Blog - Operational Problem Solving

Fruitless debate occurs often when intending to solve industrial problems.  Such time waste is a function of (1) poor problem solving process and (2) worthless data and information. This short review will focus on the quality of problem solving information.

One of the most common, and useful measures of operational profitability for many organisations is COST per UNIT.

Unfortunately this concept is discussed at higher management levels, but rarely at lower levels.

Lower down we tend to talk about volumes and operating costs in isolation with little reference to each other. This results in the much debated problem of chasing volumes while ignoring costs. The converse also occurs frequently with equally damaging results.

 (Blog 5 of 5)

-Henry Ford

There is a need to create a positive touch point on every interaction with a customer. This is not as simple as it sounds for in the ever expanding technology of today the majority of interactions with customers tend to be on-line or remote connections. We are getting fewer and fewer opportunities to have a positive interaction, which means the opportunities that we have, must be positive and fulfilling. How can we possibly ensure this is going to happen?

(Blog 4 of 5)

Any Fool can know. The point is to understand.
- Albert Einstein

The above Einstein quote is one of my favourites, partly because it is more relevant today than it has been at any other time in history. “Any Fool can know” - and if they don’t already know a quick search in Google using a selection of key words will soon give them the answer - For Example the information relating to the sinking of the Titanic over 100 years ago

• Question - Which passenger ship sunk by iceberg? - The Titanic

A more difficult question to pose and if you are looking for the more important pieces of information!

• Question - “Why did the Titanic sink?”

Blog 3 of 5 

The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.
-Albert Einstein

In Part 2, we discovered how a group of participants coped with being exposed to the Polestar Business Simulation. It is important to reiterate that the participants were totally unprepared for the exposure and were expected to fail abysmally, which they did!