Problem Solving

About the Workshop  

“No one has more trouble, than the person who claims to have no trouble.” Taiichi Ohno

Problem solving is central to Lean management and is the primary method of realising improved performance. Problems are welcomed in a Lean culture as the quotation from Ohno (Toyota’s legendry Lean sensei) implies. A culture of hiding problems is a far bigger problem than raising and solving problems every day.

A problem is defined any obstacle that prevents the attainment of the target condition (the gap between current and desired state). The problem usually presents itself as a symptom of an underlying deeper root problem. It is all too commonplace across industry to “band aid” problems or to solve the surface causes or symptoms.

The goals of this workshop include:

• Create an understanding of the concept of Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
• To impart a familiarity with analytical tools utilised in the determination of Root Causes
• To teach the members of this class how to effectively analyse problems, determine their Root Causes and define appropriate Corrective Actions

This workshop will introduce key RCA concepts, and the strategies for successful deployment. 

Who Should Attend?

This course is designed for frontline employees, maintenance and production supervisors, and managers interested in utilising systematic problem solving.

Course Outline 

• What is Root Cause Analysis?
• Why Do We Perform Root Cause Analysis?
• Root Cause Analysis Philosophy
• Problem Solving Support Plan
• Problem Classification System
• Symptom vs. Root Cause
• Root Cause Analysis Process
• Problem Solving Tools
• Mistake Proofing
• PDSA Cycles

 Pulling It All Together with Systematic A3 Problem Solving on a Live Business Problem

• Who owns the problem?
• What is the problem?
• What are the symptoms?
• Impact?
• What is the background – What are you talking about & why? What are the current conditions?
• What are the root causes of the problem?
• What is the specific improvement in performance you need to close the gap?
• What are possible countermeasures for the problem?
• How will you choose which fix to propose?
• What is the cost and benefit of the selected countermeasure?
• What is the implementation plan and schedule?
• How will you know if your plan is working?
• What problems are likely to occur during implementation?
• How will you ensure follow up & continuous improvement?

Trainer Profile: Andy Brophy 

Andy Brophy is a Lean & Innovation Improvement Advisor. He has been working in the Lean field for the last 15 years with a diverse range of organisations including manufacturing, government, services, software development, and hospitals.

Andy is a professional engineer and holds a 1st Class MSc in Lean Operations from Cardiff University and is Six Sigma Black Belt certified. In May 2010 he published the co-authored book Innovative Lean with John Bicheno of the Lean Enterprise Research Centre in the UK. This work is primarily based on the power of harvesting and implementing employee ideas and creating an innovative and empowered workforce.

In 2011 he was selected by Pearson’s the world’s largest book publisher to write The Financial Times Guide to Lean. The book is being translated into Spanish, German, Dutch, and Japanese. The book is currently undergoing assessment for The Shingo Prize Award in the USA.

In 2015 he is scheduled to publish a co-authored book with three USA based authors. They are API’s Improvement Advisor Cliff Norman, Yedda Trawick of Care Oregon, and Jane Norman of PKP Inc. The book is titled Lean Healthcare and The Science of Improvement. This research will explore Lean Healthcare with emphasis on Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge using the internationally adopted Improvement Model within healthcare. This pioneering book aims to alloy these two potent improvement philosophies to advance the accomplishments already realised through the application of Lean to healthcare.

This course is also available as an on-site customised course

Course Cost: €490pp

Duration: 1 day

Date: 11th June 2019

Location: Dublin

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