Every company faces challenges—it’s a natural part of every industry. However, companies that adopt structured methodologies are far more capable and successful in overcoming these obstacles. This article explores two methodologies for two different problem sizes, one more complex than the other, these methodologies can significantly enhance your company’s efficiency.
Methodologies for Effective Problem Solving
The first methodology is for swiftly solvable problems; the other is for more complex, time-consuming problems.
1. The PDCA Model (Plan, Do, Check, Act)
The PDCA Model is more flexible and widely utilized across various industries. It involves continuous improvement through iterative cycles, typically implemented in short, frequent intervals throughout the day. It consists of four phases:
- Plan Phase: This initial phase involves identifying the problem, analyzing it, and brainstorming solutions as a team. This is the time when goals, scopes, actions, responsible parties, and measurable criteria for success are established.
- Do Phase: Here, the solutions identified in the planning phase are put into action. We also recommend beginning data collection to evaluate their effectiveness.
- Check Phase: In this important step, we evaluate the results of the data collection using predetermined standards of the company. If the solution doesn’t meet expectations, we can start over with new or updated plans. If it works well, we continue with the last phase.
- Act Phase: Implement actions, rectify, and enhance the plan based on the evaluation results. Part of this process involves sharing knowledge so that employees can learn from other’s experiences to prevent similar mistakes and improve other related areas in the company.
2. The A3 Method
Its name is due to the paper size standard (A3, 11.7 × 16.5 inches or 297 × 420 mm), the A3 method is particularly effective for addressing complex problems. Originating from Toyota’s practices, it is widely employed in Lean Manufacturing and Lean Six Sigma methodologies.
This method divides the sheet into sections, where each section represents a step:
- Theme: Here, the team presents and defines what the problem is about.
- Background: Here, the team observes, and gathers data, charts, and all details related to the problem to inquire and break down the problem.
- Current condition: Review your baseline data. Having a stable baseline helps you understand what isn’t working well because you have something to compare with.
- Analyze the root cause: Use a fishbone diagram to discover the causes. You can brainstorm with your team to organize and prioritize causes that go on the tip of each fishbone. Then, delve into each one to understand them in more detail. This step helps you define and analyze what the causes are.
- Target condition: Now that you’ve identified the causes in the previous step, develop countermeasures for each cause.
- Implementation Plan: For each cause, create an action plan in a table format with details such as: What actions, Who is responsible, When it will be done, and its Status.
- Follow-Up: Monitor results and the process, watch the data, and learn from it.
If it works well, Standardize and Share, if not, try something new until you learn something valuable from the experiment. Share the findings with the rest of the organization and celebrate!
Here you can have an A3 Template:
You can consult https://www.lean.org/ for additional documentation
These methodologies are proven to work, and companies currently use them for continuous improvement. I encourage you to implement them in your company as part of the solution to various problems that arise every day.
References:
- Miller, L. (2018). Lean Problem-Solving for Team Members and Leaders. Udemy.
https://www.udemy.com/course/problem-solving-made-easy/?kw=lean+problem-solving - Lean Enterprise Institute. (n.d.). Problem solving. Lean Enterprise Institute. Recuperado el 20 de junio de 2024, de https://www.lean.org/explore-lean/problem-solving/
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