As stated before, every McKinsey project starts with the development of a problem statement. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9794"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34249,"title":"Project Management","slug":"project-management","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34249"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":208300,"title":"Six Sigma For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"six-sigma-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","project-management"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/208300"}},{"articleId":204999,"title":"How to Create a Cause and Effect Analysis for a Six Sigma Initiative","slug":"how-to-create-a-cause-and-effect-analysis-for-a-six-sigma-initiative","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","project-management"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/204999"}},{"articleId":175743,"title":"The Tools-Methods Landscape of Six Sigma","slug":"the-tools-methods-landscape-of-six-sigma","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","project-management"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/175743"}},{"articleId":175736,"title":"The Six Sigma Scale","slug":"the-six-sigma-scale","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","project-management"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/175736"}},{"articleId":175735,"title":"What Is Six Sigma? It sounds deceptively simple. 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. Dale Jakes is a writer for TechnologyAdvice.com, Project-Management.com, and ITBusinessEdge.com. It is recommended that these solutions are noted and saved until a problem statement has been successfully formulated and presented to the relevant parties. It obviously causes additional work, longer times before receiving payment, and increased frustration for employees. Does the problem statement lack an obvious solution? Example: Leaders at XYZ company want to increase net revenue for its premium product line of widgets by 5% for the next fiscal year. Simply thinking through these questions as they relate to the problem can help you create a strong problem statement. Where: Where is the problem occurring? It characterizes the distinction between the current (issue) condition of a procedure or framework and the ideal (objective) status. When problem statements are well written, people readily grasp and understand what youre trying to accomplish.

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Write the problem statement with the audience in mind. The second project description is a more effective example. For example, if a truck axle snaps in half during the final sprint of a construction project, the who is the construction site and the what is the inability to transport material around the construction site. Understand the client's or stakeholder's needs. Achieving this level of performance would increase profits by $395,000 per year.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9791,"name":"Craig Gygi","slug":"craig-gygi","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. Waterfall. A study in 2017 revealed that 49.5 % of manufacturing managers report costs as the biggest project management challenge they face. The ability to pick out the source of the problem will produce more effective problem statements. Learn everything you need to know to develop a Problem Statement by an Ex-McKinsey consultant. When researching root causes, the HR team will want to zero in on factors that changed since the previous year. Identify a gap. A poor Six Sigma problem statement is followed by an example of an acceptable problem statement. Bring two to three strong options to the table so stakeholders can help you brainstorm more ideas, revisions, and perspectives. Reality Click here to learn more about me or book some time. I'm a McKinsey alum who has also been the COO of the 9th fastest growing U.S. company, managed $120 million marketing budgets, led the transformation of 20,000 employees, successfully started two companies from scratch, and amassed a load of experience over my 25-year career. Once the who has been established, the what will often naturally present itself. Note that the statement specifies net revenue instead of gross revenue." There are four key aspects to a well-formulated (and therefore useful) problem statement: Description of the Problem. A problem statement is a short description of a problem or an issue which needs addressing or a condition which needs improvement. Problem Statement: Rigorous labor-intensive processing due to manual paperwork management. A problem statement should be concise and include the following: A brief description of the problem and the metric used to describe the problem, Where the problem is occurring by process name and location, The time frame over which the problem has been occurring. For example, if the pain point relates to pricing, it's best to consult with your revenue and account management team. What are the tangible benefits to eradicating the problem from the project or product? 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. Start your project scope statement with the 'Why' (an overview) This high-level scope statement defines what the project is, why it's happening, and what it will achieve. It obviously causes additional work, longer times before receiving payment, and increased frustration for employees. Simplify Be clear and concise. Build leaders that accelerate team performance and engagement. In addition, pointed assignment of blame will leave co-workers reluctant to work with the team to fix a problem. Dummies has always stood for taking on complex concepts and making them easy to understand. With access to virtual coaching, your people can get personalized support to help solve tough problems of the future. Your problem statement may be about spending your time off more effectively. You can either discuss each one or have the group pick the top 3 and then discuss them. For the government workforce, presenteeism threatens to undermine safety, effectiveness, and productivity. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9794"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"

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