Case Closed! One Great Example of Team-Based Problem-Solving: Become a Savvy Problem-Solver Part 5

When it comes to problem-solving, field experience is your finest teacher. The next best thing? Case studies. That’s why, to cap off the Become a Savvy Problem-Solver series, we’re going to delve into a stand-out example from my career that demonstrates the importance of facilitation, a reliable process, and an open mind.

The Case of the Machine That Ran Like a Sputtering Engine

The Problem

I was once hired to analyse a plant that wasn’t producing to its highest potential, to the point where it created a profit margin skinnier than a smartphone. Enough for the CEO to purse their lips and say “This isn’t normal”.

When I was hired, I didn’t know how massive the problem was at the time. What I found was the machinery that was chugging along at a snail’s pace, only to stop working randomly. The workers would smack on a band-aid solution, and it’d chug along for a little while, but then it would stop working again. This issue ran deep, and it was chronic.

The Approach

So after doing some Root Cause Analysis (RCA), I found that it was a whole host of little issues running unchecked that Frankenstein into frequent and extensive downtime. I was able to inform the team of the root causes and help them understand it. They already had the know-how to fix the issues once they understood what they were, but we still weren’t done. Remember, you should only suffer the pain of the problem once.

The Solution

Unless I left them with a reliable problem-solving process, then a bunch of little issues would end up compounding into downtime all over again. That’s why we came up with the policy that any time a period of downtime exceeded a certain threshold, we would take a pause to perform an RCA. That way, we caught the pesky problems early and resolved them before they could severely affect the bottom line.

The Result

Fixing the production rate issue wasn’t an overnight success. It took many months to find and solve all those straggling issues, but over time, the production rate climbed higher and higher, to the point where it was so effective that we had to stop the machines because we ran out of storage room for all the products!

The Lesson

If you take the time to develop a problem-solving method and understand the issues in your plant, you can improve the overall business so well that you achieve above and beyond your production goals.

To Recap It All Off…

? Part 1 - If something catches you off as odd, take pause, take note, and make sure you have the right process to riddle out the root issue.

? Part 2 - Create a structured problem-solving process by learning pre-established processes like Root Cause Analysis and/or Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, then adapt them to the needs of your plant and your team.

? Part 3 - Prioritise which problems need thorough RCAs and which need 20-minute power sessions.

? Part 4 - A facilitator is a must for your problem-solving team. They’re the ones with the skill to ask the right questions and keep the process on track.

We can easily follow a problem-solving process and hope for the best, but when you've got case studies with great results, it highlights the benefits and the importance of operating in that form. That’s where Sologic comes in. We provide resources that give you the in-depth knowledge to conduct your own thorough RCAs, from online pieces of training to free ebooks to dozens of case studies and more. If you are truly committed to becoming a savvy problem-solver and conducting yourself with excellence on the field (or at the very least, making your job a whole heck of a load easier), then this website is the one for you. Browse Sologic for all things RCA today!