a particular client wanted.

We highly recommend tracking only the information you really, really need. By asking for too much information up front and, even worse, making all the fields required, you can make people do almost anything to avoid logging a problem. Not what you want when implementing a problem solving system!

We believe in the rule of 7 plus or minus 2. No more than 9 fields within any section. Most humans lose focus when being asked more questions than that.

More upgrade details - Actions Requests

2007-03-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

In my world, this is a really useful feature. I hope you think so too.

Soon you will be able to assign multiple Actions at every stage in the Problem Solving process.

The action type defaults to the most likely type for the current section.

State problem = Investigative
Temp CM = Temp Counterneasure
Root Cause = Investigative
Solution =Permanent
Close = Audit

When these actions first created, the lucky guy that is assigned an action automatically is sent an email letting him know he has something to do. If the action is reassigned to someone else, he also gets an email automatically letting him know that too.

A sample of this email is shown below:
=================================================

Subject: New Investigative Action for Problem ID: 00021

LAURIE, You have been assigned responsibility for this Action:

Problem ID: 00021
Problem Statement: 0.2% PDQ yield loss due to foaming on Line 12 - B

Type: Investigative

Location: SBQ
Area: Unleaded Drinks

Action ID: 1
Type: Investigative
Action Description: Arrange for delivery to be delayed to the XX process
Committed Completion Date: 12/12/2007
Responsible Party: LAURIE RAMBAUD

Please contact me, if you have any questions.
Respectfully,LAURIE Fabulous Owner, Problem Investigation 00021

Email: fabulous@PHREDSOLUTIONS.COM
Phone: 9705555235
===========================================

Problem Solving Upgrade Design

2007-02-16T14:10:00.000-08:00

What a crap blogger I am!

You are supposed to blog on every thought that passes through your head; I only blog when I have something interesting to say. But I think that is a good thing.

At the PHRED corporate suites, we are putting the final touches on the design for the next generation of problem solving tool. PHRED 6.0

This is a major upgrade which integrates CAPA (Corrective Action / Preventative Action) tracking into the problem solving process. At all stages of Problem Investigation actions and activities can be created, automatically emailed, and tracked. These actions will be visible on a cool new dashboard, so you can see exactly what needs to be done and what already has been accomplished at a glance. The dashboard focuses on 'your area' whether it is the plant, a particular area, or a single work process.

Exciting, huh? But then I get excited about anything I am working on (except cost accounting, that's always boring.)

So when can we get our hands on this cool upgrade, you ask. It should be ready around the end of second quarter, technology and personnel willing.

Rufus Update

Rufus the office dog has been cruising the office. His latest trick is putting his head on your mousepad. You automatically reach for the mouse and you get wet dog nose instead of a right click. Rufus seems to enjoy being mistaken for a mouse, although as a 40 pound canine, he looks nothing like a mouse..

Inc. Article

2006-12-29T11:54:00.000-08:00

Rebecca Morgan interviewed one of our clients, Universal Metals, for this article which appeared in Inc. On-line.

Becky Morgan has been an authoritative voice in business operations for more than 25 years. She is founder and president of Fulcrum ConsultingWorks, Inc.

The original of this article can be found at:

http://www.inc.com/resources/office/articles/20061001/morgan.html

Use the "5 Why?" method to help your company master the art of problem solving.

Problems. That is one of the things that all businesses have in common.

Cash flow? It's a consideration for all businesses as well, but significant mainly when it becomes a problem.

Solving problems, it would seem, is an important skill for every organization. Because so few companies are actually good at it, organizations that are proficient problem solvers have a competitive advantage over those that are not.

Mark Ruder, president of Universal Metals, an international toll steel processing company located south of Chicago, recognizes the importance of effective problem solving to his firm. Serving the automotive industry, Universal became QS9000 registered several years ago. QS9000, required of most suppliers to domestic automotive companies, defines the framework of an effective quality system, and problem solving is an important element of that system. Despite meeting those requirements, Ruder knew his organization could gain advantage by becoming even better. Ruder wanted the discipline of a structured problem solving mechanism and a simple means to communicate and track issues.

Universal Metals turned to PHRED Solutions, Inc., a 14-year-old Colorado company that has developed robust compliance and control software for problem solving. The question-based reasoning system provides a disciplined process, and as an important added benefit, also provides a means to convert tribal knowledge into organizational learning in a searchable database accessible to your other problem solvers now and in the future. As baby boomers enter retirement, a lot of valuable knowledge will go with them. A mechanism to effectively capture that experience can make the difference between economic success and failure.

Why are there so many ineffective problem solvers? Two reasons: First, it is easy to confuse motion with results; Second, the "don't just stand there, do something!" mentality encourages people to start making changes in an attempt to solve a problem when they've skipped the most important step-- defining the problem. These "shoot from the hip" heroic efforts give the comforting sense of progress when in fact the changes will likely miss the mark and confuse the issues even more.

The problem we see is often a symptom of a deeper issue: the root cause. Addressing symptoms without an understanding of root cause means that the underlying problem remains intact. It will resurface again and again until you identify it and implement a permanent countermeasure.

An effective technique to identify root cause is called "5 Why?" When looking at the apparent problem ask yourself why the condition exists. Many people stop here, and as a result do not identify the fundamental issue causing the problem. It is important to ask "why?" again and again.

An example: Our costs are too high. Why? Severe absenteeism forces us to compensate with extra employees and unplanned overtime. Why is absenteeism so severe? Because the work is physically demanding and employees get tired. Why is the work so demanding? Because we have not integrated ergonomics into the work. Why haven't we? Because our engineers are busy with other projects. Why? This process continues until the real root cause of absenteeism is identified. Only then will the problem be addressed successfully.

In search of the root cause ask "why?" at least five times. Absenteeism was a symptom, not the real problem in this example. The relatively low priority of ergonomics was the issue. Attempts to address absenteeism directly--e.g. putting in a point system, replacing these workers with others--will not address the root cause and will therefore be ineffective in the long run.
As you read the "5 Why?" example, some of you may have responded to the second "why?" with "because employees are lazy," or "our employees don't care." One of the most common, yet ineffective, supervision responses in addressing a problem is "I'll talk with the employee." It is easy to assume the problem is the result of human carelessness, disinterest, or error. The phrase "idiot proof" reflects that attitude. Yet the vast majority of problems result from poorly designed processes, not from lousy, malicious employees.

Be careful not to drive "5 Why?" down the wrong road. For example, one company regularly stored sensitive inventory in a refrigerated truck. The truck refrigeration unit failed, ruining the inventory. In its "5 Why?" process its asked why the refrigeration unit failed. Answering that question, and then the next, could reduce the future occurrence of that particular failure, but the real question is "Why do we have so much inventory that we need to store it outside in trucks?" Root cause analysis is a skill to be developed and mastered.

How do you know if your company is good at solving problems? By the absence of "d éj à vu all over again" in discussing issues. By the confidence your customers have in partnering with you. By leveraging your advantageous cost structure into increased profits. What can you do if you're not? Ask why.

Inaugural Post

2006-12-26T14:59:00.000-08:00

Well, this blog has been set up for about 30 minutes now.

It is the first business day after Christmas, so things at the Galatic Headquarters of PHRED Solutions are slow enough for me to look at cool things to hook into the website.

Rufus, the office dog, is hanging out, diligently doing his job of guarding the door to the office. Guarding is probably not the right word; he is more like a receptionist, asking for a tummy rub before you come in.

In future posts, I tell you how it's going with our 8D Problem Solving and Safety Investigation tools.