Do you feel the solution or approach used appropriate for the cause?

• Compare and contrast the fundamental differences between process improvement framework and problem solving framework. Provide one (1) example of business management applying each framework to support your response.
• Select one (1) project from your working or educational environment in which you can apply problem solving framework. Next, suggest at least three (3) questions that you would ask yourself in order to identify the root-cause of the problem during the project that you have selected. Justify your response.

Q2

Discuss one (1) project where you used a problem-solving approach to address what turned out to be common-cause variation, or where you used a process improvement approach to deal with a special cause.

If you do not have a personal experience that echoes either of these situations, you may use Internet to search for a case that reflects either of these situations.

Examples:

• one’s personal investment strategy since 2008
• reducing waiting times at the local hospital or emergency room
• reducing difficulties trying to connect to a Wi-Fi Internet provider

Answer the following questions in the space provided below:

1. Describe the experience in the project.
2. What were the solutions used to address the problem?
3. Was the case you described a special-cause or common-cause?
4. Do you feel the solution or approach used appropriate for the cause?
5. What would you do if you could do it again?
6. What conclusions can you draw from the problem-solving or process-improvement techniques?

 

Note: You may create and / or make all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of this assignment. In your original work, you may use aspects of existing processes from either your current or a former place of employment. However, you must remove any and all identifying information that would enable someone to discern the organization(s) that you have used.

Q3

“Reflection to Date” Please respond to the following:

Note: please select one of the two subjects to discuss.

• In one (1) paragraph, reflect on what you have learned so far in this course. Determine the most interesting, unexpected, or useful piece of knowledge that you have learned. Provide a rationale for your response.
• In the second half of the quarter, we will extend our statistical thinking concepts to practical applications. We will discuss using tools (e.g., Excel) for the execution. Watch the video titled “Descriptive Statistics using ‘Data Analysis’ tool in Excel”, located at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MFjwM6K5Sg. Next, speculate on the overall manner in which you would use tools, such as Excel, to apply a business critical thinking strategy. Include one (1) example of such application to support your response.