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The Two Traits of the Best Problem-Solving Teams

• Alison Reynolds
• David Lewis

You need both diversity and safety.

An analysis of 150 senior teams showed that the ones who solve problems the fastest tend to be cognitively diverse. But this isn’t always true — sometimes, those teams still struggle. So what separates the best teams from the rest? It turns out that it’s a combination of cognitive diversity and psychological safety. Teams high in both traits show curious and encouraging behavior, and also the level of forcefulness and experimentation needed to keep their momentum. Teams low in either trait were either too combative (if they were high in cognitive diversity and low in psychological safety) or too prone to group-think (if the reverse was true).

Imagine you are a fly on the wall in a corporate training center where a management team of 12 is participating in a session on executing strategy. The team is midway through attempting to solve a new, uncertain, and complex problem. The facilitators look on as at first the exercise follows its usual path. But then activity grinds to a halt — people have no idea what to do. Suddenly, a more junior member of the team raises her hand and exclaims, “I think I know what we should do!” Relieved, the team follows her instructions enthusiastically. There is no doubt she has the answer — but as she directs her colleagues, she makes one mistake and the activity breaks down. Not a word is spoken but the entire group exude disappointment. Her confidence evaporates. Even though she has clearly learnt something important, she does not contribute again. The group gives up.

• AR Alison Reynolds  is a member of faculty at the UK’s Ashridge Business School where she works with executive groups in the field of leadership development, strategy execution and organization development. She has previously worked in the public sector and management consulting, and is an advisor to a number of small businesses and charities.
• DL David Lewis  is Director of London Business School’s Senior Executive Programme and teaches on strategy execution and leading in uncertainty. He is a consultant and works with global corporations, advising and coaching board teams.  He is co-founder of a research company focusing on developing tools to enhance individual, team and organization performance through better interaction.

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Quality Circle: Meaning, Features, Objectives and Process

What is quality circle.

The technique in which a group of employees use participant management to identify and solve problems with the performance or quality of a product is known as Quality Circle . In this, small teams of employees meet to discuss, evaluate, and solve problems related to quality in an organisation. It is an essential component of enterprise management, in which small groups of six to twelve people volunteer to improve the employee's quality of work life while simultaneously increasing productivity, quality, and overall organisational performance. Using this technique, the employees can work with complete dedication and commitment by reducing mental tension, and the rate of rejection, rework, and solving work-related challenges.

Key Takeaways: All the members of the quality circle must come from the same work area so that they are all familiar with the issues they identify to ensure effective involvement in the group. It must be remembered that the number of members shouldn't be so large that none of them can participate or have enough opportunities to do so. The quality circle also motivates employees to develop innovative ideas to solve problems. The quality circle promotes teamwork and cooperative working environments.

Table of Content

Why Quality Control Circle?

Features of quality circle, objectives of quality circle, structure of quality circle, how does the quality circle work, process of quality circle, duties of quality circle leader, advantages of quality circle, disadvantages of quality circle, developing a quality circle, techniques used in a quality circle, tips to effectively implement a quality circle program, quality circle - faqs.

Quality Circle focuses on improving quality control by capitalising on employee's strengths and abilities and also helps in improving the overall productivity of the organisation. The following are some benefits of the Quality Control Circle:

1. Reduction of Costs : By adapting the quality circle approach, businesses work on addressing their inefficiency which can help reduce waste and operational costs.

2. Better Quality: Quality Circle teams actively take part in identifying and resolving quality-related problems, which results in higher-quality goods and services.

3. Increased Productivity: The members of quality circle collectively work to eliminate bottlenecks in the process resulting in higher productivity and more effective operations.

4. Improvement in Work-life Balance : The quality circle result in a better working environment, better relationships, and greater satisfaction with work, in addition to enhancing team culture and attitudes.

5. Promoting Innovation : The members of quality circle works on finding innovative solutions to ongoing problems which can ultimately lead to organisational innovation.

1. Voluntary Group : A quality circle is a voluntary group of employees that is formed for a common cause. In this, no member is forced to join using coercion or pressure. Also, no member may be prevented from participating in quality circles.

2. Participative Program: This is a collective effort to solve a problem. Members are free to express what's in their minds without any fear of peer judgment. Every team member participates in the projects and receives recognition collectively.

3. Improvement of Performance: The collective approach results in the improvement of quality, productivity, and overall performance. In addition, quality circles also reduce the cost and level of wastage.

4. Periodic Meetings : The members of quality circles meet frequently to solve the quality-related problems of the organisation.

5. Works for a Particular Agenda: Each Quality circle team has its specific agenda. It has its problems and provides solutions for the same.

6. Problem-Solving: Problem-Solving technique is adopted to identify and solve the problem related to the quality, defects, or inefficiencies in the process.

7. Improved Employee Engagement: The employees are the assets of the organisation. Thus, it is important to satisfy them. The quality circles engage them in the decision-making process which ultimately increases the satisfaction of the employees.

8. Training: Training is provided to the team members so that they can understand their objectives, roles, and responsibilities and work for improvement. They are also trained in various methodologies like teamwork , communication skills and problem-solving techniques, etc.

The main objectives of quality circle are:

1. Skill Development: Quality Circles result in the skill enhancement of the members by engaging them in problem-solving, team building, and open communication.

2. Quality Improvement: The quality circle aims to improve the quality by working on good communication skills, promoting problem-solving techniques, and using standardisation for continuous improvement.

3. Employee Satisfaction: Satisfied employees create a happy work environment. To satisfy them, recognition technique such as quality circles can be used. It gives the employees a sense of achievement which promotes job satisfaction, enthusiasm, and motivation.

4. Relationship Management: Quality Circles aim to maintain good relations between the employees and managers and to create cordial working relations.

5. Cost Reduction: Quality Circles work on improving the product's quality and reducing the per-unit cost of the output.

6. Achievement of Objectives: The main aim of the quality circle is usually aligned with the broader objectives of organisation. Their efforts collectively contribute to promoting competitiveness and organisational success.

7. Innovation : The quality circle promotes creativity and experimentation. With experimentation, members can work on identifying creative solutions to problems that makes the organisation competitive in the market and make a positive business environment.

8. Customer Satisfaction: The quality circle mainly focuses on developing products and services that can increase the satisfaction of customers. The organisation can build customer trust by focusing on quality improvement, customer centricity.

1. Steering Committee: It is supervised by a senior executive that includes representatives from human resources development and management at the top. This committee is in charge of creating and implementing various strategies and policies that guide the program in the proper direction.

2. Coordinator: The administrative officer in charge of monitoring tasks and managing the program is the coordinator.

3. Facilitator: This supervising officer works with the circle leaders to arrange the operations for several quality circles.

The adoption of the quality circle approach includes the following steps:

1. First of all, training is provided to the employees for effective implementation of Quality Circle in the organisation. In this, employees are trained in several problem-solving tools and techniques, like 7 QC tools , 5 Whys Poka-Yoke, etc.

2. Then the Quality Circle team is formed. These are generally formed with 4 to 6 members. This team includes one supervisor, that usually acts as a facilitator. In addition, the team leader changes by rotation turn.

3. In the third step, the theme of Quality Circle is decided. It is very important to know the theme, as with this every member knows their work.

4. Generally, several projects come under one theme. The Quality Circle team has to select the project that comes first on a priority basis. The team works on that project and finds the solutions to the problems.

The process of Quality Circle is as follows:

1. Quality Circle Formation: This includes forming a small group usually consisting of 6-10 members that can collectively work to improve the quality of their knowledge and skills.

2. Training : Under this step, training is provided to the team members so that they can better understand their objectives, roles, and responsibilities and work for improvement. In addition, they are trained in various methodologies like teamwork, communication skills problem-solving techniques, etc.

3. Project Selection: It includes the identification of areas that need improvement in the organisation. For this purpose, members conduct several brainstorming sessions and write down the ideas that can be selected based on their experiences and surveillance.

4. Problem Identification: In this step, team members determine the nature and extent of quality-related problems. Data is collected and examined to identify the underlying causes of the problems. The organization uses several tools like problem-solving tools and techniques to identify causes of the problems.

5. Formulation of Solutions: The group considers and generates potential solutions for the problems by analyzing each solution based on practicality, efficacy, and future impact. After this, the best solution among the various alternatives is selected.

6. Selection and Implementation: After determining which solution is the most effective, the team develops an implementation strategy that includes defining steps, roles, and responsibilities. This plan is executed after monitoring the progress, communicating the plan to various stakeholders, and making required adjustments.

7. Review and Evaluation: This includes identifying the deviations by comparing the actual results with the desired targets. The implementation of solution outcomes is reviewed, and required changes are made, if any.

8. Documentation: In this step the entire process (problem statement, analysis, solutions, and implementation) is recorded and the lessons learned from the other departments in the organisation are shared.

9. Reward and Recognition : Recognition plays an important role in acknowledging the efforts of the team members. Additionally, team members are motivated and encouraged for continuous improvement.

10. Standardisation: Successful solutions are incorporated into existing processes with the aim of continuous improvement of quality.

The duties of a quality circle leader include:

• Building trust with members and communicating freely about any challenges that arise.
• Organising the discussions of the quality circle team.
• Giving each member an equal chance for achievement.
• Giving specific tasks to each member.
• Collaborating with the facilitator.
• Motivating team members to utilize their abilities and monitoring the work of each member.
• Leading the group members in the appropriate direction.

1. Job Satisfaction: Every person has some psychological needs which include the need for recognition. It gives the employees a sense of achievement which promotes job satisfaction. Thus they work with more enthusiasm and motivation.

2. Waste Reduction: With this quality circle approach every team member works collectively and helps each other. This results in the reduction of waste, and saving of labor and time which ultimately leads to improvement of quality.

3. Team-Spirit: The quality circle develops team spirit among the quality circle members. It also creates a feeling of togetherness. With this, members help each other and solve each other's problems at work.

4. Reduces Grievances and Absenteeism : With quality circle, employees prefer to work rather than sit at home. They also enjoy their work and do not treat the work as a burden. This ultimately reduces the grievances of the employees.

5. Quality Improvement: It is the main aim of the quality circle to improve the quality by enhancing communication, promoting problem-solving techniques, and using standardisation as a benchmark.

1. Lack of Time: The employees feel that they are also occupied with their daily work and have to work overtime for the quality circle work. But with open communication, the managers can make them understand that by giving some extra time in the beginning, the employees can save money, reduce wastage, and improve quality by adopting this approach.

2. Lack of Ability: Indian workers lack initiative and a high degree of education. People are unwilling to explore new things because they don't change. They must be educated about the advantages of high-quality circles.

3. Lack of Supervision Commitment: The dedication and support of upper management are essential to any program's success. Employees will be ready to allocate their time to quality circles if they don't get top support. However, it's possible that workers won't be permitted to have quality circle meetings during business hours. It is therefore impossible for quality circles to function effectively without the commitment and involvement of top management .

4. Limited Scope: Quality Circles works for specific issues in the organisation. This approach can be effective for solving these problems, but it can ignore border problems that require comprehensive solution. Thus the scope of quality circle is limited.

5. Limited Management Support: The implementation of a quality circle requires continuous support and commitment from the management. But if there is limited support, then members have to face challenges in conquering barriers, obtaining resources, and improving employee engagement in the long term.

1. Initial Stage: The employees within the organisation must be aware of the quality circle concept. Everyone needs to know the basic implications and impact on the members and the business. The participation of employees in this quality circle team is voluntary. Individuals won't be enthusiastic about joining until they start understanding its fundamental concepts. The business can help the interested person by providing the necessary training to improve and enhance their participation skills.

2. Quality Circle's Constitution: Members of the quality circle are volunteers who are part of the same work area. The steering committee, coordinators, facilitators, leaders, and circle members who work for the company's ultimate benefit are all listed in the constitution.

3. First-hand Solution to a Problem: To solve problems, information must be collected through self-suggestions, contacting employees, and record-keeping. It also consists of data analysis that determines the cause of the problem. The final activity is problem-solving, and it calls for regular participation from members so they can provide their ideas and useful suggestions.

4. Presentation and Approval: The group members give the management the solution, orally or in the form of a project report or assignment. For the employees and management to work together in the future, the presentation improves communication among them.

5. Implementation: Implementation is the last step in creating a quality circle. This includes delegating important tasks to the appropriate groups based on suggestions to create a realistic quality circle.

1. Brainstorming : The technique encourages the generation of as many new ideas as possible that can help in the decision-making process. This creates a discussion environment in which everyone is free to give ideas without any fear of criticism. These employees feel free to express themselves and promote creative thinking. The ideas are recorded simultaneously. After that, the pros and cons of every idea are discussed before making a final decision.

2. Sampling and Charting Method: This method includes observation of the events and their outputs by the members of quality circle. The results can be positive or negative. The members chart out every observation they have made, either chronologically or according to some other relationship, which gives a clear idea of the problem.

3. Cause and Effect Diagrams: This method includes finding out the root cause of the problems. After this, the effect of that root cause is identified. Later, the members identify other causes and effects. This technique is also known as the fishbone diagram, as it lists out the root and causes resembling fishbone.

• The Quality Circle members must actively participate in the discussions. In addition, the members must try to learn new techniques and new things.
• The members must attend this discussion regularly and punctually.
• The leader must focus on providing the training of various tools, like 7 QC tools and kaizen to all the members.
• The members must follow the agenda of the circles without wasting time. The members must listen to each other's suggestions and point of view to solve the problem.
• It is necessary to maintain the proper records of the activities of quality circles.
• The circle must have a coordinator and a facilitator who can monitor the activities of the team.

Who introduced the concept of quality circle?

The concept of Quality Circle was introduced by Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa in the 1960s to improve quality, productivity, and the work environment. He is also known as “Father of Quality Circle”.

What is the size of the quality circle?

A quality circle usually has between six and twelve members. This number ensures that the team remains small enough to maintain each member's active participation and engagement while facilitating effective communication and teamwork .

What is the main aim of the quality circle?

The quality circles mainly aims to improve the quality and overall productivity of the organisation.

Why are quality circles referred as people-building philosophy?

In QC experts perform specific job that can work on solving work problems using creative ideas. This is the basis of the quality circle, which works at developing people.

What is the main reason for the failure of quality circles?

The main reason for the failure of quality circles is poor organisational design which can lead to managerial resistance .

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Why Problem-Solving Skills Are Essential for Leaders in Any Industry

• 17 Jan 2023

Any organization offering a product or service is in the business of solving problems.

Whether providing medical care to address health issues or quick convenience to those hungry for dinner, a business’s purpose is to satisfy customer needs .

In addition to solving customers’ problems, you’ll undoubtedly encounter challenges within your organization as it evolves to meet customer needs. You’re likely to experience growing pains in the form of missed targets, unattained goals, and team disagreements.

Yet, the ubiquity of problems doesn’t have to be discouraging; with the right frameworks and tools, you can build the skills to solve consumers' and your organization’s most challenging issues.

Here’s a primer on problem-solving in business, why it’s important, the skills you need, and how to build them.

Access your free e-book today.

What Is Problem-Solving in Business?

Problem-solving is the process of systematically removing barriers that prevent you or others from reaching goals.

Your business removes obstacles in customers’ lives through its products or services, just as you can remove obstacles that keep your team from achieving business goals.

Design Thinking

Design thinking , as described by Harvard Business School Dean Srikant Datar in the online course Design Thinking and Innovation , is a human-centered , solutions-based approach to problem-solving and innovation. Originally created for product design, design thinking’s use case has evolved . It’s now used to solve internal business problems, too.

The design thinking process has four stages :

• Clarify: Clarify a problem through research and feedback from those impacted.
• Ideate: Armed with new insights, generate as many solutions as possible.
• Develop: Combine and cull your ideas into a short list of viable, feasible, and desirable options before building prototypes (if making physical products) and creating a plan of action (if solving an intangible problem).
• Implement: Execute the strongest idea, ensuring clear communication with all stakeholders about its potential value and deliberate reasoning.

Using this framework, you can generate innovative ideas that wouldn’t have surfaced otherwise.

Creative Problem-Solving

Another, less structured approach to challenges is creative problem-solving , which employs a series of exercises to explore open-ended solutions and develop new perspectives. This is especially useful when a problem’s root cause has yet to be defined.

You can use creative problem-solving tools in design thinking’s “ideate” stage, which include:

• Brainstorming: Instruct everyone to develop as many ideas as possible in an allotted time frame without passing judgment.
• Divergent thinking exercises: Rather than arriving at the same conclusion (convergent thinking), instruct everyone to come up with a unique idea for a given prompt (divergent thinking). This type of exercise helps avoid the tendency to agree with others’ ideas without considering alternatives.
• Alternate worlds: Ask your team to consider how various personas would manage the problem. For instance, how would a pilot approach it? What about a young child? What about a seasoned engineer?

It can be tempting to fall back on how problems have been solved before, especially if they worked well. However, if you’re striving for innovation, relying on existing systems can stunt your company’s growth.

Related: How to Be a More Creative Problem-Solver at Work: 8 Tips

Why Is Problem-Solving Important for Leaders?

While obstacles’ specifics vary between industries, strong problem-solving skills are crucial for leaders in any field.

Whether building a new product or dealing with internal issues, you’re bound to come up against challenges. Having frameworks and tools at your disposal when they arise can turn issues into opportunities.

As a leader, it’s rarely your responsibility to solve a problem single-handedly, so it’s crucial to know how to empower employees to work together to find the best solution.

Your job is to guide them through each step of the framework and set the parameters and prompts within which they can be creative. Then, you can develop a list of ideas together, test the best ones, and implement the chosen solution.

Related: 5 Design Thinking Skills for Business Professionals

4 Problem-Solving Skills All Leaders Need

1. problem framing.

One key skill for any leader is framing problems in a way that makes sense for their organization. Problem framing is defined in Design Thinking and Innovation as determining the scope, context, and perspective of the problem you’re trying to solve.

“Before you begin to generate solutions for your problem, you must always think hard about how you’re going to frame that problem,” Datar says in the course.

For instance, imagine you work for a company that sells children’s sneakers, and sales have plummeted. When framing the problem, consider:

• What is the children’s sneaker market like right now?
• Should we improve the quality of our sneakers?
• Should we assess all children’s footwear?
• Is this a marketing issue for children’s sneakers specifically?
• Is this a bigger issue that impacts how we should market or produce all footwear?

While there’s no one right way to frame a problem, how you do can impact the solutions you generate. It’s imperative to accurately frame problems to align with organizational priorities and ensure your team generates useful ideas for your firm.

To solve a problem, you need to empathize with those impacted by it. Empathy is the ability to understand others’ emotions and experiences. While many believe empathy is a fixed trait, it’s a skill you can strengthen through practice.

When confronted with a problem, consider whom it impacts. Returning to the children’s sneaker example, think of who’s affected:

• Your organization’s employees, because sales are down
• The customers who typically buy your sneakers
• The children who typically wear your sneakers

Empathy is required to get to the problem’s root and consider each group’s perspective. Assuming someone’s perspective often isn’t accurate, so the best way to get that information is by collecting user feedback.

For instance, if you asked customers who typically buy your children’s sneakers why they’ve stopped, they could say, “A new brand of children’s sneakers came onto the market that have soles with more traction. I want my child to be as safe as possible, so I bought those instead.”

When someone shares their feelings and experiences, you have an opportunity to empathize with them. This can yield solutions to their problem that directly address its root and shows you care. In this case, you may design a new line of children’s sneakers with extremely grippy soles for added safety, knowing that’s what your customers care most about.

Related: 3 Effective Methods for Assessing Customer Needs

3. Breaking Cognitive Fixedness

Cognitive fixedness is a state of mind in which you examine situations through the lens of past experiences. This locks you into one mindset rather than allowing you to consider alternative possibilities.

For instance, your cognitive fixedness may make you think rubber is the only material for sneaker treads. What else could you use? Is there a grippier alternative you haven’t considered?

Problem-solving is all about overcoming cognitive fixedness. You not only need to foster this skill in yourself but among your team.

4. Creating a Psychologically Safe Environment

As a leader, it’s your job to create an environment conducive to problem-solving. In a psychologically safe environment, all team members feel comfortable bringing ideas to the table, which are likely influenced by their personal opinions and experiences.

If employees are penalized for “bad” ideas or chastised for questioning long-held procedures and systems, innovation has no place to take root.

By employing the design thinking framework and creative problem-solving exercises, you can foster a setting in which your team feels comfortable sharing ideas and new, innovative solutions can grow.

How to Build Problem-Solving Skills

The most obvious answer to how to build your problem-solving skills is perhaps the most intimidating: You must practice.

Again and again, you’ll encounter challenges, use creative problem-solving tools and design thinking frameworks, and assess results to learn what to do differently next time.

While most of your practice will occur within your organization, you can learn in a lower-stakes setting by taking an online course, such as Design Thinking and Innovation . Datar guides you through each tool and framework, presenting real-world business examples to help you envision how you would approach the same types of problems in your organization.

Are you interested in uncovering innovative solutions for your organization’s business problems? Explore Design Thinking and Innovation —one of our online entrepreneurship and innovation courses —to learn how to leverage proven frameworks and tools to solve challenges. Not sure which course is right for you? Download our free flowchart .

About the Author

Problem Solving

– Methodologies and Techniques –

⇓   Introduction to Problem Solving

⇓   What is Problem Solving

⇓   Problem Solving Services

⇓   Learn More About Problem Solving

Introduction to Problem Solving

In the current world market, consumers and organizations have a vast amount of choices regarding the brand or manufacturer of products, parts and materials available to them. In order to not merely survive but thrive in this ever increasingly competitive market, an organization must provide the most value and the highest quality possible. Most organizations have effective quality systems in place. Unfortunately, we cannot always prevent or detect problems before they reach the customer.  Whether your customer is a Tier 1 automotive manufacturer or the end user, problems sometimes occur. Even the companies held up as benchmarks for quality in their industry eventually encounter problems with their product or process. The most important factors at that time are how timely and effectively the problem is resolved and prevented from re-occurring.  Problems happen so we must be skillful and systematic in resolving the problems as they arise.

What is Problem Solving

Problem Solving is the process undertaken to find solutions to complex or difficult issues by taking an analytical approach using scientific methods. Effective problem solving requires the issue to be recognized and fully understood by the problem solver(s). Then, various problem solving methods and tools can be used to drive down to the root cause of the issue and take appropriate corrective actions to not only fix the problem, but to ensure it does not re-occur. Recurring problems are expensive, drive down brand equity and can damage the supplier / customer relationship. Customers could determine that your organization is not capable of resolving problems within your products or processes. There are many problem solving tools and approaches that are all effective if used properly. The following is a sample list with a brief description of each method.

5 Why is a problem solving method that asks the question “Why” enough times until you get down to the root cause of a problem. The 5 Why exercise can be used as a stand- alone tool or applied within a larger problem solving activity. 5 Why is commonly used during the Analyze phase of the DMAIC process and the Plan phase of the PDCA process. The responses should be based on facts or data and should focus on process or systems errors. The facilitator should ask the team if the cause identified were corrected, could the failure mode or problem still occur. If the answer is yes, then move on to the second “Why” and then the third, fourth, fifth and so on until the answer is no.

Eight Disciplines of Problem Solving (8D)

Eight Disciplines of Problem Solving (8D) is a detailed problem solving method primarily used within the automotive industry but has more recently been utilized by other industries. 8D is typically a team exercise utilized mainly by quality engineers or managers and other professionals. The 8D approach employs statistical analysis of the process and stresses the importance of determining the root causes of the problem.  The basic elements of the 8D method are to identify the problem, form a team, determine root causes, develop corrective actions, both interim and permanent, and ultimately, to prevent the problem from reoccurring. It is also an effective tool for use during product and process improvement initiatives.

The A3 Report has its roots in the PDCA method.  The A3 Report format is an effective tool for communicating all pertinent information with greater visual impact. A3 gained its name from the size of paper used during the exercise. By literally writing and drawing it all out on one sheet, it clearly communicates what is being done at each step of the problem solving activity improving team communication. The A3 format is a valuable problem solving and critical thinking tool that can foster continuous improvement.

Corrective Action Preventive Action (CAPA)

Corrective Action Preventive Action (CAPA) is usually part of an overall Quality Management System (QMS) . The Corrective / Preventive Action process is generally a documented procedure used to collect and analyze information, identify any non-conformances and take appropriate action (corrective or preventive) to resolve problems and prevent recurrence. The CAPA process closely follows the PDCA methodology of Plan, Do, Check, Act.  The use of data to drive actions is prevalent in most CAPA systems. In some cases, Statistical Process Control (SPC) data is incorporated into the process.  Corrective actions are directed at eliminating known causes of failure or other product or process issues. Preventive actions are derived from structured risk analysis and focused on eliminating the cause of a potential failure.

Is / Is Not

The Is / Is Not tool is adaptable in that it can be used as a stand-alone problem solving tool or by establishing boundaries during a larger problem solving activity using one of the methodologies discussed above. It may be used to define the problem and determine the scope of what will be considered and what will not be considered during the problem solving exercise. The Is / Is Not simply asks the questions about the problem and determines what the problem is and is not. For example, a manufacturer starts getting feedback from their dealers of a particular problem. By entering the answers to the questions in a basic diagram, you can identify the scope of the problem and then determine where to apply resources and focus on the real problem.

The Is / Is Not tool produces results by allowing you to focus on the facts of the problem, and specifically on the boundaries created by determining what is and is not involved. Your team can then focus their efforts and attention on the likely causes and take action.

Plan Do Check Act (PDCA)

Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) is also sometimes referred to as the Shewert circle is an excellent method for problem solving or continuous improvement. The basics of the PDCA cycle are to Plan or identify the problem. Do or perform a process study or root cause analysis to determine cause and potential improvements. Check or measure the results of the corrective action or improvement. And then Act, take action based upon the results of the study. The PDCA is not a straight line but a circle or cycle. Once the actions have been validated then use the knowledge acquired to plan additional improvements and begin the cycle again.

No matter which method you select, they all have some basic steps in common. The problem must be defined, the root causes identified, effective temporary and permanent countermeasures put in place, the results measured, monitored and validated. Through this process, you can resolve a problem and prevent recurrence.  While problem solving methods are valuable tools in your quality toolbox, some of them can be applied to a product or process before a failure occurs or during a continuous improvement initiative (i.e. Kaizen ). By using these tools, a potential failure may be foreseen, analyzed, and actions can be taken to prevent the failure from ever occurring. Tools such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) , both Design FMEA and Process FMEA , can be utilized to reduce the likelihood of failures occurring.

Problem Solving Services

At Quality-One, we offer many services directed at helping you resolve any current problems or prevent problems from occurring. Our experienced team of highly trained professionals will provide a customized approach for developing your people and processes based on your unique problem solving needs. At Quality-One our services include:

• Consulting to provide assistance or guidance in developing a plan to deploy a new problem solving initiative
• Training to help your teams understand and drive improvement
• Support in building and implementing your selected problem solving process, which may include Facilitation, Auditing and / or Contract Services

Learn More About Problem Solving

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8D Problem Solving Report

8D is a problem solving method used globally, mainly in manufacturing industry by Quality Engineers and Operations managers. The purpose of 8D problem solving method is to identify, correct and prevent problems affecting customers and operational efficiency. It is a problem solving approach similar to PDCA cycle (Plan – Do – Check – Act).

8D stands for 8 Disciplines. It is a methodology that emphasizes “No problem should be repeated but fixed permanently”.

8D Problem Solving Method originally evolved during Second World War. But it became an official methodology in 1974, when it was used by US Government for its Military Operations as ‘Military Standard 1520’. Later it was adapted and popularized by Ford Motors with slight modification in the methodology.

As the name indicates 8D has 8 disciplines that any process or operations should follow to solve the problems occurring. The outcome of 8D is a report called ‘8D Report’ that records the problems, root cause(s) and corrective and preventive actions.

The below are the D’s in 8D approach:

Figure 1: 8D Problem Solving Approach

1D  – Team Formation: The first and foremost step not only in 8D but also in any other initiative or project is Team Formation, for any initiative cannot be successful without a right team. The team selected should be committed, competent, co-ordinated, cross-functional with representation from all teams, and should be knowledgeable in 8D methodology.

2D – Problem Description: After selecting the team, our concentration should be on detailing the problem. The team should collect details about the problem, for completely understanding the depth of the problem. All details should be data and fact based.

3D – Interim Containment Actions: Once the problem is described, before heading up to problem solving, the team should fix the effect of the problem, especially on customers. It might involve actions like isolating the items affected, replacing defective parts, before it reaches the customers. This step is mainly to prevent the problem from reaching the market and customers, which might become a competitive disadvantage and reduce customer loyalty.

4D – Root Cause Analysis: After taking containment actions, the team should involve in identifying the root cause(s) for the problem. Methods and tools like 5-Why Analysis , Fishbone diagram , Pareto Analysis , 7 Old QC tools , New QC tools etc. can be used for identifying the root cause. An important point to be noted is: Whatever method is used for RCA , it should be data & fact based.

5D – Formulate Corrective Actions: After successfully arriving at the root cause, the team should formulate corrective actions to be taken to correct the problem. Tools like Brain storming, Affinity diagram etc. can be used.

6D – Validate Corrective Actions: After arriving at the corrective actions, the team should validate whether the solutions are effective. There are several tools like Accelerated life testing , simulation etc. available for this purpose. Then the solution can be implemented in the process. The solution approach from step 4-6 should be repeated until the problem is completely eliminated.

7D – Preventive Action: Identifying and implementing corrective actions is only a temporary solution that keeps the system running or is like ‘Living with the problem by taking counter measures’. The permanent solution is to identify a potential long term solution that will not allow the problem (similar problems) from occurring into the system again. Sometimes corrective action will be a costly, time being measure. Preventive action makes changes in the system, upstream or downstream processes so that the entire system is modified or aligned for ‘Problem Free’ operations.

8D – Team and Individual Recognition: Once the problem is completely solved, the team and the extra-ordinary contributors must be rewarded and recognized appropriately. This will act as a motivation factor for other employees.

These are the steps of 8D methodology. To summarize, 8D is a holistic, systematic and proven methodology for problem solving.

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