Have you relaxed and recharged your batteries this summer. Apropos recharging:
My family traveled by electrical car to Italy this summer. It turned out electric cars were not that common there...
It was hard to charge the car, as the apartment we rented was on the 2nd floor, on a narrow street, with few parking facilities.
Fortunately, problem solving is both unifying and engaging. With creative problem solving from the landlord and neighbors the problem was solved.
Are you watching or reading a crime novel during Easter?
In Norway this is an Easter tradition, and my family is watching at least one crime serie during Easter.
Who can solve the crime first? Who is the murderer? What is the motive? Or the root cause?
Maybe an A3 can help you solve this year's Easter crime on television?
Lean Six Sigma helps you reduce costs, improve quality and increase productivity.
By applying the fact-based improvement method Lean Six Sigma, you achieve measurable results. You learn how to improve flow, center processes and reduce variation.
Understanding variation enables you to respond properly to measurement results, reduce and control unwanted variation. It is an important success factor to succeed in a competitive industry.
Have you tried to reach a goal or solve a problem without succeeding at your first attempt? Maybe you fixed the symptoms, not the root cause? Perhaps the problem was not well understood? Or maybe the goal was unclear?
There may be many possible explanations. For whatever reason, a Thought Map (or Mind Map if you prefer) will help you structure the way to the goal.
A Thought Map includes questions and ideas that arise when we are dealing with a challenge. By going back to the Thought Map if we fail the first time, we can look at the facts with new eyes and discover other solutions. Test out new hypotheses and repeat the process.
A large cosmetics company received a complaint from a customer. She had bought one of their most popular soaps, but when she opened the box, she discovered it was empty.
The management took the complaint seriously, and identified the problem fast. The assembly line that was carrying boxes of products to the distribution department had no way to detect empty boxes.
Afraid this would happen again, the management asked a group of engineers to solve this challenge. The engineers quickly started developing a fluoroscopy machine with two large, high-resolution displays. Two people would staff the machine and remove empty boxes from the conveyor belt before reaching the distribution department.
