Course details
This course provides an in-depth understanding of how to identify a range of potential root causes; select the most likely root cause; investigate at the point of the problem; identify potential solutions; decide on the optimum solution having assessed the risks associated with each solution; assess the risk associated with delivering the solution to customers and assess drivers for, and the resistance to, implementing the solution.
Course dates
Please click on your preferred date to make a booking:
Course prices
| Member fee |
Non-member fee |
| £495 excl.VAT |
£594 excl.VAT |
Who should attend
Managers, process owners, quality professionals, practitioners and consultants seeking a structured approach to problem solving and decision making using quality tools.
Why you should attend
- To gain a basic understanding of the problem solving and decision-making process and the applicable quality tools that support this process
- To develop specific competencies to use the structured approach to problem solving and decision making and the supporting quality tools.
This course, in conjunction with our process design and performance improvement course, will provide business improvement specialists with the tools to really make a difference to their organizations.
This course is essential for anyone involved in solving quality-related problems.
Course content
- Define and specify the problem based on Kepner Tragoe
- Selecting the most likely root causes using 'cause and effect' and 'why why'
- Brainstorming and voting techniques
- Identifying the most likely root cause using task analysis
- Validating and agreeing the root cause
- Understanding and stating the objectives for the solution
- Developing potential solutions using 'how how'
- Improving the solution using value analysis
- Assessing the risks and making the decision using risk-based decision making
- Assessing the implementation risks using failures mode and effects analysis
- Assessing resistance using force field analysis and implementing the solution.
Course style
The course is highly interactive and exercises and discussions will be run throughout the sessions.
- Practical skills development exercises and case studies
- Interactive discussion and participation throughout the course
- Group work activities
Programme
Day 1
| 09:00 |
Course introduction |
| 09:30 |
Overview of the process of problem solving and decision making |
| 09:45 |
Defining and specifying the problem
- Deviation from expectations
- Data collection |
| 10:15 |
Break |
| 10:30 |
Workshop A1 - Defining the problem |
| 11:15 |
Collecting data and assigning priority |
| 11:30 |
Workshop A2 and A3 - Using the data collection tools (Pareto analysis and histograms) |
| 12:30 |
Lunch |
| 13:15 |
Selecting the most likely root causes
- Cause and effect diagrams
- 'Why why'
- Brainstorming |
| 13:45 |
Workshop B - Using cause and effect diagrams and 'why why' |
| 14:45 |
Investigating and agreeing the most likely root cause
- Task analysis |
| 15:15 |
Break |
| 15:30 |
Workshop C - Using task analysis |
| 16:30 |
Validating and/or agreeing the root cause
- Validating the root cause |
| 16:45 |
Review and consolidation of the day's material |
| 17:00 |
End of first day |
| 17:00 |
15 minutes for questions raised by delegates that were too specific to answer at the time |
Day 2
| 09:00 |
Observations and comments from day one |
| 09:30 |
Understanding and defining objectives for the solution/decision |
| 09:45 |
Workshop D - The objectives for the decision |
| 10:15 |
Break |
| 10:30 |
Developing potential solutions
- 'How how' |
| 10:45 |
Workshop E - Using 'how how' |
| 11:15 |
Assessing the risks and making the decision
- Risk-based decision-making |
| 12:00 |
Workshop G - Using risk-based decision-making |
| 12:30 |
Lunch |
| 13:15 |
Workshop G - Using risk-based decision-making continued |
| 14:15 |
Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA/FMECA) |
| 14:45 |
Workshop H - Using FMECA |
| 15:15 |
Break |
| 15:30 |
Workshop H - Using FMECA continued |
| 16:00 |
Implementing the solution
- Piloting the solution
- Managing change using force field analysis
- Monitoring results and follow-up |
| 16:15 |
Workshop J - Using force-field analysis |
| 16:45 |
Review and consolidation of the day's material |
| 17:00 |
Course ends |
| 17:00 |
15 minutes for questions raised but not covered at the time due to them being too specific. |
Note: The times detailed in the programme are for guidance and may vary depending on delegate input and specific requests.
Course author and lead tutor
Michael Debenham is both a CQI tutor and a management consultant/trainer working for Business Process Improvement. From 2000 to 2010 he was responsible for policy and professional affairs at the CQI and, as an executive director of the CQI, was the focal point for all professional and technical matters within the Institute and in the exchange of ideas and issues with other stakeholders in the UK quality industry. Michael is a Fellow of the CQI, a chartered engineer and a Registered Senior Consultant. As a CQI trainer and author, Michael has developed a number of the CQI training courses, including ‘Quality tools and techniques’, ‘Root cause analysis’, ‘Risk-focused auditing’, ‘Product inspection’, ‘tools and techniques for performance improvement’ and others.
During the nineties, Michael worked as an independent management consultant and during the eighties he worked for the British Inspecting Engineers Group, the later part of which as the Managing Director of the BIE UK operation.
Course Tutor
Tony Lintern has been involved in quality assurance for over 30 years and has developed expertize in a number of areas, particularly quality management and training. Tony has been personally responsible for introducing quality management systems into many companies in the UK and Europe, to meet recognized international standards such as ISO 9001. He is also an experienced and qualified auditor, registered with IRCA (the International Register of Certificated Auditors) and has been a member of the CQI (formerly the Institute of Quality Assurance) since 1979.
Following a successful career, holding quality management positions for several prominent organizations, Tony formed his own training and consultancy business in 1990. Since then, Tony has undertaken a variety of quality management system implementation projects, and provided consultancy, business improvement and auditing services for over 75 different organizations, in both the public and private sector. Although primarily a consultant, Tony is still very much a quality practitioner. He is a Quality Manager for two companies and provides regular auditing services for a further six organizations.
Tony is well-known as a very competent trainer. As well as running many in-company training courses for a wide variety of organizations, he has been a designing and delivering training courses for the CQI since 1981. Tony is also an experienced business traveler, having carried out consultancy and training assignments in countries throughout Europe, the USA, Africa, the Middle and Far East
CQI training courses
At the CQI we offer the very best in quality training for both experienced quality professionals and those completely new to the field. Our highly experienced trainers present a range of public courses covering a wide variety of topics, both introductory and advanced.
Fully flexible in-house training packages can be individually tailored to suit the needs of your organization and are conducted on site at your premises by our experienced trainers. We can offer any of our public portfolio of courses in-house, as well as many other topics. Please contact us for more information or to discuss.
Contact CQI Training:
T: +44 (0) 20 7245 6696
F: +44 (0) 20 7245 6788
E: training@thecqi.org