One Page – 7 Steps Finding a solution to the wrong problem is counterintuitive

Over the past few years I have been faced with a multitude of customer issues. I have tried many different approaches with varying degrees of success. The greatest challenge is overcoming the game of “telephone”. The customer has a problem, someone calls customer and an email is sent to me. Hence, when I get a message that “Abraham Lincoln needs a new blue hat” I am confident that I need to collect a few facts before I suggest a resolution. Consequently, I use the seven steps below when performing my investigation. I utilize these steps before I get involved with other team members or conference calls. The only way to get to a “quick resolution” is to understand the “REAL” problem.

1. Go See – Go see the person within the customer’s facility that has the issue. This may or may not be the person who contacted you.

2. Ask Why – Why are they having a problem? How long has this been a problem? How is the problem affecting their work? Will there be an additional cost to solve their problem?

3. Take Pictures – Take pictures of the room, the product, the equipment, etc. – “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

4.Show Patience – Allow the customer to be frustrated. They have pressure to do their job and to find solutions. Their job may be at risk.

 5. Write Up the Story – Write up the details of what you find. Include pictures and explain any acronyms. Understand that the person reading the story may have no idea what you are talking about and cannot see what you see.

6. Create an Action Plan – The action plan should include details of the resolution, a timeline and the names of the people responsible. The action plan and the story should be verified by the customer. An agreed upon plan has greater chance of success.

7.Confirm Results – The plan must be checked and adapted until the solution is confirmed.

Occam's razor is a problem-solving principle devised by William of Ockham (c. 1287–1347), who was an English Franciscan friar and scholastic philosopher and theologian. The principle states that among competing hypotheses that predict equally well, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected. Other, more complicated solutions may ultimately prove to provide better predictions, but—in the absence of differences in predictive ability—the fewer assumptions that are made, the better.