Systematic Problem Solving for Sustained Improvements with Quality Tools — Healthcare Applications

• Plan
  • Describe problem
    • Describe nature of problem
    • Assure it’s related to key business goals/objectives
    • Secure approval, if needed
    • Define process boundaries
    • Form a team and define roles, authority, resources, responsibilities
    • Identify customers and other key stakeholders and requirements/targets
  • Quantify performance gap and set measurable goals
    • Brainstorming
    • Multi-voting consensus
    • IPO model
    • Flowcharts
    • Use of data check sheets, corrective action forms, process/audit/customer information
    • Bar charts, run charts, Pareto charts
    • Gap analysis
• Organize
  • Determine key causes
    • Identify prioritize possible causes
    • Collect and analyze data
    • Determine most probable causes
    • Review most probable causes
    • Generate potential solutions
    • Establish a rating selection criteria
  • Select best alternative solution
    • Cause & effect
    • Tree diagram
    • Brainstorming and multi-voting consensus
    • Affinity diagram
    • Scatter diagram
    • Selection matrix
    • Force field analysis
    • Interviews/surveys
• Implement
  • Implement Solution
    • Develop an implementation project plan including needed resources
    • Select measurement criteria/data collection plan
    • Execute the plan and collect data
    • Determine if solution is effective by comparing data with the goals to verify that the performance gap is closed
    • If no – repeat steps
    • Maintain the gains and standardize
    • Audit to assure the gain is maintained
    • Celebrate success
    • Capture and share lessons learned and evaluate impact
    • Flowcharts
    • Gantt charts
    • Check sheets
• Monitor
  • Evaluation Solution
    • Cause & effect
    • Monitoring data
    • Run charts, Pareto analysis,
    • Check sheets
    • Customer feedback data
    • Impact evaluation form
    • Team satisfaction/lesson learned forms

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