The Seven Problem Solving Steps

An overview of Process Improvement Steps

1. The Seven Problem Solving StepsThe Seven Problem Solving Steps
•Identify – What is the problem? What do we
see? How important is it?
•Define – Write a correct and succinct problem
statement
•Investigate – What do we know about the
problem? Is it really important?
•Analyze – What are the causes?
•Solve – What are the solutions
•Implement – Make the changes
•Confirm – Did the problem go away?

2. IdentifyIdentify
•Identify problems in the process. Select
ONE to work on
–Tools:
•Brainstorming/Delphi Analysis
•Interview customers/suppliers
•Measurements (Metrics)
–Histograms, Pareto Diagrams, Fishbone Diagrams, Flow
Charts

3. DefineDefine
•Define the problem. If it is large, break it
down to smaller ones and solve one at a
time.
–Tools
•Cause and Effect Diagrams
•Process Analysis
•Check Sheets
•Pareto Diagrams

4. InvestigateInvestigate
•Investigate by observation, research and
discussion with interested parties. Make
no assumptions.
–Tools:
•Check Sheets
•Histograms
•Pareto Diagrams
•Run Charts
•Stratification

5. AnalyzeAnalyze
•Analyze the problem. Find ALL of the
possible causes, decide which ones are
major
–Brainstorming and Delphi Narrowing
–Check Sheets
–Cause and Effect Diagrams
–Prioritization Matrix
–Process Analysis
–Scatter Diagrams

6. SolveSolve
•Solve the problem: Choose from available
solutions and select the one that has the
greatest benefit for everyone. Get buy-in
–Tools:
•Force Field Analsis
•Analogies
•Brainstorming
•Matrix Diagram
•Management Presentation

7. ImplementImplement
•Implement after securing needed buy-ins
and material support
–Complete implementation plan
–Inform and train all shareholders
–Get feedback
–Assemble needed resources
–Publicize
–Implement

8. ConfirmConfirm
•Confirm the results. Accurately collect
data and compare to the original state.
•Document improvement
•Re-Confirm at specific intervals to insure
that the fix worked and the methods are
still in place