Download - [eBook] Problem Solving Techniques for IT
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Problem Solving Problem solving techniques for the SMO. Achieve the extraordinary.
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The challenge of the scien/fic method is managing the difficulty of making progress, while retaining the skep/cism necessary to ensure the correctness of your results.
Francis Bacon
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What’s A Problem? Webster’s Defini/on:
▶ “a ques/on raised for inquiry, considera/on, or solu/on” ▶ “a source of perplexity, distress, or vexa/on”
Photo: Digital Sexton via Creative Commons
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What’s A Problem?
Photo: felixtsao via Creative Commons
IT Service Management (ITSM) Context – An ITIL Defini:on:
▶ A cause of one or more Incidents. The cause is not usually known at the /me a Problem Record is created, and the Problem Management Process is responsible for further inves/ga/on.
Managing Problems in ITSM – Problem Management in ITIL:
▶ The Process responsible for managing the Lifecycle of all Problems. The primary Objec/ves of Problem Management are to prevent Incidents from happening, and to minimize the Impact of Incidents that cannot be prevented
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You know you’ve got a problem.
But how do you tackle it?
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Some figure it out as they go.
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We propose that you’re more effective with a structured approach.
It’s true.
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HERE ARE A FEW METHODS TO GET YOU ORGANIZED.
You can do it.
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Flowcharts It feels like a map…with arrows.
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Flowchart
Snapshot of iRunIT™, our process documentation library tool.
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FLOWCHART RESOURCE The ASQ (American Society for Quality) has a flowchart creator at the bottom of this page:
http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/process-analysis-tools/overview/flowchart.html
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Brainstorming No, it’s not raining brains.
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Brainstorming is great for
…generating as many leads as possible.
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For Starters
Start with a clear understanding of what the problem is, write it on a white board or flip chart.
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Storm it out. Allow participants to put forth any idea they have, encourage an open atmosphere. Write down every idea, do not filter ideas until brainstorming is done. Don’t stop too soon - often new ideas will come up after a pause. Evaluate and sort ideas after no new ideas come up.
Vector by Alex Sheyn
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Nominal Group Technique
Must be for a group!
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When to Use
Groups of any size
Need a decision made quickly
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Steps
• Each person generates ideas and writes on a card
• Team lead assigns each a letter per idea and records on flip chart
• Group discusses and eliminates similar ideas
• Team members individually rank the ideas
• Team lead collects and totals the points
• Solution with highest score is the prioritized idea or solution – provides starting point for root cause analysis
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Benefits of Nominal Group Technique
• Minimizes the influence of dominant voices or groups.
• Quick
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Is - Is Not Matrix Like The Matrix. But easier.
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Use When You need to separate lots of information to determine what is trivial from what is important.
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• Start with an empty table of four rows and six columns. • In the upper left corner, state specifically the problem. • Fill in the top row and left column as outlined. • Fill in each row and column with information about what is
related to the problem and what is not, and determine what the differences are between the two.
• For each element in the table, analyze how it could be a cause of the problem.
Steps
àHere comes the sample.
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Sample Is-Is Not Matrix
Problem: Missing Email Is Is Not Dis:nc:ons
What occurs?
Email from outside of the company are not being delivered
Internal email is func/oning fine
Only external email is affected
Where does it occur?
In the Chicago branch office
Headquarters and all other branches
Only Chicago is affected
When does it occur?
Con/nually since last Friday
Before last Friday Something may have changed on Friday
Extent of problems
MicrosoW and Unix mail are both affected
Reported outside of Chicago
Only Chicago is affected
Who is involved? All users in all departments in Chicago branch
Any other users Only Chicago is affected
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5 Whys Stop repeating yourself. Or don’t.
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What is “5 Whys?”
A simple, yet very effective tool to ensure that you get to the root cause of a problem rather than a superficial cause.
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To Start
Write down the specific problem.
• Writing the issue helps you formalize the problem and describe it completely.
• It also helps a team focus on the same problem.
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The Process You guessed it. You’re going to ask WHY. 5 times.
Ask WHY the problem happened and write the answer down below the problem. If the answer doesn’t identify the root cause of the problem, ask WHY again and write that answer down. Keep asking until the team is in agreement that the problem's root cause is identified. This may take fewer or more times than five WHYS.
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Sample 5 Whys
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Logic Tree Sometimes called an “Issue Tree.”
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Great for identifying root cause. Visually effective, as well.
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Four Basic Attributes
▶ Consistently answers “WHY”
▶ Progress from the key question to the analysis as it moves to the right
▶ Have branches that are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive (MECE)
▶ Use an insightful breakdown
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Sample Logic Tree
Bank profit declining
Revenues decreasing
Sales volume decreasing
Market share declining
Product-related
problems
Product quality poor
Product mix problems
Inadequate product line
breadth
Inadequate depth of
product line
Service-related problems
Distribution-related
problems
Overall market size decreasing
Prices decreasing
Transaction fee level declining
Interest rates decreasing
Expenses increasing
Non-interest expenses increasing
Variable costs increasing
Fixed costs increasing Interest
expenses increasing
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Fault Tree Analysis Where did things go wrong in the process?
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Attributes To determine how an “undesired state” occurred.
Uses Boolean logic.
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Steps Identify a failure or a POTENTIAL failure.
▶ Identify the specific problem and write it at the top of the diagram.
▶ Generate ideas for causes of that event and put them in at the next level down.
▶ For each cause, identify if there could be lower level causes and repeat the process until there are no lower level causes.
▶ For each area where more than one cause leads to an upper level cause determine whether they operate together (and) or on their own (or).
When complete, you will have an understanding of all the potential causes and their relationships with each other.
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Sample Fault Tree
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Ishikawa Diagram Sometimes referred to as a fishbone diagram or a cause-and-effect chart.
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When to use. Used to analyze relationships between a problem and its causes.
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Steps
▶ Clearly state the problem and write it on the right edge of a whiteboard.
▶ Draw an arrow pointing to the problem.
▶ Next write main categories of causes as branches from the main arrow.
▶ For each category, use brainstorming techniques to identify as many possible causes that you can.
▶ Finally, analyze the causes to determine the most likely root cause.
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Ishikawa Diagram
High Rate of Failed Changes
People
Tools
Process
Environment
Lack of Training
Confusing Not well
documented
Overworked
Cumbersome
Outdated Lack of
accountability
No management support
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Histograms & Pareto Charts
Sometimes referred to as a fishbone diagram or a cause-and-effect chart.
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Histograms
Histograms are used in statistics to give a visual representation of the distribution of a data set.
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Pareto Chart
A Pareto Chart is a special type of histogram, used to view causes of a problem in order of severity from largest to smallest.
Image source: Wikipedia
It contains both bars and a line graph, where individual values are represented in descending order by bars, and the cumulative total is represented by the line.
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Decision Matrix When you must pick one.
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When to use. Best when you have a small list of items from which you must pick the “best” choice.
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Steps
▶ Regarding a problem which you are trying to solve, select a list of criteria against which you’ll make the decision.
▶ Weight each criteria. Use a multiplier, such as 1-3. 3 representing the most influencing criteria and 1 indicating the least.
▶ Assign a ranking to each criteria, using a simple number system such as 1-5 (5 being the score that most reflects the criteria, and 1 being least)
▶ Multiply the weight multiplier times the rank score. This gives you the final score, and ultimately, the best choice.
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Sample Decision Matrix
Evaluation*Criteria Weight Raw Final Raw Final Raw Final Raw Final Raw Final Raw FinalLocation 3 5 15 5 15 4 12 5 15 3 3Pay 3 3 9 3 9 3 9 3 9 3 3Benefits 2 5 10 3 6 4 8 4 8 2 2TravelARequirement 1 5 5 2 2 5 5 4 4 1 1OpportunityAforAAdvancement 1 5 5 1 1 4 4 4 4 1 1CompanyACulture 1 5 5 3 3 4 4 5 5 1 1HappyAFactor 1 5 5 2 2 4 4 4 4 1 1
Final 54 38 46 49 12 12
IdealAJob
Job*Opportutnity
JobAA JobAB JobAC JobAE JobAF
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Learn how a Service Management Office strengthens your problem solving skills.
http://bit.ly/SolveProblemsWithSMO
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About G2G3
This material is Confidential Information and was produced utilizing intellectual property of G2G3 (or through third party Copyright material) and contains subject matter that comprises intellectual property of G2G3 (or the third party Copyright material) including work(s) that are Copyright [dates(s)], G2G3 Reproduction, distribution or use without the express written consent of G2G3 is prohibited
Third Party Copyright References:
The Rational Manager: A Systematic Approach to Problem Solving and Decision Making, McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1965.
Ishikawa, Kaoru (1968). Guide to Quality Control. Tokyo: JUSE.
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