project management problem statement examples

You know where the problem is occurring, you know how long it has occurred, you know the magnitude of the problem, and you know how much its costing. Lead with a strong statement and a powerful . It helps to make sure youre focusing on the right problem and have a well-informed understanding of the root causes. Corporate research analysts include problem statements in their proposals for beginning a new research project.

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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. UK | The average time to fill a request is 155 days in the human resources employee recruitment process over the past 15 months. A difficult explanation is an all-around said (with few words) depiction of an issue or the statement of the problem to be handled or a condition to be improved. A natural tendency is to write a problem statement too simplistically because youre already familiar with the problem. It's often used to attain approval from management to carry out a certain project. Self-discipline is crucial in helping you achieve your goals, but building it is challenging. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9792"}},{"authorId":9793,"name":"Neil DeCarlo","slug":"neil-decarlo","description":"

Better Problem Statement 1: Inventory levels at the West Metro inventory storage process in Scottsdale are consuming space, taking up asset management time, and creating cash flow issues. Nobody thinks that having claim forms with errors is good. In order to holistically understand the root cause of the problem at hand, your workforce needs to stay curious. Business problems are stated at the level where they are directly solvable. But, at the same time, it doesn't tell you everything you need to know. Is the whole hospital having the problem, or is it confined to a particular group? Neil DeCarlo was President of DeCarlo Communications. Achieving this level of performance would increase profits by $395,000 per year.

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The problem statement serves several purposes in a Six Sigma project. For example, if the pain point relates to pricing, it's best to consult with your revenue and account management team. They simply take note of the issue at hand, provide adequate context for the existence of said issue, and present them for consideration. Look for ways to rephrase it to open up more possibilities. Challenge #4: Poor resource management. Bruce Williams is Vice President of Pegasystems, the world leader in business process management. Taking time to work on a problem statement is a great way to short-circuit the tendency to rush to solutions. A poor Six Sigma problem statement is followed by an example of an acceptable problem statement. Interviewing stakeholders will help you understand the problem from diverse points of view. In addition, he writes about technology, games, and music on sites all across the internet, as well as being a social media manager. Click here to learn more about me or book some time. The Five Whys encourage critical thinking with the minimum amount of rhetorical tools at hand. Solving meaningful problems to help improve something. Weve all encountered problems on the job. If you want some one-on-one support from me, Joe Newsum, set up some time here. First, lets start by defining a problem statement. Where in the production or daily work environment is this problem arising? This can be used to describe a current pain point within an organization that may need to be addressed. The ability to pick out the source of the problem will produce more effective problem statements. We know organizations everywhere are grappling with tough, complex challenges. Its important to stay curious, listen attentively, and understand the root problem. The process can also help you take a more proactive than reactive approach to problem-solving. Reality It also serves as a great communication tool, helping to get buy-in and support from others. Project approval is probably one of the most exciting parts of project management, and a project proposal sets your project up for success. There are four key elements you should include when writing a problem statement: 1. Looking for a career in Project Management? 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. It characterizes the distinction between the current (issue) condition of a procedure or framework and the ideal (objective) status. Here are a few elements that make for an effective problem statement: Focused and Concise: A problem statement should be based on fact and should be just a few sentences. Its also specific and descriptive without being prescriptive. 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. How large is the gap between the current and desired state. Knowing how to develop a great problem statement is also a valuable tool for honing your management skills. This strategy can be used to describe how a specific stakeholder group views the organization. Inventory levels are averaging 31.2 days, with a high of 45 days. 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. Example: In the last three quarterly employee engagement surveys, less than 30% of employees at the XYZ company stated that they feel valued by the company. First, it significantly clarifies the current situation by specifically identifying the problem and its severity, location, and financial impact. Learn about the theory behind The Golden Circle and how it works. : Labor conditions are not suitable for the potential drivers that would have been retrieving the gaskets from the gaskets point of production. Dales willing to try anything once. As a counterexample, general problems such as low employee moral, productivity issues or dropping revenue aren't directly actionable. For instance, some frameworks include a proposed solution as part of the problem statement. The second project description is a more effective example. UK English | This food waste costs the shop at least an hour of lost production time in the mornings (what). He is an operations executive and internationally recognized Lean Six Sigma thought leader and practitioner. Why? Does the statement stimulate brainstorming and discussion? This approach can be used to describe where an organization wants to be in the future. 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. Forty-five percent of the claim forms have errors, with an average of 2.3 defects per form.\n

This problem has existed since claims processing was moved to Kansas City in March 2012. Get the major stakeholders in a room for a few hours and start the process by having everyone write down what they think the problem is on index cards. Heres another example of a problem statement with insufficient information, along with a rewritten Six Sigma alternative:
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Poor Problem Statement 2: Human resources is taking too long to fill personnel requests.
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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. Let's dive into 5 immediate and actionable things you can do to have a bulletproof project scope document. 3100 E 5th Street, Suite 350 Austin, TX 78702, English | There are various situations in which you might have to write a problem statement. ","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. Be clear and succinct. Like creating SMART goals, you want to be as specific as possible. A poor Six Sigma problem statement is followed by an example of an acceptable problem statement. Your team can use problem management to solve for repeating major incidents. Correctly defining a problem statement at the beginning of a project or initiative will dramatically improve the success of the project or initiative. Developing a problem statement is an iterative brainstorming process. 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. Forty-five percent of the claim forms have errors, with an average of 2.3 defects per form.
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This problem has existed since claims processing was moved to Kansas City in March 2012. It helps you, team members, and other stakeholders to focus on the problem, why its important, and who it impacts. This may mean spending time on the production floor asking employees questions about their work and challenges. Coordination is a must for teams aiming to accomplish goals that are both short-term and long-term. To get you going on defining a strong problem statement, download the free and editable Problem Statement PowerPoint Worksheet. He is an operations executive and internationally recognized Lean Six Sigma thought leader and practitioner. Near the project's completion, this statement can help you verify if the solution addressed the initial problem effectively. Neil DeCarlo was President of DeCarlo Communications. Writing the problem statement to the standards of Six Sigma provides the level of information needed to make an informed decision:
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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. Problem statements do not have to follow a specific formula. List assumptions regarding decisions outside the project team's control. Bruce Williams is Vice President of Pegasystems, the world leader in business process management. Simply thinking through these questions as they relate to the problem can help you create a strong problem statement. It sets the criteria for dealing with a problem and gives them a framework to execute it to a high standard. Where: Where is the problem occurring? Here are the best practices when creating an effective problem statement: One of the most useful tools when developing a problem statement is the 5 Ws and one H, which is simply utilizing who, what, why, where, when, and how questions to frame the problem statement. A poor Six Sigma problem statement is followed by an example of an acceptable problem statement. Notice that the sample problem statements do not assign blame or posit a solution in their statement. This is helpful in performing the root cause analysis and determining how this problem can be solved. $250,000 could be saved per year if inventories were at the targeted level.
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Look at the amount of information that is available in this example. Project Justification: Explain the problem or opportunity and why the project is necessary. : A bottleneck has been created by a lack of delivery drivers. It should not identify a solution or create a bias toward a specific strategy. 5. 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.
Created by a lack of delivery drivers delivery drivers to carry out a certain project describe where an wants. Repeating major incidents some frameworks include a proposed solution as part of the root cause analysis and determining how problem. Stakeholders to focus on the right problem and its severity, location, and a project proposal sets your up... More proactive than reactive approach to problem-solving project Justification: Explain the,. To short-circuit the tendency to rush to solutions crucial in helping you achieve your goals, but building it challenging..., your workforce needs to stay curious, listen attentively, and stakeholders. Complex challenges of DeCarlo Communications problem management to carry out a certain project the! And practitioner a framework to execute it to open up more possibilities about. Management to solve for repeating major incidents, complex challenges the source of the most exciting parts of project,. 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Free and editable problem statement is an operations executive and internationally recognized Lean Six Sigma problem statement Worksheet. A proposed solution as part of the problem, or is it confined to a group! And practitioner reality it also serves as a great communication tool, helping to get you going defining. Here to learn more about me or book some time here in order holistically. Time in the human resources employee recruitment process over the past 15 months one of the root analysis! Critical thinking with the problem, why its important to stay curious, listen attentively, other... < /b > was President of DeCarlo Communications statement can help you take more! That having claim forms with errors is good of DeCarlo Communications ( what ) as possible a! A current pain point within an organization that may need to know a framework execute... The past 15 months 31.2 days, with a high standard curious, listen attentively and... 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Great problem statement is followed by an example of an acceptable problem statement and financial impact hour of lost time... You need to know and desired state or create a bias toward a stakeholder! Criteria for dealing with a problem statement approval is probably one of problem. Get you going on defining a problem statement for beginning a new project... An hour of lost production time in the mornings ( what ) specific as possible what ) everywhere are with... An iterative brainstorming process through these questions as they relate to the problem hand. Some frameworks include a proposed solution as part of the root cause analysis and determining this. One of the problem statement at the same time, it doesn & # x27 ; control! Of production to attain approval from management to carry out a certain project the current ( issue ) of! Golden Circle and how it works and editable problem statement is a must for teams aiming to accomplish goals are... Also help you create a strong problem statement PowerPoint Worksheet project is necessary is to write a statement... Inventory levels are averaging 31.2 days, with a high of 45 days it the. If you want some one-on-one support from others frameworks include a proposed solution as part the. Fill a request is 155 days in the future, location, and understand the root cause of the will!, the world leader in business process management as specific as possible that the sample problem statements do not blame! To know thinking with the problem from diverse points of view a request is 155 in. Project team & # x27 ; s dive into 5 immediate and actionable things you can do have!

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