Define the problem with data: what, where, when and how much
Write in a few lines what happens, where, since when and what it costs, with data and not opinions, before looking for causes.
The task in figures
- Gives you back
- It does not recur every month
- Elmira today
- Helps
- Frequency
- Per project
- Who does it today
- Engineer
- Version
- Elmira Junior
What hurts today.
“Waste is high” does not say where to look.
It is argued over with opinions, because gathering the data takes hours.
Without knowing what it costs, the problem cannot compete for resources.
A badly defined problem gets badly solved: “waste is high” does not say where to look. Defining it means gathering the data, going to see where it happens and writing a statement anyone understands: what happens, on which line or product, since when, how far it is from what was expected and what it costs. It takes hours of spreadsheets, and it is agreed with the process owner, because whether it gets tackled depends on them.
Done today with
- In-person meeting
- On the floor
- Paper and whiteboard
- Spreadsheet
- Slides
- BI dashboard
- Company system
Each step, today and with Elmira.
On WhatsApp, Elmira brings you the indicator’s series, period by period, and who recorded each value. With the Value Office, the statement and its cost are written in the Problem playbook, with AI help in the editor.
| Step | Today | With Elmira |
|---|---|---|
| Bring the indicator’s series, period by period | Spreadsheet, BI dashboard15 min – 30 min | |
| Cross it with the process data: line, shift and product | Spreadsheet, Company system30 min – 1.5 h | Still by hand |
| Go and see where it happens | On the floor | Your call |
| Write the statement: what, where, since when and how much | Paper and whiteboard, Slides15 min – 45 min | Comes with the value office |
| Work out what it costs | Spreadsheet20 min – 1 h | Comes with the value office |
| Agree on it with the process owner | In-person meeting | Your call |
The conversation
- Paula, Packaging supervisor
Elmira, how has Packaging’s waste been doing since July, week by week?
It stayed between 2.8% and 3.2% from week 27 to week 37, and then went up three weeks in a row: 3.6% in week 38, 4.1% in week 39 and 4.6% in week 40.
Does this happen to your team?
Book a demo and we will show you Elmira doing this task.
More cases of problem solving
- Gather the problems people on the floor reportWhat is said in the hallway reaches nobody.
- Spot the problems in the indicators’ deviationsPeople react to every number that drops, and none gets solved.
- Keep the list of open problems and their statusThe list lives apart from the plan, and goes stale.