There’s no more vicious cycle than problems that constantly reoccur because there’s no time to stop and solve them correctly. Although we all would like this cycle to stop, managers can’t afford to let employees waste time with too much researching, and employees don’t always have the time because they are constantly fighting fires. As long as this cycle continues, problems will reoccur, and everyone will have to spend more time on what should not have occurred in the first place.
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How do we get out of this vicious cycle? Through training, dedication, and appropriate problem-solving techniques.
Why are we always fighting fires?
We all know that time is not only valuable but also fleeting. Once it’s gone, there’s no way to get it back. At work, time is even more valuable because we have only eight hours each day to achieve our tasks and goals. Although we are all well-intended, somehow time at work just seems to go by too fast. Between reading e-mails and fighting fires, the work day is gone, and there’s no time to look at the big picture or even think of improvements. But why are we fighting fires in the first place?
If you look at every problem that causes you to stop what you’re doing and dedicate your resources to it, chances are you’ll say the problem shouldn’t have occurred and could have been easily prevented. Or you might say the problem has cropped up before, and there’s no reason for it to be happening again. But somehow, somewhere, something broke down, and all of the sudden the problem resurfaced.
Usually there’s no time to ponder. You don’t want to look as if you’re not doing something about the problem, so you put on your firefighter outfit and go fight the fire along with everyone else. Fortunately, you may think, all those fighting the fire are equally smart like you, and whether you were there when the problem occurred, you’re confident that the company’s most intelligent people are the ones putting the problem and the fire down.
What we often don’t realize in these situations is that the smartest people in the company aren’t necessarily the only ones who should be solving the issue. The problem is not so much the fire or the people who caused it, but the system that allowed it to happen.
Where is the system?
When I look at organizations that are constantly in firefighting mode, I see that there’s usually no system in place that helps them improve from their mistakes. Either mistakes aren’t recognized as such, or the organization views mistakes as a detriment and employees are scared of bringing problems to management’s attention for fear of reprisal. In these companies, management sees problems as operator errors and considers every problem an opportunity for reorganization. A system of proper root-cause analysis is unknown, and problem solving is usually handled by a select few. This prevents the organization from using those “errors, problems, or mistakes” as valuable tools to improve its processes.
To stop problems from reoccurring, a system is needed that supports the following three elements:
1. Companywide training in root-cause analysis techniques and problem solving
2. Leadership commitment to continual improvement
3. A robust yet simple process for conducting corrective or preventive actions
These three elements ensure that the organization’s system is conducive to continual improvement and that appropriate root-cause analysis and problem solving will prevent problems from reoccurring.
Companywide training is essential
Training in root-cause analysis and problem solving is a basic requirement if you want your organization to move away from firefighting mode. However, training must be organizationwide, not just for a few managers or company auditors. From the top executives, shop-floor employees, or desk clerks—everyone must be trained on these techniques.
Executives may be surprised to know how much they are losing by depriving employees of these essential tools. As a consultant and auditor, I see this all the time—for example, employees thinking they have close-out issues, only to find these were closed on paper only, not in reality. I’ve come to believe that the real problem is not that these employees forgot to complete their actions or somebody misinterpreted them; rather, employees simply don’t understand the concepts of problem solving. Some people literally think a problem is solved by stating what they intend to do to solve it. Others think a problem is solved when the specific issue that caused the nonconformity is resolved. Yet others think that problems never really happen, and the fire-fighting status quo is the norm.
Training is therefore essential to ensure that everyone understands the process, from finding the root causes of a problem to ensuring that it doesn’t happen again. In reality, a problem isn’t resolved when the root-cause analysis has been conducted. There are actions that must happen before and after this so the problem won’t happen again. Activities like containment, notification, design, mistake proofing, and verification are all part of solving a problem properly. Of course problems vary in their intensity, and therefore employees must understand how to apply simple problem-solving techniques to their everyday problems and challenges.
Equally important is to train top management in root-cause analysis and problem-solving techniques. I’m always puzzled when a manager asks for a problem to be solved correctly, yet demands immediate action and not too much investigation: “More doing and less talking” is a familiar phrase. Although we all want to minimize unproductive time, managers must understand problem-solving techniques so they can assign responses that are commensurable to the problem in question. A return from a customer is a problem that can be easily solved by giving the customer credit back; however, to stop that problem from happening again requires a lot more than that.
Leadership commitment
I’d like to think that once an organization’s management has been trained in root-cause analysis and problem-solving techniques, it will be more inclined to give employees the time and resources they need to solve a problem. Problems vary, and so should the effort and time allocated to solve them properly. A simple problem-solving session can’t capitalize on the lessons learned, or cross-pollinate within an organization’s multiple locations. For that to happen management must be committed to allocating the time and appropriate manpower resources to share those lessons.
We understand that financial resources aren’t always available, but well-trained employees can help build a cost-effective company by finding alternative solutions to problems and implementing mistake-proof systems that may, in fact, save money. After all, when a problem reoccurs, you are already wasting time, resources, and money to address it. Allowing employees to work on continually improving the system not only saves time and money, but also helps the company improve.
Keep it simple and robust
Ideally a corrective and preventive action system should be where all root-cause analysis and problem solving is done. Thus, I can’t stress enough that this action system must be designed with continual improvement in mind, and all your employees should have equal rights to it. You can’t expect employees to use the system for solving problems when it isn’t accessible to them or is too cumbersome to use.
Likewise you cannot have a corrective and preventive action system that is disjoint or does not encourage employees to think about, for example, containment, root-cause analysis, and verification. Avoid duplicating effort by embedding the entire problem-solving process in your corrective and preventive action system. Moreover, managers must believe in the system, encourage its use, and use it themselves. This will help build trust in the system, and employees will be more likely to use it.
Finally, your corrective and preventive action system must be designed so that anyone who has encountered a problem or a potential problem feels empowered to bring it to management’s attention. The system should also be simple enough for everyone to follow and robust enough so you don’t have to hire extra people to maintain it.
So is it going to be one hour or eight?
Now that you understand what’s needed to stop firefighting and foster an organization that values continual improvement, are you ready to dedicate an hour of your day to it?
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