Practical Tools for Continuous Improvement, Vol. 2: Problem-Solving and Planning Tools

Volume 2 Problem solving and planning tools

Part 1: Practical tools for problem solving
This part looks at tools that define, analyze, and resolve issues. They utilize people’s knowledge, ideas, and experience. The tools in this part are flow charts, brainstorming, cause-and-effect diagrams, nominal group technique, and force field analysis.

Part 2: Practical tools for planning
This part covers the tools for planning that make change manageable, understandable, controlled, and timely. The tools are flexible; they can be used for both strategic planning, and implementing change/improvement. The tools in this part are affinity diagram, relations diagram, systematic diagram, process decision program chart, arrow diagram, matrix, and matrix data analysis.

Michael J. Cleary, Ph.D., founder and president of PQ Systems, Inc. is a noted authority in the field of continuous improvement and a professor of management science (emeritus) at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, USA. Dr. Cleary is a charter member and regional director of the Education Division of the American Society for Quality and played a principal role in developing the Transformation of American Industry® national training project. He served on the planning committee for the U.S.-Japanese Business Conference in Tokyo, and has presented papers on statistical process control and the application of continuous improvement principles to a variety of audiences in Korea, China, France, Great Britain, Australia, Singapore, and Japan. A 24-year professorship in management science has enabled Dr. Cleary to conduct extensive research and gather valuable experience in expanding quality management methods. He has been a leader in bringing quality management into the curriculum of the College of Business, and has published many articles and papers on issues related to quality management, continuous improvement, statistical applications, and decision sciences in a variety of academic and professional journals. He is a frequent speaker on issues related to the management philosophy and statistical methods of Dr. W. Edwards Deming.

Jacqueline D. Graham, Ph.D., is the managing director of PQ Systems Pty. Ltd., Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is a qualified chemical engineer and holds a doctorate in statistics and quality management from the University of Salford, England. For several years Dr. Graham worked as an aid to Dr. Deming, the father of statistical process control and continuous improvement. In this role she assisted with two and four day conferences as well as consulting to major companies in the USA, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Dr. Graham worked for General Motors in the United Kingdom and Europe where she was responsible for supplier quality assurance. She is a leader in the field of statistical process control and its application to businesses of all kinds. In recent years she has spent much of her time applying the principles of statistical process control to the service industry. A successful agent for change and a continuous improvement facilitator, Dr. Graham possess a combination of academic and practical industry experience. Dr. Graham is a consultant, facilitator, and teacher who regularly works in a variety of countries, including the USA, Europe, Asia, and New Zealand as well as throughout Australia.