W. Edwards Deming is considered the father of the quality control movement. A statistician, educator, and consultant, his quality-control methods for industrial production aided Japan’s economic recovery after World War II. His approach was then adopted in the US 40 years later and served as the basis of most organizational trainings in TQM (Total Quality Management) .
To determine the best problem solving approach, Deming posed the
following question:
Is the cause of the problem a common cause or a special cause?
If it is a common cause, find a common solution.
If it is a special cause, find a special / different solution for each cause.
Here is a favorite exercise for my graduate leadership classes to apply this principle.
A school bus usually arrives at school within a 20 minute window – between 8:00am and 8:20am. Students are late to class after 8:30am.
When the school bus is late, the students are late. They are required to get an excused tardy slip from the attendance office to give to their teachers.
REFLECT:
COMMON CAUSE
What are common causes for a school bus to be late?
(bus driver is late, waiting for a student, having heavy traffic…)
How late would be “common”?
(Perhaps 10-20 minutes)
How does the present “solution” create inefficiency / waste resources / worsen the problem?
Requiring late slips from the attendance office
* makes the students even later
* takes attendance office staff time What would be a better common solution?
* authorize the bus driver to pass out excused tardy slips as the students depart the bus
* create a technological solution – an app? – the bus driver could use
SPECIAL CAUSE
How late would be “special”?
(Perhaps over 20 minutes).
What are special causes for a school bus to be late?
(a flat tire / mechanical problem, a sick bus driver…).
What would be special solutions?
For a flat tire: regular rotation / checks
For mechanical problems: regular maintenance
For a sick bus driver: on-call backup drivers
APPLY:
Think about a recurring problem you experience.
Analyze the problems:
* classify them as common or special
* create common solutions for common causes
* create special solutions for special causes
