Replying to LO26793 --
Dear At,
The 7-Step Problem Solving methodology as I learned it, and now as I bring
it to others, has brought significant focus to work teams in business
organizations, especially--but not restricted at all to--manufacturing
environments.
It's based upon the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle well known to leaders of
continuous improvement activities in product/service organizations, and
elaborated by Deming, Juran, Shiba and many, many others.
The aim of such training in a methodology is to allow employees at
virtually every level of an organization to follow a road map which is
rational and consistent, and which provides for flexibility at every step.
It's a far cry from philosophical dialog and philological considerations
which enthrall me in the contributions to our list.
This methodology requires a focus on data, root cause, metrics, checking,
standardization of process insofar as required, and reflection on the work
in the form of a "plus/delta": plus= what worked well in the individual or
team task; delta= what would we do next time to improve the way in which
we tackled the problem, brought it to its knees, and ensured as much as
possible a non-recurrence of that problem. This seventh step brings this
kind of methodology in line with the notion of a learning organization,
where intelligence acquired over time in serving internal and external
customers is broadly shared, becomes part of the knowledge base for
current and future activities.
The work I do, At, is entirely in the workplace. Seated at workshop tables
are top managers and line personnel, each of whom brings a background of
obviousness to communicate in order to find shared concerns. the 7-Step
method a useful, proven tool supporting that end.
Best regards,
Barry Mallis
The Organizational Trainer
Keene, NH USA
email: theorgtrainer@earthlink.net
--Barry Mallis <theorgtrainer@earthlink.net>
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