Craig Gygi is Executive VP of Operations at MasterControl, a leading company providing software and services for best practices in automating and connecting every stage of quality/regulatory compliance, through the entire product life cycle. Learn about the theory behind The Golden Circle and how it works. 6. In her spare time, she's usually somewhere outside (preferably in the mountains) and enjoys poetry and fiction. Bruce Williams is Vice President of Pegasystems, the world leader in business process management. Problem statement example Here's an example of a problem statement for a sales call centre: Ideal situation Ideally, our sales associates could maximise their production by making more contacts with leads each day. I have deep experience with this topic, strategic planning, career development, scaling up, workshops, leadership, presentation development & delivery, ramping up new roles, and much more. Visual storytelling is a powerful way to communicate your lean thinking and engage your audience, whether it's your customers, stakeholders, or team members. A difficult explanation is an all-around said (with few words) depiction of an issue or the statement of the problem to be handled or a condition to be improved. Youre probably ready to start exploring solutions. If youre going to recruit support and resources to solve your problem, others have to understand the context and the significance in order to support you.
\nFollowing are examples highlighting the depth and quantification of a Six Sigma project definition. A solid problem statement will fully examine a problem from as many angles as possible to fully interpret any blockers or shortcomings that stand in the way of successfully completing the project. From economic uncertainty and laying off employees to hiring freezes, change is constant. Identify constraints that limit a project team's options for developing a solution. Use this guide to create action items to alleviate project management pain points and keep your team moving in the same direction. Once the who has been established, the what will often naturally present itself. Once a thorough and honest investigation into the pain points of a project has been completed, it is time to begin giving form to a previously formless blockage. A good problem statement defines the who the problem involves, and defines the scope of the problem. Effective problem statements have these 5 components, proactive than reactive approach to problem-solving, two steps will help you uncover the root cause of a problem, Problem Statement #1: The Status Quo Problem Statement, Problem Statement #2: The Destination Problem Statement, Problem Statement #3 The Stakeholder Problem Statement. By entering your email address and clicking the Submit button, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Dummies.com, which may include marketing promotions, news and updates. Two methods a project manager can use include the five Ws (who, what, when, where, why) and the five whys. Referring to a proven business project proposal template or example helps you craft a winning proposal because different types of projects and circumstances warrant different types of proposals. Billings could increase by $3.5 million per month, rework cost could be reduced by 50 percent, and an additional 1.3 percent of revenue could be recovered if errors were occurring less than 5 percent of the time. Step 1: Contextualize the problem Step 2: Show why it matters Step 3: Set your aims and objectives Problem statement example Frequently asked questions about problem statements When should you write a problem statement? Here are the steps you can take to define your project scope: 1. Nobody thinks that having claim forms with errors is good. One example is outlined in the book, The Conclusion Trap: Four Steps to Better Decisions, by Daniel Markovitz. Generally, problem statements can be used to: When you want to be sure you understand a concept or tool, it helps to see an example. Writing the problem statement to the standards of Six Sigma provides the level of information needed to make an informed decision: Craig Gygi is Executive VP of Operations at MasterControl, a leading company providing software and services for best practices in automating and connecting every stage of quality/regulatory compliance, through the entire product life cycle. This food waste costs the shop at least an hour of lost production time in the mornings (what). Keep in mind that you probably have to both convince management to provide resources to solve the problem and enlist team members to assist you; you dont want to spend your precious time explaining over and over what youre trying to accomplish. Includes best practices, examples, and a free problem statement template at the bottom. Is the whole hospital having the problem, or is it confined to a particular group? But is this problem worthy of being worked on as stated? At BetterUp, this idea of continuous improvement hinges on curiosity. Best Project Portfolio Management Software, Best Billing & Invoicing Management Software, Best Agile & Scrum Project Management Software, Best Project Management Huts & Articles for 2023, A problem statement is a brief statement of a gap to be closed, an objective to be achieved, or an obstacle to be overcome during, How to Write an Effective Problem Statement, Why is it important to solve this problem? Does the statement stimulate brainstorming and discussion? He is a leading speaker and presenter on business and technology trends, and is co-author of Six Sigma Workbook for Dummies, Process Intelligence for Dummies, BPM Basics for Dummies and The Intelligent Guide to Enterprise BPM. She holds a bachelor's in English Creative Writing and Communication Studies and lives in Denver, Colorado. A good way to test a problem statement for bias is to ask questions like these: Does the problem appear to have only one possible solution? In turn, this methodology will help you craft a problem statement that will lead to more viable solutions. Keep it short. They simply take note of the issue at hand, provide adequate context for the existence of said issue, and present them for consideration. These levels have exceeded the target of 25 days 95 percent of the time since January 2012. Solutions can change and adapt as external factors change, too. Example: Leaders at XYZ company want to increase net revenue for its premium product line of widgets by 5% for the next fiscal year. You must be careful to avoid under-writing a problem statement. A problem statement is a brief statement of a gap to be closed, an objective to be achieved, or an obstacle to be overcome during project development. Let's go through the three steps to create a problem statement with a mock project management software company to make the process easier to grasp. This represents a 20% decline compared to the same period in the year prior. Other problems may be giving you worse headaches than this one. That way, you can take advantage of more growth opportunities. BetterUp can help. Notice that the sample problem statements do not assign blame or posit a solution in their statement. Understand the client's or stakeholder's needs. But is this problem worthy of being worked on as stated? Beyond brainstorming, problem statements should be used at the beginning of any project to frame and focus on the problem. Get the major stakeholders in a room for a few hours and start the process by having everyone write down what they think the problem is on index cards. Neil DeCarlo was President of DeCarlo Communications. Never attempt to solve the problem or steer the solution at this stage. {"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"articleState":{"article":{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T15:43:27+00:00","modifiedTime":"2016-03-26T15:43:27+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:05:59+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Project Management","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34249"},"slug":"project-management","categoryId":34249}],"title":"How to Write a Problem Statement for Six Sigma","strippedTitle":"how to write a problem statement for six sigma","slug":"how-to-write-a-problem-statement-for-six-sigma","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"The problem statement serves several purposes in a Six Sigma project. Thats where problem statements come in handy. Challenge #4: Poor resource management. Read my take on developing a strategy. : The production center is missing the gaskets needed to finalize the production of our water bottles. Bring two to three strong options to the table so stakeholders can help you brainstorm more ideas, revisions, and perspectives. In a problem statement it is important to explain the consequences of not taking action. Solving meaningful problems to help improve something. This means that a problem statement written by a competent project manager is more than simply a place to vent frustrations about a lagging production schedule. BUSINESS MODEL COMP. First of all, discuss concerns with the client and figure out unknown factors that drive a project's deadline. So when developing a problem statement, how do you go about identifying the true, underlying problem? Bruce Williams is Vice President of Pegasystems, the world leader in business process management. 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