PROBLEM SOLVING...(Most important skill)

In this article, I share the CLEAREST : " 7 STEP PROBLEM SOLVING METHOD", which you cannot find in any other source on problem solving, with the reality that there is no monopoly on knowledge . I'm sure it will be beneficial...

The most important competency of business and personal life is PROBLEM SOLVING. Businessmen, engineers, tradesmen, doctors, soldiers, police, firefighters, even governments, those who define laws / living standards, and the institutions that create standards ( that is, everyone ) are engaged in "problem solving". The problem solving process REQUIRES A METHODICAL APPROACH .

The problem is everywhere. It is everywhere, from bilateral interaction / communication to the way of doing business, from production to sales, from distribution to strategy, from vision to social life design. It is for all ages from 7 to 70 ...

• Your 6-year-old child may be having "problems" adapting to school
• Your words are misunderstood by the other party and create a "communication problem"
• Your business's profit forecast is not accurate, you have a "problem" of making a profit
• Your production losses are higher than expected , you have a scrap "problem"
• The part you produced is out of tolerance, there is a measurement "problem"
• Customers prefer your competitor, you have a competitive "problem"
• You cannot reduce costs in your company, you have a cost "problem"
• You can't achieve your business vision, you have a performance "problem"
• The transportation system you want to improve is in disarray and has "problems"
• You have a health "problem" with stomach aches
• etc...

What do we call a "problem"? (I am giving a brief definition that is valid in every field (including individual dreams). Problem = Ideal situation - Current situation

The problem has two components. Current situation and ideal situation. If one is missing, THERE IS NO PROBLEM!

This place is very important?; The current state is your own awareness, the state of the current indicators. This can only be "identified" through data collection and consciousness-awareness. If the current situation - our awareness - does not exist, there is no PROBLEM. Because it means we have no complaints about our situation.

Ideal situation; This is the situation that is DESIRED to happen. It is valid in every field. It may be your individual dream, or it may be the 2050 vision of the company or the country. The definition of ideal situation is KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT . If you haven't defined "what you want" the ideal situation to be, THERE IS NO PROBLEM. If you do not have an ideal and are complaining about the current situation, this can only be called " TELLING/GRUMBLING "... The first step in solving the problem is the process of -DEFINING- THE IDEAL SITUATION and the CURRENT SITUATION. We call this step1.

Step1: Defining the Problem (Ideal-Current Situation Difference): We define what situation we want to be in . (For example: If this is a measurement: 5 +/-0.5 mm can be defined as ideal, if this is an improvement: ideal waste rate is 3%, if it is a dream, ideal "1,000,000 TL" "having cash " etc.)

We define what situation we are in (Current situation). (For example: Our measurement is 7.5 mm (2.5 mm deviation from the nominal), our wastage rate is 9% (6% more than the ideal), all cases of "there is 10,000 TL cash for the dream (990,000 TL difference)" deviation from the ideal & difference = problem is to put.

For this reason, it can be defined in ANY AND ANY AREA with the formula "problem = ideal situation - current situation".

While describing the current situation; We can frame the problem by bombarding it with 5W1H (What, How Much, How, When, Where, Who) questions. With these questions, we can provide a specific definition of the problem.

Example1: (technical) What: diameter is 2.5 mm larger, how much; How is production on this trend on the 10-day indicator? It is seen during the diameter measurement after the final turning operation, when; on the night shift, where ; In the lathe workshop, who; The problem has nothing to do with the person, etc. We are running a process

Example2: (human) What; Shortage of cash, how much; It has been in this situation for 1 year, how? cash in the bank, when ; After the collections are made, the problem is noticed as a whole month , where; in our store, who ; The collector Ahmet and the deficiency in the collection of the parents are at the forefront, etc. We operate a process of thinking, questioning and defining

Step2: Analysis of the Current Situation & Determination of Root Cause?: In summary, in step 2, "What brings us to this situation? and What are the reasons for these factors?" We deepen our analysis to answer your questions. A system of thought/questioning is required; I strongly recommend the " fish bone ". All possible factors that may cause the main problem can be investigated under 7 main headings. What are these: Human, machine, material, method , measurement, management, environment. Each possible factor should be asked, "Does it really have an impact on the problem?" determined by verification. When verified, it is necessary to question the root causes of the factors that you see only affect the problem.

Important ! : Solving the problem means " completely eliminating it so that it never happens again ." That's why we dive deep into what we call the "root causes" that create the main problem. If we effectively solve the root causes, the main problem will no longer "occur". This is the depth of problem solving we are talking about. (Now you can guess how difficult a job doctors actually have!)

Step3: Determining the Goal?: In Step 2, after mastering the sub-problems and root causes that create the main problem, "we must form an opinion on whether we can eliminate the problem completely or partially." At this level, the decided -improvement-level is put forward as a GOAL as a guide.

Step4: Root Cause Analysis : When we identify the primary level root causes that create the sub-problems in Step2, we wipe out the root cause field, so to speak, by questioning the 5WHYs for each of them. At this level, there are generally systemic, design, management, training, etc. The root causes - at the base - emerge.

Step5: Corrective & Preventive Action Design / Implementation?: Corrective and preventive actions are identified and implemented by "encouraging creativity to the fullest" that can eliminate all identified root causes "at the grassroots and surface".

Step6: Control of Results : Whether the activities defined and implemented in Step5 " WORK " or not is revealed by monitoring the problem progress indicator. It worked and after the problem course is followed "sufficiently" (that is, after being sure) in accordance with the GOAL in Step 3, it is revealed that the problem has been solved. What to do if it is not resolved? It will start again from Step 1. There may be a situation that was overlooked in the definition part of the problem, or a factor that was not taken into account in the possible factor analysis in Step 2. In other words, the thinking process should be started again by going back to the beginning.

The problem has been resolved, what to do now?

Step7: Standardize & Disseminate Information?: "Much is learned and experienced" until the swamp is drained to the root causes at the base of the problem at hand. Whatever happens, it becomes known what kind of problem it causes. Awareness rises. As the poet said; " There are things we learn from our experiences ."

longer make the mistakes we experienced again . Otherwise, we will keep repeating history, we will fall into the same mistakes again, or even worse - the new generation will have to deal with the same mistakes / problems and we will disrupt the development of the generation . Wasted years and generations ... (Very thought-provoking! Because we have so many shortcomings in this regard!)

To prevent this from happening; The truths and do-nots learned through experience are standardized . This means defining "this is how it will be done from now on". Because it has been learned through experience (sometimes with pain) that if it is not done that way, mistakes are made!

So what is dissemination? Einstein said, "Knowledge is the result of experience. Experience that is not transformed into knowledge makes history repeat itself." (Isn't it thought-provoking?) What we call knowledge is actually the result of "experience / learning". Very clear and simple. All standards, laws, test specifications, etc. This is why the definitions are.

This problem solving experience in one field and the knowledge gained in this way can be USED & APPLIED IN ALL FIELDS.?is the spread . So that the same mistakes are not made in other areas... (I think it is clear what needs to be done!)

To have experiences that will lead to INNOVATION (DIFFERENCE) and even INVENTIONS by analyzing and applying the difference between WHAT IS DESIRED and HAPPENING (Ideal-Current) in any individual or business life with this thought system.

Written by: Tuncay Guven / Original Article