Table of Contents

7 steps to effective Problem solving .................................................................... 2

5 WHYS - Analyse the problem / issue ................................................................ 3
Cause and Effect Analysis ................................................................................... 4
Pareto Analysis ................................................................................................... 6
Force Field Analysis ............................................................................................ 7
Decision Chart .................................................................................................... 8
Paired Comparisons .......................................................................................... 10
Priorities Grid ................................................................................................... 11
Tree Diagram .................................................................................................... 12

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 7 STEP PROBLEM SOLVING
1. Define the problem and the outcome
2. Consider the possibilities
3. Weigh the Consequences
4. Weigh the Options
5. Decide
6. Act
7. Evaluate

STEP 1 - Define the problem & outcome

What are the Facts?
What are the underlying/ root causes?
What have you or others done to resolve this or similar problems?
What has worked and not worked?
What resources do you have available?
What would a successful outcome be?
STEP 2 - Consider the possibilities
What other ways are there to look at this?
What do the data imply?
What are the connections to larger issues or other people?
What theories address this kind of problem?
What are the possible ways to approach the problem?
What options do we have?
STEP 3 - Weigh the consequences
What are the pros and cons of each course of action?
What are the logical consequences of each?
What are the consequences of not deciding and acting?
What impact would deciding on each option have on other priorities?
Would this option apply equally and fairly to everyone?
STEP 4 - Weigh the options
How does each option fit with my values?
How will people involved be affected?
How will each option contribute to harmony and positive interactions?
How can I support people with this decision?
STEP 5 - Decide
What are we actually going to do?
Which course of action is the best and why?
What risks are we taking and how will we minimize them?
What could go wrong and how will we deal with that?
STEP 6 - Act
Who will do it?
How?
When?
How will we know when we have succeeded?
How will we measure our success?
STEP 7 - Evaluate
How successfully have we resolved the problem?
If we deviated from the plan why?
What went well?
What could we have done better?
How do we ensure this doesnt happen again?

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 5 WHYS

What it is
Asking Why is a simple technique used to analyse the causes of problems (Step 2 define
the problem).

How to use it
Asking Why simply involves repeatedly asking why? until the answer is because thats
the way it is. At this point, it is likely that you have identified a root cause of the
problem. If tackled and removed, the observed symptoms of the problem should also
disappear.

For example:

1. WHY IS THERE A HIGH REJECT RATE OF WIDGETS?

Because the plastic is stained.
2. WHY IS THE PLASTIC STAINED?
Because there is excess oil in the cutting machine.
3. WHY IS THERE EXCESS OIL IN THE CUTTING MACHINE?
Because it is clogging as it is months since it was cleaned.
4. WHY IS IT SO LONG SINCE IT WAS CLEANED?
Because we only service the machines when they break down, not on a
preventative basis.
5. WHY ONLY SERVICE AFTER BREAKDOWNS?
Because maintenance says it is cheaper
(but what about the cost of rejects and rework.)
Although called Asking Why Five Times, five is a rule of thumb. There may be more or
less questions depending on the particular situation. It is important to beware of
channelling your analysis down one avenue and completely ignoring other root causes of
the same problem.

How it helps
Asking Why is a way of identifying the underlying root cause of a problem so that this can be
tackled rather than dealing only with superficial symptoms.
It should be seen as a simple and quick alternative to Cause and Effect analysis.

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 Cause and Effect Analysis

What it is
A technique for identifying all the possible causes (inputs) associated with a particular
problem before narrowing down to the small number of main, root causes which need to
be addressed.

A Cause and Effect diagram (also known as a Fishbone or Ishikawa diagram) graphically
illustrates the results of the analysis and is constructed in steps. Cause and Effect Analysis
is usually carried out by a group who all have experience and knowledge of the cause to
be analysed.

How to use it
1. Select the problem
Make sure the problem is specific, tightly defined and relatively small in scope and
that everyone participating understands exactly what is being analysed.
Write the problem definition at the top of the flip chart.

2. Brainstorm
Brainstorm all the possible causes of the effect, (i.e. problem).
Write each idea on a Post-it to make it easy to transfer them onto the fishbone
diagram later.
If ideas are slow in coming use questions such as, what about? to prompt
thoughts.

3. Draw fishbone diagram

Place the effect at the head of the fish

4. Establish cause categories

Review your brainstorm outputs to determine the major cause categories (six
maximum). Frequently used categories are shown below:

Other commonly used categories are:

Communications
Policies
Measurement
Customers/ suppliers
Systems etc.

Hint: There is no one perfect set of categories. Adapt yours to suit the issue being analysed.

5. Allocate causes
Place the list of possible causes under the appropriate category.

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 If causes seem to fit more than one category you can duplicate them. If this
happens repeatedly the categories may be wrong and you should go back to step 4.
Related causes are plotted as twigs on the branches.
Branches and twigs can be further developed by asking questions such as what?,
why?, how? and where?
Beware, however, of digging in and getting into bigger issues that are completely
beyond the influence of the team.

Example; broken lamp

6. Analyse for root causes

Consider which are the most likely root causes of the effect. This can be done in
several ways.
a. Through open discussion among participants, sharing views and experiences.
b. By looking for related causes or number of causes related to a particular
category.
c. By data gathering using Check Sheets, Process Maps or customer surveys to
test relative strengths through Pareto Analysis.
d. Once a relatively small number of main causes have been agreed upon, Paired
Comparisons can be used to narrow down further.
e. Some groups find it helpful to consider only those causes they can influence.

7. Test for reality

Test the most likely causes by e.g. data gathering and observation if this has not
already been done.
The diagram can be posted on a wall and added to/ modified as further ideas are
generated either by the team or by others who can review the teams work.

How it helps
Cause and Effect Analysis is a valuable tool for:
Focusing on causes not symptoms.
Capturing the collective knowledge and experience of a group.
Providing a picture of why an effect is happening.
Establishing a sound basis for further data gathering and action.
Cause and Effect Analysis can also be used to identify all of the areas which need to
be tackled to generate a positive effect.

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 Pareto Analysis

What it is
This technique allows you to highlight the most significant areas, inputs or issues. Often a
small number of failures are responsible for the bulk of quality costs, a phenomenon called
the Pareto principle
This pattern is also called the 80/20 rule and shows itself in many ways. For example:
80% of Quality costs are caused by 20% of the problems.

How to use it
1. Gather facts about the problem, using Check Sheets or Brainstorming,
depending on the availability of information.

2. Rank the contributions to the problem in order of frequency

For example: typing re-work

3. Draw the value (errors, facts etc.) as a bar chart

You can add a line showing the cumulative percentage of errors as each category is
added. This helps to identify the categories contributing to 80% of the problem.

4. Review the chart if an 80/20 combination is not obvious, you may need to
redefine your classifications and go back to Stage 1 or 2.

NB: In this instance author errors and incorrect entry are the two most significant causes of the
problem.

How it helps
Pareto Analysis is a useful tool to:
Identify and prioritise major problem areas.
Separate the vital few from the useful many things to do.
Identify the major causes and effects.
The technique is often used in conjunction with Brainstorming and Cause and Effect
Analysis.

Hint: The most frequent is not always the most important. Be aware of the impact of
other causes on customers or goals.

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 Force Field Analysis

What it is
Force Field Analysis is a means of identifying the forces that will help or hinder change.
A plan is then developed to harness the positive driving forces or remove, reduce or avoid
the negative or resisting forces. Doing so will increase the likelihood of success.
Force Field Analysis can be used in conjunction with Consensus Reaching and Action Plans.

How to use it
1. Define your current and target situations

Current Target

2. Brainstorm the forces which will drive you and then the forces which will
restrain you from achieving your target situation. Note: It is helpful to cover the
driving forces when you brainstorm the resisting forces. This will discourage you from
simply listing opposites.

Note: You can add a scale (strong-weak) on each side and draw the arrows in
proportion to their strength. This avoids the trap of seeing all the forces as equal.

3. Analyse the forces. Decide which will have the greatest impact. It is helpful to focus
on reducing the resisting forces as this will allow the existing drivers to take you
forward more quickly.

4. Develop an Action Plan to tackle the main forces which you have identified.

How it helps
Reducing the resisting forces can be more effective than increasing the driving forces.
Force Field Analysis is a simple but quick and structured way of reviewing the forces which
will help or hinder your success, in order to identify priorities for action. It can be very
powerful at turning a negative situation into a more positive one.

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 Decision Chart

What it is
A Decision Chart helps you to identify the best solution out of a range of options by
comparing each option against a series of musts, shoulds and coulds.

How to use it
1. Agree a clear statement of the problem to be solved or improvement to be made.

2. Brainstorm all possible solutions to achieve your required result.

3. Identify the criteria which need to be satisfied by the solution. Divide these into
Musts, Shoulds and Coulds.
Musts are criteria which are essential for the solution to be effective;
Shoulds are criteria which are highly desirable to make the solution effective but
not do or die;
Coulds are criteria which would be nice to have as part of the solution.

4. Develop a matrix to assess the performance of the solutions against you Musts.

For example:

5. Eliminate any solutions which do not meet all of your Must criteria

6. Determine how well each of the remaining solutions would meet your needs.
This is done using a weighted rating sheet which involves allocating a value to each
should or could which reflects its importance.

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 a. Allocate weight factors. Give the most important criterion 10. Allocate points 1-
10 against all the other criteria showing their relative importance compared to
the highest one.
b. For each option, rate how well it meets each criterion, allocating points 1-10.
Enter in the top left corner of each divided square.
c. Multiply the points allocated by the weight factor and enter the total in the
bottom right hand corner of each divided square.
d. For each option total the scores for all criteria.
e. For each criterion identify the maximum score allocated to any resolution and
transfer it to the maximum score box.
f. Total the maximum score.

7. Identify which option has the highest score against your weighted criteria.
Comparison of this highest score with the maximum score shows how closely the
specific solution matches the best possible.

8. As a final check, assess your options in terms of any likely adverse consequences.

You should now be in a position to assess the best option, given how well each meets
your requirements and the likelihood and seriousness of any adverse consequences.

How it helps
Decision Charts help you to make a systematic evaluation of option against a defined list
of criteria in order to reach a logical decision on the best option to adopt.

Hint: Beware! This can look very objective but it still relies on personal judgement.

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 Paired Comparisons

What it is
Paired Comparisons enables a small range of options to be evaluated by choosing between
a series of pairs so that you can decide which option(s) provide the best result.

How to use it
1. List the options
List the options and alternatives that are to be evaluated on the left hand column of a
grid, e.g. possible opportunities for improvement or alternative solutions (up to 10 is
best).

2. Decide evaluation criteria

Determine the question to be used to evaluate the pairs of options, e.g. which option
provides the biggest benefit? Which option is most likely to be successful? Which
option will deliver the quickest results?

3. Compare pairs
Compare option 1 with option 2, determine which is preferred and circle the preferred
option on the grid.
Compare option 1 with option 3, determine which is the preferred and circle the
preferred option on the grid.
Continue until option 1 has been compared against all the other options.
Then start to compare option 2 with each of the others in turn. Continue until option 2
has been evaluated against all the other options.
This process is continued until all the possible pairs have been evaluated against each
other using the evaluation criterion.

4. Count the preferred options

Add up the number of times each option has been chosen and rank in numerical order.
The analysis can be repeated against several different criteria if required and the
findings amalgamated.

For example: problem to decide how to spend an inheritance of 10,000.

How it helps
Paired Comparisons enables priorities to be determined in a quick and qualitative way
against agreed criteria.
It is helpful for deciding priorities when numbers of options are available. It can be used
either by an individual or by a team.

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 Priorities Grid

What it is
A tool to help you decide which option or solution to adopt using the criteria of pay-off and
ease of implementation.

How to use it
1. Brainstorm the options available

2. Assess the pay-off available for each option (if it helps, do a full cost-benefit
analysis). Rate each option on a scale from high to low.

3. Assess the ease of implementation of each option in terms of time taken/

resources needed/ knock-on effects and rate each one on a scale of easy to difficult to
do.

4. Put the options on Post-it notes and place them on the grid (you can easily move the
options around).

5. Clearly, the nearer the top right hand corner of the grid, the better the option. Use the
relative positions of all the options to decide which will give the greatest pay-off while
being easy to do.

For example: addressing declining market share

How it helps
A Priorities Grid is a quick and simple tool for differentiating between a range of
possible solutions or options.

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 Tree Diagram

What it is
A Tree Diagram ensures a direct cause and effect relationship between objectives and
plans of action. It is most effective when used by a team.

How to use it
1. Agree a general statement of the goal or problem to be tackled. Write this in
the middle of the left hand side of a large piece of paper (the trunk of the tree). If this
statement is already clear enough to action, then it is not necessary to proceed.

2. Identify how this goal can be achieved brainstorm and prioritise the 2/3 key
means. Write these to the right of the goal statement (the branches).

3. Check if these means are clear enough to action. If yes, the process is complete;
if no continue. Also check that acting on these means will achieve progress towards the
goal. If yes, continue; if no you are probably going off track and you need to go back
to step 2.

4. Continue this process of developing more specific means until there is a column of
actions at the right hand side of the paper.

5. You are then in a position to go on to complete a matrix diagram or set of planning

tables adding in targets, measures and owners.

For example:

How it helps
A Tree Diagram is a useful to tool for breaking down broad objectives into specific
actions/ projects and ensuring causal links between means and objectives.
It is an effective way of displaying an overview of what is to be done to achieve a
particular breakthrough objective.

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