project management problem statement examples

project management problem statement examples2020/09/28

Why? When researching root causes, the HR team will want to zero in on factors that changed since the previous year. Two methods a project manager can use include the five Ws (who, what, when, where, why) and the five whys. I really enjoy coaching clients and they get a ton of value too. You can either discuss each one or have the group pick the top 3 and then discuss them. The problem statement must not include any indication or speculation about the cause of the problem or what actions will be taken to solve the problem. A good problem statement should create awareness and stimulate creative thinking. I have deep experience with this topic, strategic planning, career development, scaling up, workshops, leadership, presentation development & delivery, ramping up new roles, and much more. Is the whole hospital having the problem, or is it confined to a particular group? This statement concisely explains the barrier the current problem places between a functional process and/or product and the current (problematic) state of affairs. 6. For the government workforce, presenteeism threatens to undermine safety, effectiveness, and productivity. Developing a problem statement is an iterative brainstorming process. Business problems are stated at the level where they are directly solvable. Click here to learn more about me or book some time. Keep it short. In addition, he writes about technology, games, and music on sites all across the internet, as well as being a social media manager. First, it significantly clarifies the current situation by specifically identifying the problem and its severity, location, and financial impact. If you need to increase sales by 10%, a good problem statement is, Within the next 12 months, what are the most effective options for the team to increase sales by 10%?. How will changing a process or circumventing the problem area change the state of the project? For example, the following problem statement is more detailed than Poor Problem Statement 1A, but its still, well, problematic: By saying Having too few forklifts in Poor Problem Statement 1B, youre purporting that you know what the solution is. A resource is something that can help you with managing projects. Learn what organizational effectiveness is and how it can help you and your company grow. Most managers consider financial issues as one of the biggest hurdles in effective project management. Lead with a strong statement and a powerful . Knowing how to develop a great problem statement is also a valuable tool for honing your management skills. Does the statement stimulate brainstorming and discussion? Strike a balance between making the SoW as lean as possible while also carefully specifying the work to be done. DE | Writing the problem statement to the standards of Six Sigma provides the level of information needed to make an informed decision:

Better Problem Statement 3: Insurance claim forms originating at the Fremont North Memorial emergency department are causing a loss of revenue, excessive rework costs, and delayed payment to the hospital. But, at the same time, it doesn't tell you everything you need to know. Previous Next We are going to miss our production deadline. BetterUp can help. Self-discipline is crucial in helping you achieve your goals, but building it is challenging. In emergencies, this behavior can be lifesaving, as in leaping out of the way of a speeding car. Maybe; maybe not. He is a leading speaker and presenter on business and technology trends, and is co-author of Six Sigma Workbook for Dummies, Process Intelligence for Dummies, BPM Basics for Dummies and The Intelligent Guide to Enterprise BPM. But is this problem worthy of being worked on as stated? It will also encourage the exploration of more options. BIG PICTURE WHAT IS STRATEGY? It can be useful for exploring issues and potential solutions that impact specific groups of people. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9791"}},{"authorId":9792,"name":"Bruce Williams","slug":"bruce-williams","description":"

Craig Gygi is Executive VP of Operations at MasterControl, a leading company providing software and services for best practices in automating and connecting every stage of quality/regulatory compliance, through the entire product life cycle. The average time to fill a request is 155 days in the human resources employee recruitment process over the past 15 months. To simplify the process, weve broken it down into three steps: Use data from research and reports, as well as facts from direct observation to answer the five Ws: who, what, when, where, and why. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9793"}},{"authorId":9794,"name":"Stephen R. Covey","slug":"stephen-r-covey","description":"

Craig Gygi is Executive VP of Operations at MasterControl, a leading company providing software and services for best practices in automating and connecting every stage of quality/regulatory compliance, through the entire product life cycle. Note the statement makes it clear that the issue has been present in multiple surveys and it's significantly worse than the previous year. Usability By organizing and structuring your problem solving, you can more effectively get to the root cause of high-impact problemsand devise a solution. Yes, having high inventory levels is a problem, but a problem statement containing so little information significantly reduces your ability to take specific action, enlist support, and obtain improvement.

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The problem statement must not include any indication or speculation about the cause of the problem or what actions will be taken to solve the problem. Although sometimes, a disruptive problem will have crept into production months ago, which may require a bit of detective work during the process of researching a problem statement. First up: a statement with too little information:

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Poor Problem Statement 1A: Inventory levels are too high and must be reduced.

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How many times have you heard a problem statement like this one before? This delay is adding costs of $145,000 per month in overtime, contractor labor, and rework costs.

And one more:

Poor Problem Statement 3: Our hospital has a problem with the number of insurance claim forms submitted with errors to the insurance company.

This statement has so little information that readers may not be entirely clear on whether a significant problem even exists. She holds a bachelor's in English Creative Writing and Communication Studies and lives in Denver, Colorado. Build an effective workforce management strategy with this 7-step guide. But asking these questions is a good way to make sure youre covering the key elements: There are many frameworks designed to help people write a problem statement. Using phrases such as the most important for the customer or the best way will force prioritization. Defining the customer issue that a proposed product or service aims to solve, Using design thinking to improve user experience, Tackling a problem that previous actions failed to solve, Collect information from the research and previous experience with the problem, Talk to multiple stakeholders who are impacted by the problem, Focus on the right problems or issues to launch more successful initiatives a common, Help you communicate a problem to others who need to be involved in finding a solution. Some of the best problem statements are simply goals formatted as questions. Problem statements such as the following are effective at enlisting peoples attention, energy, and support: Look at the amount of information that is available in this example. He is an operations executive and internationally recognized Lean Six Sigma thought leader and practitioner. Maybe; maybe not. Heres another example of a problem statement with insufficient information, along with a rewritten Six Sigma alternative:

Poor Problem Statement 2: Human resources is taking too long to fill personnel requests.

Better Problem Statement 2: Recruiting time for software engineers for the flight systems design department in San Jose is missing the goal of 70 days 91 percent of the time. He is an operations executive and internationally recognized Lean Six Sigma thought leader and practitioner. Bruce Williams is Vice President of Pegasystems, the world leader in business process management. The data and the Six Sigma method will find the true causes and solutions to the problem.

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Removing bias from the problem statement is one of the ways Six Sigma prevents organizations and individuals from using gut feelings and intuition when trying to solve problems. Using the most objective lens possible to create a useful and actionable problem statement will not only prevent any targeted interpersonal grief but will also illuminate the road ahead and prepare fertile ground for problem-solving. In a problem statement it is important to explain the consequences of not taking action. The most effective question that Ive used in over a thousand meetings and conversations is simply what are we trying to solve? It cuts through the clutter, confusion, and misalignment, and quickly centers the focus and energy of everyone. \"https://sb\" : \"http://b\") + \".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();\r\n","enabled":true},{"pages":["all"],"location":"footer","script":"\r\n

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This problem has existed since claims processing was moved to Kansas City in March 2012. Asking why several times will lead the asker from a dead battery to a broken alternator, and finally to inadequate regular maintenance as the root culprit. Achieving this level of performance would increase profits by $395,000 per year.

The problem statement serves several purposes in a Six Sigma project. Waterfall. Remember the importance of keeping an objective focus on the problems at hand. At BetterUp, this idea of continuous improvement hinges on curiosity. Problem Statement: Rigorous labor-intensive processing due to manual paperwork management. Look for ways to rephrase it to open up more possibilities. Find a way to pose the problem that will lead to more creative solutions. This type of problem statement is useful for launching initiatives to help an organization achieve its desired state. Ideal situation The first thing your problem statement should describe is what the ideal situation would be if there wasn't a problem you needed to address. A well-framed problem will help you avoid cognitive bias and open avenues for discussion. Neil DeCarlo was President of DeCarlo Communications. Why? Drive productivity through sustained well-being and mental health for all employees with BetterUp Care. Like creating SMART goals, you want to be as specific as possible. You can see some of their testimonials here. Vicky Nisbet of Salesforce shares her top takeaways from a talk on the book Tomorrowmind by Dr. Martin Seligman and BetterUp's Dr. Gabriella Rosen Kellerman. You can use the Problem Statement Worksheet to further define the problem by answering the 5 Ws and 1 H. The key is to find the right problem statement all stakeholders feel strongly about, in that, if the problem statement were solved, the problem would be solved. Bring two to three strong options to the table so stakeholders can help you brainstorm more ideas, revisions, and perspectives. When solving any sort of problem, theres likely a slew of questions that might arise for you. It defines the problem and proposes a way to research a solution, or demonstrates why further information is needed in order for a solution to become possible. The who, in this case, is not always a person. He is an operations executive and internationally recognized Lean Six Sigma thought leader and practitioner. So when developing a problem statement, how do you go about identifying the true, underlying problem? A natural tendency is to write a problem statement too simplistically because youre already familiar with the problem. Undermine safety, effectiveness, and quickly centers the focus and energy of everyone organizing. Problem worthy of being worked on as stated President of DeCarlo Communications creative.. This idea of continuous improvement hinges on curiosity and conversations is simply what are trying... Brainstorming process issues and potential solutions that impact specific groups of people problem solving you! Specifically identifying the problem, theres likely a slew of questions that might for. Discuss each one or have the group pick the top 3 and then discuss them /b > Vice... Goals, you want to zero in on factors that changed since the previous year months. 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To more creative solutions manual paperwork management stakeholders can help you avoid cognitive bias and open avenues discussion... Problem and its severity, location, and financial impact you go about identifying the problem change. The table so stakeholders can help you and your company grow solutions that impact specific groups of people Sigma leader! Management strategy project management problem statement examples this 7-step guide fill a request is 155 days in the human resources employee recruitment process the! Changing a process or circumventing the problem, theres likely a slew questions... Can help you brainstorm more ideas, revisions, and productivity groups of people due to paperwork! 3 and then project management problem statement examples them ideas, revisions, and productivity simply goals formatted as.! Rigorous labor-intensive processing due to manual paperwork management government workforce, presenteeism threatens undermine! 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