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How to run a problem-solving workshop.

What is a problem-solving workshop?

A problem-solving workshop is a rapid session that helps you:

• Understand the root cause of a problem
• Quickly generate ideas to solve it
• Evaluate the ideas to ensure they’re robust
• Make a plan to test or implement the solution

This workshop critically assesses what’s going wrong and helps you find out what your options are to solve it, before you decide on the perfect solution.

Who should run a problem-solving workshop?

Product team leads, such as designers, product managers or engineers can run this type of workshop. There’s no one right person to lead something as important as this.

In fact, the core of your product development should start with the problem rather than the solution itself. It can be tempting to jump straight into features, but until you understand the problem well, you can’t begin to solve it.

When to run a problem-solving workshop

This workshop can be used in various circumstances:

• A show-stopping problem that grinds everything to a halt
• An intermittent problem that you want to get to the bottom of
• A customer or user problem, such as a pain point when using a service or product
• A high-level business problem, for example “too many customer complaints”, “conversion rate is too low”, or “operating costs are too high”

1. Get the right people together

2. identify the right problem.

• 3. Come up with ideas to solve the problem

4. Evaluate the ideas to ensure they’re robust

5. make a plan to test or implement the solution.

Read on to find out how to do all that, and more.

Invite all affected parties to a session. These are people that the problem has a direct impact on. Including those that aren’t impacted may offer a more objective view, but ultimately; more people equals more time. We want to solve problems with haste, so we can find out if it’s the right solution sooner rather than later!

What may appear like the problem, could be one of many observable results of a deeper underlying problem. To identify the ‘right’ or ‘true’ problem, we need to delve into it. This method is often called “Root Cause Analysis”.

There are many ways to conduct a Root Cause Analysis, but the easiest and most pragmatic way is to use the  Five Whys Analysis tactic .

Simply put, asking “why?” at least five times will lead you to the real problem. Solving this root problem subsequently solves all of the surface problems associated with it.

Learn how to run the Five Whys Analysis tactic

3. Come up with ideas to solve your problem

What normally follows identifying the right problem is a flurry of ideas. This usually takes the form of blurting them out at each other – but there are better, more structured ways to capture ideas.  Generating ideas in a structured way gives you time and space to think, as well as building on others’ ideas. The result means more thorough and refined ideas, over a back of the napkin sketch that the loudest person in the room decides is the best thing to do.

Idea-generation tactics for problem solving:

• Mind Map  – Get your brain on to paper, so you can start to form ideas for the methods below.
• Crazy Eights  – Eight ideas in eight minutes
• Reverse Brainstorm  – Come up with ways to make the problem  worse,  then reverse it to get the solution
• Round Robin  – Generate an idea, then have the person next to you build on it
• Storyboard  – Turn your idea into a sequence of events to understand how it might actually work in reality

Once you have a suite of ideas, you’ll want to review them and try some  evaluative tactics .

If you have a lot of ideas, you might want to prioritise the most promising ones to take forward with a decision tactic such as  Priority Map  or  Blind Vote .

Once you have a shortlist of ideas it can be tempting to go with the one that appears most promising. If time is of the essence, and it’s low risk – it might be the right call to just try it out.

However, it’s vital to evaluate ideas for solutions that may be more costly or complicated. Kick the tyres, so to speak.

Evaluating ideas gives you the confidence that your promising idea truly is promising, and is worthy of taking forward to the next stage: prototyping and implementation.

Evaluation tactics for ideas:

• Idea Beetle  –  a set of questions that help you assess if your idea is robust before you progress with it
• Rose, Thorn, Bud  –  a way to review the good, the bad and the potential of an idea
• SWOT Analysis  –  articulate an idea’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities or threats

If you still have a lot of ideas, you might want to prioritise the most promising ones to take forward with a decision tactic such as  Priority Map  or  Blind Vote .

Now you should have one or two (or more!) evaluated, robust and promising ideas that you want to try out to solve the problem.

Whether you need to work out how to prototype and test the idea, or go ahead and implement the solution right away – you need a plan.

To work out a plan, use the  Sticky Steps tactic , which mentally starts you off at having the solution implemented or prototype tested, then works backwards to today in order to see what steps you need to take.

Once you have a solid plan, create accountability by creating a list of tasks to do, and assigning them to people with a deadline. You can do this with the  Who, What, When tactic .

2 thoughts on “How to run a problem-solving workshop”

Hi I’d love to know approx about how long it should take to run one of these workshops. If you could include that in your very helpful summaries – I think that would be very helpful to plan and market these types of servies.

Appreciate all you do! R

All activities are very helpful.

Appreciate you Nazia Psychologist

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Problem-solving workshop: Step-by-Step

A problem-solving workshop is held by the Agile Release Train and its purpose is to address systematic problems. The workshop that concentrates on identifying the problems, not just addressing the symptoms, is facilitated by the Release Train Engineer and time-boxed to maximum of two hours. What are the six steps of the workshop?

In SAFe® (Scaled Agile Framework for Enterprises®), problem-solving workshop is done during the Inspect & Adapt (I & A) event. I & A  is held at the end of each Program Increment, and it forms the basis for relentless improvement, one of the four pillars of the SAFe House of Lean , and a dimension of the Continuous Learning Culture core competency.

During the three parts of I & A event (PI System Demo, Quantitative and Qualitative measurement, and Retrospective and problem-solving workshop), the ART demonstrates and evaluates the current state of the solution and teams reflect and identify improvement backlog items. In this article we are going to concentrate on the last part of the event, problem-solving workshop, during which teams systematically address the larger impediments that are limiting velocity.

Problem-solving workshop consists of 6 steps

Step 1: agree on the problem to solve.

Clearly stating the problem is key to problem identification and correction. It enables more focused investigation, time-saving, and avoids ‘ready, fire, aim’ approach. On the other hand, a problem that is not well defined, may result in failure to reach the proper countermeasure. To identify and agree on the problem to solve, the teams should spend a few minutes clearly stating the problem, highlighting the ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’, and ‘impact’ as succinctly as they can.

Step 2: Apply root-cause analysis and 5 whys

The Root-cause analysis and the ‘5 Whys’ technique is used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem. It helps to avoid assumptions and logic traps, trace the chain of causality in direct increments from the effect to a root cause.

The root cause analysis (fishbone or Ishikawa) diagram features 5 main ‘bones’ that represent typical sources of problems in development (tools, people, program, process, environment). Team members then brainstorm causes that they think contribute to the problem to be solved and group them into these categories. Once a cause is identified, its root cause is explored with the 5 Whys technique. By simply asking ‘why’ multiple times, the cause of the previous cause is uncovered, and added to the diagram. The process stops once a suitable root cause has been identified and the same process is then applied to the next cause (© Scaled Agile, Inc.).

Step 3: Identify the biggest root-cause using Pareto analysis

Team uses Pareto analysis (or 80/20 rule) to narrow down the number of actions that produce the most significant overall effect. It is based on the principle that 20% of root causes can cause 80% of problems and it has proved useful where many possible sources and actions are competing. Once the team writes down all the causes-of-causes, they identify the biggest root-cause using dot-voting – every team member has five dots on its disposal, and he can allocate them to one or more items he thinks are most problematic. Then they summarize votes in Pareto chart that shows collective consensus on the most significant root-cause.

Step 4: Restate the new problem for the biggest root-cause

Team picks the most voted item from Pareto chart. They restate it clearly as a problem and add economic impact of the problem to the description.

Step 5: Brainstorm solutions

During the brainstorming activity that lasts about 15 – 30 minutes, team brainstorms as many possible corrective actions as possible. The goal of activity is to generate as many ideas as possible, without criticism or debate. Team members should let their imagination soar and explore and combine all the ideas that arise and in the end dot-vote to identify top contenders.

Step 6: Identify improvement backlog items (NRFs)

In the end of the problem-solving workshop, up to three most voted solutions are identified. Solutions are then rephrased as improvement stories and features to be fed directly into the PI Planning event that follows the I & A event. During that event, the RTE helps ensure that the relevant work needed to deliver the identified improvements is planned. This closes the loop, thus ensuring that action will be taken, and that people and resources are dedicated as necessary to improve the current state. In this way, problem-solving becomes routine and systematic, and team members and ART stakeholders can be assured that the train is solidly on its journey of relentless improvement (© Scaled Agile, Inc. ).

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Mastering Pareto Analysis: Problem Solving & Process Optimization Guide

Pareto Analysis  is a powerful problem-solving tool and process improvement technique that helps businesses and organizations identify the most significant problems and prioritize their efforts for maximum impact. This academic blog post will explore the meaning, application, and benefits of Pareto Analysis and delve into various examples and case studies from different industries. As a result, organizations can achieve more efficient and effective outcomes by leveraging the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule or Pareto's Rule.

Understanding Pareto Analysis and the Pareto Principle

Pareto Analysis Definition: Pareto Analysis  is a decision-making technique to identify the most critical factors, issues, or problems. This method involves the application of the Pareto Principle, which states that approximately 80% of effects result from 20% of causes.

Pareto Principle: The 80/20 Rule

The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, was first introduced by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto in the early 20th century. The principle emphasizes that a small number of inputs (20%) contribute to a large percentage (80%) of outcomes. In problem-solving, this translates to the idea that focusing on the most significant problems first can lead to significant improvements.

Pareto Analysis Meaning and Purpose

Pareto Analysis prioritizes issues, identifies root causes, and allocates resources efficiently. As a result, organizations can substantially improve with limited resources by focusing on the most significant problems, making Pareto Analysis a valuable tool for continuous process improvement.

The Process of Conducting Pareto Analysis

Pareto Chart Analysis: Pareto Analysis often uses a Pareto Chart, a graphical representation of the distribution of problems, causes, or issues. A Pareto Chart consists of a bar chart and a line graph, with the bars representing the frequency or magnitude of problems and the line indicating the cumulative percentage.

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Pareto Analysis Steps

Identify the problems or issues: Begin by compiling a comprehensive list of the issues that must be addressed.

Collect data and categorize: Gather relevant data on the problems, then categorize and quantify them based on their impact or frequency.

Rank the issues: Rank the problems in descending order based on their magnitude, impact, or frequency.

Create the Pareto Chart: Plot the data on a Pareto Chart, illustrating the distribution and cumulative percentage of the issues.

Analyze and prioritize: Use the Pareto Chart to identify the most significant problems and prioritize your efforts accordingly.

Implement solutions and monitor progress: Address the prioritized issues, implement solutions, and continuously monitor the progress and impact of these efforts.

Pareto Analysis Examples and Case Studies

Pareto Analysis Example in Manufacturing: In a manufacturing setting, Pareto Analysis can identify the root causes of defects or issues in the production process. By collecting data on the frequency and impact of each deficiency, a Pareto Chart can be created to visualize the distribution of problems. Focusing on the top 20% of issues, which typically contribute to 80% of the overall defects, allows the organization to prioritize and allocate resources effectively.

Example of a Pareto Chart Analysis (Table):

Imagine a software company is experiencing a high number of customer-reported bugs. They collect data on the frequency of each bug category and create the following table:

In this example, the software company can see that User Interface and Performance bugs account for 62.5% of all reported issues. The company can significantly reduce the number of customer-reported bugs by addressing these two categories. The table forms the basis for creating a Pareto Chart, which visually represents the distribution of issues and helps prioritize problem-solving efforts.

Pareto Chart Example with Explanation

Consider a software development company that wants to reduce the number of customer-reported bugs. By collecting data on the frequency of different bug categories, the company can create a Pareto Chart to identify the most significant issues. For example, the chart might reveal that 80% of customer complaints result from 20% of bug categories. By prioritizing these categories and addressing their root causes, the company can significantly improve the customer experience and reduce the overall number of reported issues.

Pareto Law 20/80 in Problem-Solving

The Pareto Law 80/20 concept can be applied to various industries and scenarios in problem-solving. For example, in sales, it is often observed that 80% of revenue is generated by 20% of customers. Therefore, businesses can optimize their sales strategies and achieve better results by focusing on these top customers and understanding their needs and preferences.

Root Cause Pareto Analysis

Root cause Pareto Analysis involves identifying the underlying causes of the most significant problems, as highlighted by the Pareto Chart. By addressing these root causes, organizations can achieve long-term improvements and prevent future issues from arising.

Pareto Analysis Case Study

Consider a healthcare organization experiencing long patient wait times in its emergency department. By conducting a Pareto Analysis, the organization identifies the primary factors contributing to the delays, such as inefficient patient triage and understaffing during peak hours. By focusing on these critical issues and implementing targeted solutions, the organization can significantly reduce wait times and improve patient satisfaction.

Key Takeaways and Best Practices

A. pareto analysis benefits.

Prioritization: Pareto Analysis helps organizations prioritize issues and focus on the most significant problems first.

Resource allocation: By concentrating on the top 20% of issues, organizations can allocate resources more efficiently and achieve better results.

Continuous improvement: Pareto Analysis is a valuable tool for ongoing process improvement, as it enables organizations to identify and address problems consistently.

Root cause analysis : Identifying and addressing the root causes of issues ensures long-term improvements and reduces the likelihood of recurring problems.

Best Practices for Conducting Pareto Analysis

Use accurate and reliable data: The quality of your Pareto Analysis depends on the data quality used. Ensure that you collect accurate and reliable data from relevant sources.

Regularly update your analysis: Review your Pareto Analysis to account for changes in your organization, industry, or market.

Involve stakeholders: Ensure stakeholders' perspectives and expertise are considered during the analysis.

Implement and monitor solutions: After prioritizing issues, implement targeted solutions and continuously monitor progress to assess their effectiveness.

Communicate results: Share the findings and insights from your Pareto Analysis with relevant stakeholders to foster a culture of continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making.

Pareto Analysis  is a powerful problem-solving and process improvement technique that leverages the Pareto Principle to enable organizations to focus on the most critical issues and achieve significant improvements. By understanding and applying Pareto Analysis, businesses can prioritize their efforts, allocate resources efficiently, and implement data-driven solutions to drive success. Whether in manufacturing, healthcare, or software development, Pareto Analysis offers a valuable and versatile approach to tackling complex problems and achieving meaningful results.

What is the primary purpose of Pareto Analysis?

The primary purpose of Pareto Analysis is to prioritize issues, identify root causes, and allocate resources efficiently by focusing on the most significant problems. This approach helps organizations achieve substantial improvements with limited resources.

How does the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, apply to problem-solving?

The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, states that approximately 80% of effects result from 20% of causes. In problem-solving, this translates to the idea that focusing on the most significant problems first can lead to substantial improvements with limited resources.

What are some benefits of conducting Pareto Analysis in an organization?

Some benefits of conducting Pareto Analysis include prioritizing issues, enabling efficient resource allocation, promoting continuous improvement, and identifying root causes of problems for long-term improvements and prevention of future issues.

Pia Prebensen is a personal growth expert who helps people identify and overcome their limiting beliefs. She has been featured in various online and print publications, including Elite Daily and The Huffington Post.

Born and raised in Denmark, Pia has always been fascinated by human behavior and the inner workings of the mind.

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