© 2004 Cayman Business
Systems
Rev:
Pre-G3 - Rendered Thursday,
February 12, 2004
•It has been said that there are no new problems, only different manifestations of old problems. In problem definition,
it is often useful to quantify the problem in similar situations. The criteria to match similar situations will
vary with the type of problem. Identifying
effective matches and evaluating the presence of the problem provides useful information to generate potential causes and
possible problem solutions. If the similarity
analysis identifies a comparable situation where the problem does not exist, the analysis can focus on the differences in where
the problem is occurring and where it is
not occurring.
•Once the 3 types of analysis have been completed, it is
sometimes possible to divide the problem into separate problems. It is easier to address these smaller problems because fewer root causes are involved. In the
ideal case, a single root cause would be
responsible for each problem. If the problem is separated, different teams may be required to address each problem.
•All three elements of the problem
definition are not used for every problem. However, collectively the different analyses provide a
comprehensible description. You are
developing a ‘specification’ of the problem.