The Antomy of a Problem

?Professor Richard Feynman told us “” I cannot define the problem; therefore, I suspect no real problem, but I am not sure there is no problem.” So how do we define the issue before us. Take a step back to your high school or college biology classes and explore the anatomy of the problem.

Bob Sproull, friend and colleague, in his latest book Learning from the Past, Present, and Future to Drive Profits to New Levels suggests that there are six components to resolving Feynman’s dilemma.

Step 1: How many processes have this problem?

Notice I did not say human capital assets. Our anatomy lesson tells us that when there is a problem it is always with the process never with the individual. Look at your organization and identify where the process is failing. Is it a single process or a combination of processes that is causing the problem. You are not going to know the answer to this question without conducting Gemba Walks through the three levels of the process – the supplier, You and your customer. Remember no process is an island, so one process may very well influence another.

Step 2: What is the location of the problem

Remember we function on a continuum in every process and in every organization. So is the problem within your organization or within a customer or a supplier. The location of the problem will make a vital marker for determining the correct solution.

Step 3: What is the problem?

The customer, through the voice of the customer, is telling you something is wrong. What is the nature of the problem? Why is it a problem? What of the nine kinds of non-value-added activities is it producing? Be specific.

Step 4: What kind of problem is it?

Carefully identify whether the problem deals with a final product or is it with one of your services. The direction you take from here will be different on whether it is in fact a service or a product. Is the problem one of quality or is it one of delivery times?

Step 5: When does the problem occur?

Listen to the customer. Is the problem occurring consistently or intermittently. The response maybe a key to explaining why the problem exists. It may shed some light on certain conditions which paly a part in the problem existing.

Step 6: Who has the problem?

Big issue. Who is saying it has the problem? If it is a supplier then your avenue for exploration is more confined, since the process issues are before they get to your organization. If it is the end user, this means the system constraint could be anywhere along the continuum. It will require more in-depth look at the total process from the beginning of the continuum to the end of the liner.

The key to successful implementation of problem solution sis grounded in looking at solutions from the eyes of the evidence-based scientific approach to resolving problems. It is the only way that yu can find the best possible solutions to the anatomy of the problem. Every time you have or think you have a problem you should apply these six steps along the path to solutions.

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About the author: Daniel Bloom knows HR and Change Management. He’s a speaker on transformational HR, a strategic HR consultant and trainer. Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter.

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