Scribd
Upload
15 views

Situation Appraisal - Problem Analysis

Uploaded by

Balasharmila Rao Munusamy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
15 views

Situation Appraisal - Problem Analysis

Uploaded by

Balasharmila Rao Munusamy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

SITUATION APPRAISAL

(Operations Management)

1. Identify Concerns

 Identify the theme


o Set the scope of the appraisal.
 What are the primary areas of concern?

 List concerns
o Identify concerns related to the theme.
 What deviations, decisions, plans, changes, threats, opportunities need our attention?

 Separate and clarify concerns


o Ensure each concern is clear and specific.
o Keep a concern ‘as is’ if already clear.
o To separate:

 What issues are a part of this concern?


 Can this concern be resolved by a single analysis or action?
o To clarify:
 What exactly do we mean by…?

 Create action statements


o List statements that show the action needed.
 Is the action about a deviation, choice, threat, opportunity, or just getting something
done?

2. Set Priority

 Use knowledge and experience OR…


o List the order based on judgement.
o Use * to indicate highest priority. Set the scope of the appraisal.
 Which concerns should we work on first?
 What is the order of the remaining concerns?

 ...Use current impact, future impact, and time frame


o Record factual supporting data.
o First, vertically assess relative current impact, then future impact and time frame.
o Mark High, Medium, or Low. Refine using +/-.
o Second, assess combinations horizontally to determine overall priority.

o Mark High, Medium, or Low. Refine using +/-.


 What is the current impact on employees, safety, cost, customers, productivity,
reputation? What evidence?
 What is the future impact? What evidence?
 What is the time frame? What evidence?

3. Plan Next Steps


 Determine resolution approach
o Identify the steps or actions needed.
 What analytic process is required for resolution?
PA = Deviation? Cause unknown? Need to know cause?
DA = Choice?
PPA = Action or plan to protect?
POA = Action or plan to enhance?
SA = Further clarification?
No analysis = just do it!

 How much is needed?


o Record what you will do.

4. Plan Involvement
 Determine help needed
o Consider who needs to be involved for a superior solution, information, analysis,
commitment, implementation,
 Who needs to do what and by when?

PROBLEM ANALYSIS

1. Describe Problem

 State the problem


o List the object and the deviation.
 What object (or group of objects) has the deviation?
 What deviation does it have?
 What tells us a deviation exists? (senses, measures)
 Specify the problem
o Describe as completely, factually as possible.

IS IS NOT
WHAT  What specific object(s) has the deviation?  What similar object(s) could have the deviation,
 What is the specific deviation? but does not?
 What other deviations could be observed, but
are not?

WHERE  Where is the object when the deviation is  Where else could the object be when the
observed (geographically)? deviation is observed, but is not?
 Where is the deviation on the object?  Where else could the deviation be located on
the object, but is not?

WHEN  When was the deviation observed first (in  When else could the deviation have been
clock and calendar time)? observed first, but was not?
 When since that time has the deviation  When since that time could the deviation have
been observed? What pattern? # been observed, but was not? What could be the
 When, in the object’s history or life cycle, pattern?
was the deviation observed first?  When else, in the object’s history or life cycle,
could the deviation have been observed first,
but was not?

EXTENT  How many objects have the deviation?  How many objects could, but do not?
 What is the trend * in the number of  What could be the trend, * but is not?
objects with the deviation?  What could be the size, but is not?
 What is the size of a single deviation?  What could be the trend, * but is not?
 What is the trend * in the size?  How many instances could be on each object,
 How many instances of the deviation are on but are not?
each object?  What could be the trend * in the number of
 What is the trend * in the number of instances, but is not?
instances?

# Pattern = continuous, periodic, sporadic, single occurrence


* Trend = increasing, decreasing, stable

2. Identify Possible Causes


 Use knowledge and experience OR…
o Explain how the cause creates the deviation.
o Use object + deviation format.
 What could have caused the deviation?

 ...Use distinctions and changes


o Record data, new and true, only of the IS.
 What is different, odd, special, or unique about each IS compared to its IS NOT?
 What changed in, on, around, or about each distinction? When?
 How could the distinctions and changes cause the deviation?

3. Evaluate Possible Causes


 Test possible causes against the IS/IS NOT
o Eliminate causes that cannot be explained.
 If (possible cause) is the cause of (problem), then how does it explain both IS and IS
NOT?
 What assumptions must be made?

 Determine most probable cause


o Pick the one with the fewest assumptions.
 Which possible cause best explains the IS and IS NOT information?

4. Confirm True Cause


 Verify assumptions, observe, experiment, or try a fix and monitor
o Pick the safest, easiest, quickest, cheapest, surest way to prove true cause.
 What can be done to confirm true cause?
Appraise

1
Situation To clarify, prioritize and qualify
Appraisal the problem

KT
Specify
2
Clear To gather facts
Thinking
Process

List causes

3
Problem
To test theories
Analysis

Confirm & take action


To eliminate false causes

You might also like