Problem Analysis Application Performance Standards

Problem Solving Decision Making, KT Resolve

Problem Analysis Application Performance Standards

Process Step / Performance Standards /
1. Narrative / Your narrative should contain a one page overview of the problem you analyzed and include the following:
· What was the problem you selected
· Why was it selected
· How old is the problem
· How was it analyzed
· Who was involved
· How did you gather the information
· How long did it take you to complete the analysis
· What challenges did you face
· What results did the analysis achieve
· What are the next steps
If all your applications are related, you can submit a single narrative containing information on all the applications.
2. State the Problem / Your Problem Statement should:
· Contain 1 Object (or group of similar/identical objects) that should be a physical or tangible thing that is observed to be off “Should”
· Contain 1 Deviation that should be a visible or measurable condition that is outside an acceptable “Should”
· Be succinct (no extraneous facts that better fit in other parts of the Problem Specification)
· Represent a cause unknown deviation of “Actual” from the “Should”
· Be specific enough so that it is clear which problem you’re working on
3. Specify the Problem / Your Problem Specification should:
· Reflect an accurate, factual description of the symptom of the problem in WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, EXTENT—IS/IS NOT format
· Show the most closely related IS NOTs
· Demonstrate the most specific information that is available as a response to each specification question
· Show where a specification question is Not Applicable and why it doesn’t apply to this problem
· Show where a specification question is applicable, but requires additional data (NMD) to answer
· Demonstrate an accurate intent of the specification questions, as described below:
WHAT Object
· IS—specific part #s, VINs, colors, sizes, etc. of the thing that is off “Should”
· IS NOT—most closely-related part#s, VINs, colors, sizes, etc. of the thing that COULD have this problem, but DO NOT
WHAT Defect
· IS—description of the actual deviation from “Should”
· IS NOT—closely-related deviations that COULD occur to the object, but DO NOT
WHERE Geographically
· IS—all location(s) where defective object(s) are observed
· IS NOT—other closely-related locations where this object COULD have the defect but DO NOT
WHERE On Object
· IS—described specifically or illustrated
· IS NOT—other closely related location or parts of the object where the defect COULD appear but DO NOT
WHEN First
· IS—first point in time at which this instance of the defect was observed (data and time)
· IS NOT—other closely-related points in time when this problem COULD have been first observed but WAS NOT
WHEN Since
· IS—frequency of occurrence of the problem after it was first noticed (continuous, periodic or sporadic). For periodic and sporadic, provide dates and time of subsequent occurrences
· IS NOT—other frequencies at which this problem COULD have occurred but DID NOT
WHEN Lifecycle
· IS—stage in the life or function of the object at which the problem is first observed
· IS NOT—closely-related stage(s) in the life or function of the object during which the defect COULD have been first observed but WAS NOT
EXTENT # Objects
· IS—actual count or percentage of the defective objects. Attach charts or graphs where applicable
· IS NOT—count or percentage of the objects that COULD be defective but ARE NOT
EXTENT Size
· IS—size or severity of the defective condition. Attach charts or graphs where applicable
· IS NOT—other sizes or severities the defect COULD have exhibited but DID NOT
EXTENT # Defects
· IS—actual count of the number of defects on any one object, if multiple
· IS NOT—other count(s) of the defect that COULD have appeared on any one object but DID NOT
EXTENT Trend
· IS—growth or shrinkage over time of the number of affected objects, size of the defect and/or number of defects per object. Attach charts or graphs where applicable
· IS NOT—other trends in the number of affected objects, size of the defect and/or number of defects per object that COULD have been observed but WAS NOT
4. Look for Distinctions (if used) / Your Distinctions should:
· Represent features, characteristics, or functionalities that are derived by comparing an “IS” to its corresponding “IS NOT(s)”
· Be factual—visible or otherwise detectable, as opposed to inferences, or conclusions
· Be stated in terms of the “IS”
5. Look for Changes (if used) / Your Changes should:
· Be clearly related to a distinction
· Be factual—not inferences or conclusions
· Be description—the nature of the change
Include documentation of when the change occurred (date/time)
6. Develop Possible Causes (from Experience of Distinctions and Changes) / Your Possible Causes should:
· Contain 1 Object—the actual things that created the deviation
· Contain 1 Defect— the part or variable of the object that created the deviation
· The mechanism—a description of how the object and defect created the deviation
There should be at least 2 possible causes listed
7. Evaluate Possible Causes / Your Testing should demonstrate:
· Visible assumptions when a possible cause does not cleanly explain a pair of IS and IS NOT facts—any assumption needs to be clearly related to at least one IS/IS NOT pair
· Visible reasoning when a possible cause is eliminated—which IS and IS NOT fact(s) does it not explain
· The Most Probable Cause as the remaining possible cause that either
Best explains the entire problem specification (based on the number and/or reasonableness of the assumptions), or
Is the simplest to verify
8. Confirm True Cause / Your confirmation approach should:
Attempt to confirm the assumptions from testing and/or the causal mechanism
· Demonstrate that a range of methods was considered prior to locking onto one alternative
· Have attached data, analysis and conclusions, if experimental confirmation is selected