Problems by their nature can be very ambiguous and solutions often have a lot of uncertainty.\u00a0 Utilizing a structured approach to Problem Solving can help resolve the ambiguity enabling both faster outcomes and higher confidence that your decisions are the right ones by reducing the variability of \u201chow\u201d you solve the problem so you can focus more on the \u201cwhat\u201d.<\/p>\n
While an active incident or problem may be having immediate impacts on business operations, having them recur over and over again can be even more costly.\u00a0 A key skill in problem management is assessing the likelihood and impact of recurrence and using this information to guide decisions on when to delay resolution of the immediate incident in order to increase the chance of finding a solution to the underlying problem.<\/p>\n
One of the most common statements heard in incident discussions is \u201cis there someone else we can call to help?\u201d When dealing with difficult incidents and problems, it\u2019s more important to have the right people engaged than more people engaged. Skilled Problem Solvers working with the right knowledgeable subject matter experts make for the best problem solving team. Sometimes less is more.<\/p>\n
A proficient problem solver can learn most subject matter quickly. No candidate is ever a \u201cperfect fit\u201d for the role you are looking to fill and a trade-off must be made between skills, knowledge, and experience.\u00a0 Strong problem solving skills are often a very good indicator of a candidate\u2019s ability to learn new subject matter quickly and adapt to their environment.\u00a0 Consider adding problem solving to your list of interview questions.<\/p>\n
Most of the difficult problems businesses face involve multiple people, teams, systems and processes. Solving these problems effectively requires a team effort. To increase your organization\u2019s problem solving maturity, you will need to ensure there is a supportive problem solving culture to support team members using their individual skills to their full potential.<\/p>\n
Most operational metrics and rewards systems focus on short-term performance \u2013 encouraging employees to \u201ckeep the line moving\u201d or \u201cbring the system back up quickly\u201d instead of focusing on solving underlying problems to ensure long-term quality and performance.\u00a0 Consider what behavior your measurement and rewards systems are driving.\u00a0 Perhaps it\u2019s time for a change.<\/p>\n
It can be tempting to \u201csmooth over\u201d issues and make the performance of a team or process look better than it really is.\u00a0 Encouraging employees to raise problems when they see them is an important part of the continuous improvement process.\u00a0 The sooner you can identify problems and resolve them, the better your performance will really be.<\/p>\n
When prioritizing problems for analysis and resolution, it is important to balance the \u201cquick wins\u201d and \u201clow-hanging fruit\u201d with the more difficult problems that will take more time and effort.\u00a0 Although the easy problems may be able to be resolved faster, it is often the difficult ones that can have the greatest impact on operational costs, process performance and\/or product quality.<\/p>\n
Known-issues with some sort of short-term-fix (STF) or work-around in place often add up quickly to create a productivity burden on employees and potentially a morale issue as well.\u00a0 Consider whether it is time to focus your problem management efforts on preventing these known issues from occurring.<\/p>\n
The good news is, you are reading this article, so you probably already realize there are some problems in your organization that need addressing.\u00a0 Beware of anyone who says \u201cthere aren\u2019t any problems, everything is great!\u201d \u2013 they are either lacking awareness of their environment or may be hiding something.\u00a0 Acknowledging problems when you become aware of them is the first step to solving them.<\/p>\n
Kepner-Tregoe has been helping companies improve their Problem Solving skills since 1953, offering structured Problem Solving methods, skills training, and organizational consulting.\u00a0 We have worked with customers across a wide variety of industries and can help you implement a problem solving method tailored to your business\u2019s unique needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
1. Less Art \u2013 More Science: A structured approach to problem solving leads to more confident decisions and outcomes. Problems by their nature can be very ambiguous and solutions often have a lot of uncertainty.\u00a0 Utilizing a structured approach to Problem Solving can help resolve the ambiguity enabling both faster outcomes and higher confidence that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":696,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[163],"class_list":["post-24933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n