What are some strategies for improving product quality through problem-solving skills?

Before I identify the root cause - One thing I have found to be helpful is truly understanding the problem by understanding the standard vs Actual - through go & see, to gather the right and factual data. This allows me to understand the gap between my current and ideal conditions. Then I breakdown the problem to determine the biggest contributor to the problem after which I try to analyze the source of the problem using quality tools 8D, 5Y, fishbone, etc to determine the root cause.

Me he percatado que muchas veces no identificamos la causa raíz y después de un tiempo volvemos a tener el problema. ?Como sabemos que encontramos la causa raíz? Porque podemos “apagar y encender” el problema cuando lo deseamos.

All the times for my work. First Understanding the problem deeply then try to problem solving. Using problem solving tools such as 8D, 5Y, fishbone to determine the root cause.

It is imperative to properly identify a root cause not only for why the problem occurred, but why the problem went undetected. To do this, you must first understand how to establish an appropriate and specific problem statement.

Another key part of root cause is including the right people in the team, decisions, and solutions needs to be driven from the top down

Clearly articulate the problem by identifying what is deviating from the desired quality standards. Establish a clear understanding of the issue to form the basis for problem-solving. Apply root cause analysis techniques, such as the 5 Whys or Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram, to identify the underlying causes of the problem. This helps address the root issues rather than just treating symptoms.

Actually breaking down the problem could help identify several contributing factors that allow you the opportunity to use SMART criteria towards determining what solving each contributor will provide to the resolution of the overall gap closure.

You really need to categorize the impact of the root cause before aligning on desired outcomes. Decide is this the roadblock to progress, or is this simply disrupting consistency? The outcome statement of "remove the root cause" is obvious but unacceptable. Clearly define milestones and champions at this point and agree on a cadence for updates. The important thing to remember here is to assemble a diverse cross-functional team and reassure them of their value in the process. If this is a high time investment initiative, you need to design and define tangible milestones and employ the SMART concept to measure. If this is a low time investment initiative, I would strongly encourage the JDI approach.

I think in this step we have two important things to detach: - Customer focus; - SMART goal that we can achieve, if it's not possible because its complexity, we should start with simple.

Remember, there is almost always more than one root cause. For a product quality event to occur there is usually a compounding of separate events. Focus on the ones that have potentially the biggest impacts.

I find that generating alternative Countermeasures and utilizing the SWOT analysis (also considering Safety, Quality, Productivity, Cost, and HRD (where applicable) while weighing the pros and cons - helps to select the best solutions; and allows others to see that a thorough thought process went to the solution.)

This step requires more people who have technical skills related to the process and is interesting to have people who are focused on another process to present some ideas about the problem.

A mí me ha resultado útil el realizar las reuniones a pie de línea, para también consultar al personal operativo, ellos son quienes más conocen el proceso.

A good example, business are fantastic at problem solving, but the real test come from sustainability and ensure the problem does not re occur

Another thing to consider is a total outside perspective, include fresh eyes, challengers, and people with a good problem solving mindset, they may see something over seen by the process experts

Understanding the problem is the key to problem solving. Every problem occurrence is like a crime scene. One needs to simulate the problem to understand deeply so that the solution taken fixes the problem permanently

Having a method for robust problem solving is certainly important, and a skill that is missing from our engineering school course work. I want to add the critical importance of looking at the Systemic Root Cause once the problem is solved. The important missing questions are: "How did our systems and processes allow this failure to occur in the first place?" and "How can we improve our systems and processes to robustly prevent this failure from reoccurring?" Failing to improve our systems and processes will assure another team will get to work on this same problem resolution again, as soon as the experience of the people currently involved inevitably move on.

As a problem solver, problem solving is number one. This inherently defaults every CAPA to priority one, which quickly can become overwhelming. Every problem that requires more than a JDI approach should go through risk assessment as a means to help define priorities. If you want to see the lower priority problems work themselves out, promote a problem solving culture, train, and empower those immediately involved with the process to problem solve without your express permission or oversight.