The Biggest Misconception in Selecting a Problem Solving Methodology
Here at CAEDENCE we’re big fans of structured problem-solving. A quick search will yield at least half a dozen problem-solving methodologies. As a rule, adherents to each one will claim it’s the best one, and sell it as the latest ”shiny object”. Invariably, they’ll disparage all the other methods. That’s nonsense!
Over the years we’ve been exposed to Six Sigma, Juran, Deming PDCA, 8D, Dale Carnegie, A3, Shainin, and more. Each technique works pretty well, and has been demonstrated many times in a wide variety of industries and circumstances. At the core they are all essentially the same!
Each approach relies on an underlying logical flow that goes like this: [a] make sure the problem is clearly defined; [b] be open to all sources of information; [c] vet the information for relevance and accuracy; [d] use the process of elimination to narrow down all possible causes to the most likely few; [e] prove which of the suspects is really the cause of the issue; [f] generate a number of potential solutions; [g] evaluate the effectiveness, feasibility and risk of the potential solutions; [h] implement the winning solution(s); and [i] take steps to make sure your solution(s) don’t unravel in the future.
The differences between the paradigms resides in supplementary steps and toolkits. For example, 8D contains the important “Interim Containment Action” step (to protect the customer from the symptoms of the issue before the root cause is known) that is not generally seen among the other systems. Meanwhile, Six Sigma is loaded with statistical data analysis tools generally absent from the others. Shainin provides good tools around looking at best and worst performers and component swaps to find the issue. These are apparent but not critical differences - hardly reason to reject any approach outright.
To become the most effective problem solver you can be, avoid zealotry – use whichever of the paradigm you prefer (after all, the logic and steps are so similar) and borrow supplementary steps and tools as-needed from any of the other approaches - mix and match as needed. Remember, your goal is to solve problems – it would be foolish to ignore a potentially helpful tool because it happened to be part of a different toolkit. Use what works best for your particular situation.
Note: If you are implementing structured problem-solving across an organization, we do recommend you pick one paradigm as “primary” - this is because each approach comes with unique jargon and it can be confusing when there are several phrases for what is essentially the same concept - you want to make sure your team members can communicate seamlessly. You can (and should) introduce the supplementary steps or specific tools from the rival systems as-needed, but do it within the framework of your chosen primary approach.
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