Top 10 Ways Management Solves Problems

Solving problems is not specifically a management task, but managers are faced with a lot of daily problems that need to be solved.  As a manager you have a slightly different set of resources than your employees.  So how do you, as a manager, go about solving your issues?  There are ten ways that management solves problems.

1. Prioritize problems.  Use the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) to separate the trivial many from the vital few.  Sure 100 things are going wrong, but if you can concentrate on the most important problems first, some of the rest will just go away in the process.
2. Focus on problems you have control over.  Sort your issues based on how much control you have, for example: full control, partial control or no control.  Focus first on those problems you have full control over and ignore those you have no control over.  You have to fix your department problems first. Don’t try to solve problems in other areas before you have made sure your area is totally under control.
3. Utilize Root Cause Analysis.  Using a structure problem solving methodology like root cause analysis (RCA) ensures you are solving the right problem right.
4. Make decisions with Facts.  Opinions can lead you astray.  Be sure to collect data and make decision by hard facts.
5. Break the problem down.  Big problems are harder to solve.  Break the problem into manageable parts that can more easily be solved.
6. Use your team.  You are smarter as a group than as any one individual so empower your employees to involve your whole team to solve problems.
7. Break out of your paradigm.  Any problem can be solved using the right paradigm.  If you are up against an impossible problem then change your paradigm to find the solution.
8. Obtain objective input.  Sometimes a fresh new look at the problem from someone outside of your area can provide the insight missing to solve your problem.
9. Consider all possibilities.  Solutions that may not have worked in the past may work today.  Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking – if it was tried before it can’t work.  It might just work this time.
10. Hire a consultant. If all else fails, then maybe its time to hire a consultant.  Consultants bring an objective viewpoint free of your internal politics.  Consultants have a wider range of tools to use like value stream mapping.  And consultants have experience solving problems encountered at other companies.

Top 10 Ways Management Solves Problems

Value Stream Mapping

1. Prioritize problems.
2. Focus on problems you have control over.
3. Utilize Root Cause Analysis.
4. Make decisions with Facts.
5. Break the problem down.
6. Use your team.
7. Break out of your paradigm.
8. Obtain objective input.
9. Consider all possibilities.
10. Hire a consultant.

If you are having trouble improving your processes, certifying to ISO standards, or implementing lean, then contact Bizmanualz.  We will be happy to bring an objective viewpoint, improvement tools and experience gained from solving problems encountered at other companies.

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Originally published in 2012 by Bizmanualz, Inc. under the title Top 10 Ways Management Solves Problems. All rights reserved. Reproduction permitted with attribution only. www.bizmanualz.com