Solved!: An Approach to Situational Practical Problem Solving

Tom Adair, drawing on three decades of experience as an internationally known author, lecturer, coach, and Toyota-trained lean Sensei, has written a clear and accessible problem solving primer. He carefully walks you through the Toyota-based method for getting to a problem’s root cause, provides step-by-step instructions with real-life examples, explains each principle along the way, and provides a strategy for implementing and sustaining your countermeasures so they become permanent fixes to your most challenging problems.Tom fills his book with real-life scenes and dialogue that bring you into the problem-solving experience. See how easy it is to jump to conclusions based on the wrong assumptions, and see how following the process and continuing to question the “facts” can bring you to the root cause and an eventual solution. Also, see how management and on-the-ground value adders can work together to solve problems quickly and effectively.Tom explains his five fundamental principles of SPPS, and then demonstrates the important roles they play throughout the problem solving process, as seen through a series of case studies. What can you take away from this ebook? 1. Core behaviors to live by throughout the problem solving process2. List of red flags that trigger your awareness of a problem3. Approach for grasping the current situation when a problem surfaces4. Process for investigating the problem5. Method for characterizing the countermeasure (solution) to the problem6. Process for ensuring the problem doesn’t returnEveryone encounters problems, and everyone needs to learn the skills to solve them. This makes “Solved!” an invaluable resource. Tom has taught SPPS to those in industry, government and the military and this ebook takes those lessons and distills them into the essentials of SPPS; the methodology works in any environment. As a leader or manager, when you see the same problems reoccur or find yourself drawn into the search for solutions that your people should be able to find themselves, then you appreciate the need to develop better problem solvers within your organization. As an on-the-ground value adder, when you see bureaucracy or inefficiency get in the way of a common sense resolution to a problem, then you wish for a better way.“Solved!” can be the first step in the answer to both situations. The method taught and real-life lessons demonstrated in this ebook can provide the knowledge base for an organization-wide effort to make everyone an active and empowered problem solver.