The first step in clearly identifying the problem is to ignore your natural inclina-tion to take some kind of acinclina-tion. When you “sense or perceive” that there is a
“problem,” the typical response is to figure out what action should be taken to eliminate the “problem.” In the A3 Problem-Solving process, you are encouraged to delay acting on the problem until you have stated it clearly and precisely.
The current situation is defined as the way things are now. You will most likely encounter a set of circumstances that is out of the norm. When this hap-pens, it is critical that you identify the facts that explain what is actually occur-ring and try to make your first “sense” of the problem more specific. To do this, you must remove the subjectivity and replace it with facts. Understanding the current situation begins with the level at which you pick up the problem.
Problems are picked up at different levels within the organization. Figure 3.3 represents the problem perception at different levels. The further you are from the process, the more vague the problem becomes and the more you will need to clarify and break down the problem. This is another good reason to educate Team Members at the process level about A3 Problem Solving.
By developing problem-solving skills at the lowest level in the organization, the company can keep many problems from escalating in magnitude. This work-book primarily focuses on problems at the Supervisor and Team Leader level.
Seeing the process from this level will allow you to easily solve problems that are picked up at their most vague or specific level.
Most of the time, our initial sense of the problem focuses on an annoyance such as walking long distances to complete the process. Behind that annoyance, which is usually subjective in nature, there is usually a more important issue that should be addressed.
Subjective:
◾ Engineers did not know what they were doing when they set up my process.
Fact:
◾ My process takes 20 minutes to complete, and 10 minutes of that time is spent walking and waiting.
Subjective:
◾ The equipment I use in my process is too far away.
Foil pouches tearing at fill station Operator #8 not meeting production
Team #2 productivity down 5%
Dept. production down, scrap cost up Team Member
Team Leader Supervisor Manager
Company profits down, costs are up Vague Executive
Specific
Problem Situation ◾ 23
Fact:
◾ The chop saw is 400 feet from my workstation, and the shear is in another building 1,000 feet away. I need both pieces of equipment to build each unit.
To accurately depict the current situation, it is important to look at existing data related to the situation. Make sure that you go and see the situation for yourself; do not rely on others to provide you with the information you need.
Problem solving is not done in a climate-controlled office while sitting at a desk.
Consider any differences or changes and the timeline of those changes compared to the timing of the problem.
Example
It currently takes the Team Member on process #5 an average of 20 minutes to produce one unit. Actual work time or value-added work takes 10 minutes and non-value-added work takes 10 minutes.
If there are no data, you will have to gather the data. To do this, you may need to create a check sheet and post it in the area so that you can track occur-rences related to the perceived problem. Table 3.1 shows non-value-added work for daily production.
The data you gather will also help you later in the process when you have to break down the problem in order to precisely state your problem. As a Team Leader or Supervisor, you may grasp problems using the information posted on your team or department board. Figure 3.4 shows a basic Lean Manufacturing Department Status Board. These boards track information related to safety, quality, training, cost, scrap, delivery, and productivity. The board may also display a future-state Value Stream Map (VSM) of your product along with all the required action items.
The use of department or team boards makes it easy for anyone in the facil-ity to see the status of the area at a glance. At Toyota, management would make several trips around the shop and office each day looking at these boards and asking questions regarding the department status. Having such transparency in the work area makes it difficult to hide problems. This transparency actually drives leadership to continually improve.
Table 3.1 non-Value-Added Work for daily production Process #5
The A3 Workbook: Unlock Your Problem-Solving Mind Lunch11:0010:009:008:007:00
1stMon2ndDay by the Hour Chart1stTue2nd 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 2nd
Cost Safety Quality Delivery
Wed Thur Fri
VSM Action List Training Time Table
Value Stream Map
& Peripheral Job Qualified Trainer 8/11/2010
$2,884Std. Std. .025 Std. .025
Std. 97%
Figure 3.4 Lean Manufacturing department status Board.
Problem Situation ◾ 25
Regardless of how a problem comes to you, it must be fully grasped in order to begin understanding the true problem. In other words, put the problem in per-spective as it relates to where the problem exists within the organization and how it relates to the organization’s goals and objectives. Identify the actual problem by taking in all the facts of the situation so that you can see the bigger picture. By looking at the bigger picture, you will have a better understanding of how impor-tant the situation is in relation to other issues and how you should proceed.
For example, take the word “close” by itself. The reader has no idea what the writer is trying to communicate. You need to be able to see the word in the same context as the writer. Is it being used as an adjective? Or is it being used as a verb? The context of the word, combined with the text, will let you know how you are to react to the situation. Figure 3.5 shows how context can change your perception. If you are golfing, you may say the ball is close enough to the hole to call it a gimme. If you are a homeowner worried about utility bills, you will want to close the door to keep from wasting energy. As you can see in this example, the context provides you with the necessary information needed to make the appropriate decision. As a problem solver, you need to think about the context of the problem and how it fits with the company objectives.
discrepancy
A discrepancy is a measurable or recognizable difference between a standard level or standard way and the current situation. The discrepancy should clearly highlight the difference between the standard and the current situation.
Example
Standard:
◾ The tank weld Team Member should only take 15 minutes to tack weld the tank together, 1 hour to weld the tank, and 20 minutes to grind all welds.
Close
9
Figure 3.5 How context changes perception.
Current Situation:
◾ The Team Member on the tank welding process takes 30 minutes to tack weld the tank together, 1 hour to weld the tank, and 20 minutes to grind all welds.
Discrepancy:
◾ It is taking the Team Member 15 minutes longer to tack weld the tank.
Determining the discrepancy may seem simple; however, the discrepancy by itself is rarely enough to provide the problem solver with the needed informa-tion to begin looking for the root cause. The discrepancy is the starting point for breaking down the problem into specific characteristics that can be analyzed to root cause.
The Standard, Current Situation, and the Discrepancy are combined to cre-ate the basic Problem Stcre-atement. The following are examples of production and office problem statements. Read each statement and decide which ones represent good examples of the three components of a problem statement. For those that you feel are not good examples, make notes on what would need to be refined.
See Appendix C and Appendix D for answers to these exercises.