Diagnosing Problems

Leader

Good Problem Solvers know

Types of Thinking they need

Breakthrough

Incremental

How much time they have

2 Types of Thinking Needed

Reproductive Thinking:

Valuable when Consequences of

failure are high (Incremental).

Productive Thinking:

Valuable when Consequences of

failure are low (Breakthrough)

Creative Thinking (Breakthrough)

is separate from

Critical Thinking (Incremental)

Overarching Principles

Productive Thinking

Creative Thinking:

Generative

Non – Judgmental

Expansive

Reproductive Thinking

Critical Thinking:

Analytical

Judgmental

Selective

LEAN THINKING IS REPRODUCTIVE

Lean Thinking

Perceive a Problem

Pick a Solution

Do Something

LEAN THINKING IS REPRODUCTIVE

Kaizen has limits:

Incremental improvements produce

learned thoughts

Will achieve predictable results

Viewed from sum of parts

(Breakdown Problem)

Reproductive Thinking Model

Initial Problem Perception

Clarify the Problem

Locate the Point of Concern

Investigation of Root Cause

Countermeasures

Evaluate

Standardize

Reproductive Thinking Model

Initial Problem Perception

Clarify the Problem

Locate the Point of Concern

Investigation of Root Cause

Countermeasures

Evaluate

Standardize

Reproductive Thinking Model

Initial Problem Perception

Clarify the Problem

Locate the Point of Concern

Investigation of Root Cause

Countermeasures

Evaluate

Standardize

Team: Date:

Title/Theme:

Background/Definition:

Current Conditions:

Target:

Determine Cause/Analysis:

Countermeasures:

Implementation:

Follow-up:

A3 LEAN THINKING

Based on Scientific

Experimentation

Productive Thinking

Creative Thinking:

Generative

Non – Judgmental

Expansive

You need Productive Thinking

Tenkaizen is needed:

Means good revolution

Rather than reproduce old, produces

new

Coping with change and creating

change

Successful Productive Thinking

Requires you to stay in the Question:

Okay with Ambiguous

Okay with Uncertainty

Okay with not Knowing

Productive Thinking Model

What’s going on?

What’s success

What’s the question?

Generate Answers

Forge the Solution

Align resources

Theory: What’s going on?

•Listing

•Clustering

What's the

itch?

•Concern

•Priority

What's the

impact?

•Know

•Wonder

What's the

information?

•Were you & others stand

•Whose most important

Who's

Involved?

• It would be great

• I wish, If only

What's the

vision?

Theory: What’s success?

• Influence, Importance,

Imagination

Target

Future

•What do you want it to do

•What to avoid

•Resources & Limits

•Measurable Targets &

Nonnegotiable elements

DRIVE

Develop a success criteria

Theory: What’s the question? •How might I

•How might we

•Need the right ? to get

right answer

Phrase each

problem as a

question

•Advantages

• Impediments

•Maybes

AIM

•Cull (Review, Separate)

•Cluster

•Combine

•Clarify

•Choose

C5 -

Converging to

get Question

Theory: Generate Answers

•How else might I

•How else might we

List a long

list of

answers

Think from other

perspectives

•Cull (Review, Separate)

•Cluster

•Combine

•Clarify

•Choose

Use the C5

method

Theory: Forge the Solution

Evaluate

Comparison

Refine

•Evaluate each idea against

•+ - not numbers

Use success

Criteria

•Don't Fossilize

•Revaluate criteria Problems

•Positives & Objections

•What else

•Enhancements & Remedies

POWER up

solution

Theory: Align resources

•List Action Steps

• Identify missing steps

• Identify People

•Assign steps to people

Put in order

Identify and record outcomes

•Kanban board

•Calendar Great Wall of Time

•Energy

•Funds

•Expertise

•Conditions

EFFECT

Productive Thinking Model

What’s going on?

What’s success

What’s the question?

Generate Answers

Forge the Solution

Align resources

“All models are wrong. Some are useful!” - George Box

What’s the Death of a Decision?

Poorly Managed Time….

Productive Thinking Model

What’s going on?

What’s success

What’s the question?

Generate Answers

Forge the Solution

Align resources

No matter where you are or how much time you have!

Productive Thinking Model

What’s going on?

What’s success

What’s the question?

Generate Answers

Forge the Solution

Align resources

50%

30%

20%

Reproductive Thinking Model

Initial Problem Perception

Clarify the Problem

Locate the Point of Concern

Investigation of Root Cause

Countermeasures

Evaluate

Standardize

Reproductive Thinking Model

Initial Problem Perception

Clarify the Problem

Locate the Point of Concern

Investigation of Root Cause

Countermeasures

Evaluate

Standardize

50%

30%

20%

Manage Time, Manage Decisions

References

Think Better by Tim Hurson

The A3 Workbook by Dan Matthews

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