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by Jamie Flinchbaugh

“A problem well put is half-solved.” 
— John Dewey

John Dewey was a philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, yet these words he gave us in 1938 capture perfectly the value of a good problem statement in manufacturing. 

A problem statement is like a compass. It helps you set the direction in which your endeavors will follow. If you set the direction inaccurately, your efforts will take you in the wrong direction. Even if you’re not using a structured problem-solving method, the time invested in framing the problem is rarely wasted effort.     

Refine your problem statement with these tips.

Define what type of problem it is. In my experience, most problems fit into one of three categories.

You don’t have a standard. If that’s the case, then create one. Almost every process has two primary ingredients: Who is going to do it and how to do it.

You didn’t follow the standard. Most of the time, there is a barrier to following the standard. Maybe there wasn’t the required time, or resources, or skill, or information. The point is, you must solve why the standard wasn’t followed.

The standard isn’t effective. You have a standard and you follow it, but you still don’t achieve the result desired. Then you must work to improve the standard itself. Most problem-solving training focuses on this type of problem, and even assumes that this is the situation, but for many organizations, it is the least common of the three types.

View the problem from multiple perspectives. Most problems are experienced by more than one person or function. There is usually an assumption that when everyone agrees there is a problem, we also experience it in the same way. One party often proceeds under the assumption that everyone sees the problem as they do, but that is a false assumption.

It is important to socialize a problem statement and incorporate other perspectives. As you add perspectives, the picture of the problem becomes more complete.

I believe all perspectives on problems are two things. First, they are valid. Second, they are incomplete. Even if someone presents a perspective that lacks validity, determining which views are invalid is less productive than working to combine multiple perspectives into a more comprehensive view.

Consider how you will validate. One of the most frequent failure modes in problem-solving is assuming that the solution we determine is correct. Effective problem-solving validates that the solution created truly solves the problem. If done at all, this is usually not considered until the end of the process, after the solution is implemented. Validation of the solution can prove difficult, and since there is so much cost sunk into creating the solution, the desire to declare success can be overwhelming.

Instead, determine how you will validate the effectiveness of the solution while developing the problem statement. This provides two benefits. First, it allows you to create an effective means of validation before you’ve invested your energy. Second, by considering how you would validate the solution, you often clarify the problem statement. Vague problem statements, and imagined problems, start to fade way.

Almost every time I coach a team on their problem statement, we spend quadruple the amount of time on it than they expected, and the problem statement always changes by the time we’re done.

I worked with a leader of a large organization who believed this was the single most important behavior to adopt. No discussion could occur without first defining the problem. It was so well understood that it was joked about, yet behavior changed, and it transformed the organization. 

Jamie Flinchbaugh is an author, speaker and consultant on lean principles. He is best known for helping to change how manufacturers think about lean from a tools-centric model to one based on behaviors. Copyright 2019. Informa.