The plan step helps us define what the problem is. Kaizen is built on small incremental changes, and planning helps us put boundaries around our improvement activities. Remember, as we talked about before we need a way to quantify the improvement. Basically we need to determine how we will measure improvement. If the issue is overly complex you may need other in depth analysis tools that are beyond the scope of this course.

Let's discuss the process following along with a problem that actually came up in STUDENTfacturED

Problem: We waste several petri dishes from every sleeve we open

This step is all about pinpointing the root cause of the problem. You don't want to address symptoms of an issue, you want to get to the root cause. This is done using many different techniques. In this course you will use one of the simpleset root cause analyses called the 5 Whys. The 5 Whys is a technique developed in the 1930s by Sakichi Toyoda, founder of Toyota Industries that is still used by Toyota today.

The 5 Whys is a brainstorming exercise useful for identifying the root cause of a problem. It is the most effective as a group exercise but can be employed individually. There are several useful ways to brainstorm if your group has trouble coming up with ideas, but the idea is to generate potential solutions and several peoples inputs from different perspectives and experiences can help come up with a comprehensive solution.

Start with asking why the problem occured.

Problem: We waste several petri dishes from every sleeve we open

- Why do we waste several petri dishes from every sleeve we open?
  - Because the dishes are crushed or cracked.

Once we answer the first why, we ask why again.

- Why are the the dishes are crushed or cracked?
  - They are being damaged while in storage.

And again….

- Why are they are being damaged while in storage?
  - Because they they are not protected while in storage.

And again...

- Why are they not protected while in storage?
  - Because they are stacked on top of each other on a metal shelf

And again...

- Why are they stacked on top of each other on a metal shelf
  - Protection was not considered when layout of stock was determined.

We now have arrived at a root cause. It is appropriate to ask more than 5 whys or less than 5. The key is getting to the root cause, but generally 5 are needed at a minimum.

- Root cause: Protection was not considered when layout of stock was determined.

Now you want to suggest a solution to the problem so we suggest several countermeasures. You also need to narrow it down to the countermeasure that is most practical. You can further determine which is the most practical by listing out pros and cons

These are our three countermeasures.

1. Rearranging the stock shelf to allow the sleeves to be stored in the box they ship in because it has built in cardboard dividers
2. Put less Sleeves on the shelf so they are not being crushed
3. Rearrange stockroom, or find a better location for the sleeves so they don't have to be stored on top of each other

We want this process to be based measurable data rather than on speculation or assumption. We also want to set a realistic goal for your plan so you need to consider a realistic goal when we think of these countermeasures. The goal should also be time bound.

- Goal: Determine a way to protect the sleeves in an effort to reduce the number of broken plates within 30 days.

Learning Objectives:

- 3.3 - Analyze your recommended improvement using the PDCA cycle