1. Problem Solving and Decision Making Supervisors and Coordinators
Possible Problem Scenarios:
Absenteeism
Tardiness
Not following the rules
Eating at desks
Constant interruptions from people/users that are lost
Scheduling break times
Introductions
Ice Breaker
Everything said here – remains here.
Be involved/active. Most learning comes from each other’s experience!

2. Group Exercise – Lost at Sea
You have chartered a yacht with three friends, for the holiday trip of a lifetime across the Atlantic Ocean. Because none of you have any previous sailing experience, you have hired an experienced skipper and two-person crew. Unfortunately in mid Atlantic a fierce fire breaks out in the ships galley and the skipper and crew have been lost whilst trying to fight the blaze. Much of the yacht is destroyed and is slowly sinking. Your location is unclear because vital navigational and radio equipment have been damaged in the fire. Your best estimate is that you are many hundreds of miles from the nearest landfall. You and your friends have managed to save 15 items, undamaged and intact after the fire. In addition, you have salvaged a four man rubber life craft and a box of matches.
Stranded
Team building survival game
You can use this type of exercise with various scenarios for teams/groups of between 3 and 15 people. It is also great to use in group selections for recruiting staff, when the interviewing panel observe the efforts, abilities, and attitudes of the participants.
Mountain survival scenario exercise: It is a very flexible theme. Avoid the requirement to establish a definitive correct list of items - there is no definitive 'right answer.’ There are other reasons for this too. Its best not to have a definitive list of items as recommended by experts - what's important is for the group to see the benefit of group discussion and collective expertise, experience and input, which produces a generally accepted better list of items than anyone's individual list.
The risk in referring to a supposed definitive 'right answer' list is that:
it focuses too much attention on the outcome rather than the process,
it causes participants to guess what they think the facilitator thinks, as if it's a trick question, and
It can undermine the credibility of the exercise and the facilitator when inevitably someone in the group, or worse still, the entire group disagrees with the 'right answer', as is likely with any hypothetical scenario.
Position the exercise like this:
After your small light aircraft crashes, your group, wearing business/leisure clothing, is stranded on a forested mountain in appalling winter weather (snow covered, sub-freezing conditions), anything between 50 and 200 miles from civilization. You are not sure of your whereabouts, and radio contact was lost one hour before you crashed. The search operation has no precise idea of your location either. You smell gas. The plane is about to burst into flames and you have a few moments to gather some items. Aside from the clothes you are wearing which does not include coats, you have no other items. It is possible that you may be within mobile phone signal range, but unlikely.
(Other than these facts, the session facilitator may clarify particular questions from the group(s) as to details of the circumstances and the environment, and these details remain constant for the duration of the exercise. Other details may simply not be known - it's at the facilitator's discretion.)

3. Group Exercise – Lost at Sea
Your task is to rank the 15 items in terms of their importance for you, as you wait to be rescued. Place the number 1 by the most important item, the number 2 by the second most important and so forth until you have ranked all 15 items.
A sextant
A shaving mirror
A quantity of mosquito
netting
A 25 liter container of water
A case of army rations
Maps of the Atlantic Ocean
A floating seat cushion
A 10 liter can of oil/petrol mixture
A small transistor radio
20 square feet of opaque plastic sheeting
A can of shark repellent
One bottle of 160 proof rum
15 feet of nylon rope
2 boxes of chocolate bars
An ocean fishing kit & pole
Lost at Sea
Grahame Knox
Lost at Sea 1
You have chartered a yacht with three friends, for the holiday trip of a lifetime across
the Atlantic Ocean. Because none of you have any previous sailing experience, you
have hired an experienced skipper and two-person crew.
Unfortunately in mid Atlantic a fierce fire breaks out in the ships galley and the
skipper and crew have been lost whilst trying to fight the blaze. Much of the yacht is
destroyed and is slowly sinking.
Your location is unclear because vital navigational and radio equipment have been
damaged in the fire. Your best estimate is that you are many hundreds of miles from
the nearest landfall.
You and your friends have managed to save 15 items, undamaged and intact after
the fire. In addition, you have salvaged a four man rubber life craft and a box of
matches.
Your task is to rank the 15 items in terms of their importance for you, as you wait to
be rescued. Place the number 1 by the most important item, the number 2 by the
second most important and so forth until you have ranked all 15 items.
Lost at Sea 2
Instructions
1. Provide a ‘lost at sea ranking chart’ for every member of your group.
2. Ask each person to take 10 minutes to decide their own rankings, and record
the choices in the left-hand Step 1 column.
3. Invite everyone to get into teams of 3/4. Encourage the group to discuss their
individual choices and work together to agree on a collaborative list. Allow 20
minutes for this section. Record the group rankings in the second column
(team rankings).
4. The correct answers were suggested by the US Coastguard. Display the
‘expert’ rankings on a PowerPoint presentation, whiteboard or photocopy.
Compare your individual and group answers with the correct answers and
determine a score.
5. For each item, mark the number of points that your score differs from the
Coastguard ranking and then add up all the points. Disregard plus or minus
differences. The lower the total, the better your score.
6. As the groups work together, sharing thoughts and ideas, this should produce
an improved score over the individual results. Discuss with your group why
the scores were different? What changed their minds? And was this enough
to survive?
Lost at Sea 3
Lost at Sea Ranking Chart
Items
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5
Your
individual
ranking
team
Coast
Guard
Difference
between
Step 1 & 3
Step 2 & 3
A sextant
A shaving mirror
A quantity of mosquito
netting
A 25 liter container of water
A case of army rations
Maps of the Atlantic Ocean
A floating seat cushion
A 10 liter can of oil/petrol
mixture
A small transistor radio
20 square feet of opaque
plastic sheeting
A can of shark repellent
One bottle of 160 proof rum
15 feet of nylon rope
2 boxes of chocolate bars
An ocean fishing kit & pole
Totals
score
Team
Lost at Sea 4
Coastguard expert analysis
According to the experts, in this case the US Coastguard, the basic supplies needed
when a person is stranded mid-ocean are articles to attract attention and aid survival
until rescue arrives. A transatlantic trip takes roughly 20 days; significantly less with
good winds and significantly more without them.
Articles for navigation are of little importance since even if a small life raft were
capable of reaching land, it would be impossible to store enough food and water to
survive for that amount of time. Without signaling devices, there is almost no chance
of being spotted and rescued.
So, the list below is the ranking order of the items according to their importance to
your survival:
Item
Ranking
Coastguard Reasoning
A sextant 15
Useless without the relevant tables and a
chronometer.
A shaving mirror 1
Of all the items, the mirror is absolutely critical. It is
the most powerful tool you have for communicating
your presence. In sunlight, a simple mirror can
generate five to seven million candlepower of light.
The reflected sunbeam can even be seen beyond
the horizon. 14
There are NO mosquitoes in the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean and the netting is useless for
anything else.
A 25 liter container of
water 3
Vital to restore fluids lost through perspiration. 25
liters will supply water rations for your group for
several days.
A case of army rations 4 This is your basic food intake
Maps of the Atlantic
Ocean
13 Worthless without navigation equipment.
A floating seat cushion 9 Useful as a life preserver if someone fell overboard.
Lost at Sea 5
A 10 liter can of
oil/gasoline mixture 2
The second most critical item for signaling. The
mixture will float on water and can be ignited using
the matches.
A small transistor
radio
12 You would be out of range of any radio station.
20 square feet of
Opaque plastic
sheeting 5
Can be used to collect rain water and shelter from
the wind and waves.
A can of shark
repellent
10 To repel sharks, of course!
One bottle of 160%
proof rum 11
Contains 80% alcohol, which means it can be used
as an antiseptic for any injuries, otherwise of little
value. Very dangerous if drunk, as it would cause
the body to dehydrate, the opposite of what you
need to survive.
15ft nylon rope 8
Could be used to lash people or equipment together
to prevent being washed overboard. There are a
variety of other uses, but none high on the list for
survival.
2 boxes of chocolate
bars
6 Your reserve food supply
An ocean fishing kit
with pole. 7
Ranked lower than the chocolate as there is no
guarantee you will catch any fish. The pole might be
used as a tent pole.
Lost at Sea 6
Scores
Excellent. You demonstrated great survival skills. Rescued!
Good. Above average results. Good survival skills. Rescued!
Average. Seasick, hungry and tired. Rescued!
Fair. Dehydrated and barely alive. It was tough, but rescued!
Poor. Rescued, but only just in time!
71 + Very poor
Oh dear, your empty raft is washed up on a beach,
weeks after the search was called off.
Copyright
Insight by Grahame Knox is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-
Commercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

4. Problem Solving Definition
The art of finding the ways to get from where you are now to where you want to be.
The ‘Problem’, therefore, is the gap between the present situation and a more desirable one.

5. Why are we here?
Leadership = Effective Problem Solvers and Decision Makers
Leadership is the process of influencing others by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while improving the organization.
Why do we tend to avoid solving problems?
“It’s not a problem that we have a problem. It’s a problem if we don’t deal with the problem.”
Skills
Once you learn it, it can be used repeatedly
Tools
Helps you solve an immediate problem or achieve a goal
Process
It involves taking a number of steps
Good decision-making requires a mixture of skills: creative development and identification of options, clarity of judgement, firmness of decision, and effective implementation.
Having good strong problem solving skills can make a huge difference to your career. 
Problems are at the center of what many people do at work every day. Whether you're solving a problem for a client (internal or external), supporting those who are solving problems, or discovering new problems to solve, the problems you face can be large or small, simple or complex, and easy or difficult. 
A fundamental part of every manager's role is finding ways to solve them. So, being a confident problem solver is really important to your success. Much of that confidence comes from having a good process to use when approaching a problem. With one, you can solve problems quickly and effectively. Without one, your solutions may be ineffective, or you'll get stuck and do nothing, with sometimes painful consequences.
Leadership is the process of influencing others by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization. Purpose gives subordinates a reason why they should do different things, sometimes under stressful circumstances. Direction shows what must be done. Through motivation, leaders give subordinates the will to do everything they are capable of doing to accomplish a mission.
Leadership begins with what the leader must BE, the values and attributes that shape a leader’s character. It may be helpful to think of these as internal qualities: You possess them all the time. They define who you are. They are the same for all leaders, regardless of position, although you refine your understanding of them cohesive conjecture contingencies flexibility improving influencing intuitions non-judgemental objectivity operating PURPOSE As a leader, it is not enough to exemplify the leadership traits and principles and possess an appropriate leadership style, you must also know how to plan, identify and solve problems, make decisions, and supervise.
A supervisor’s time is precious. Coming from a management background, I know how valuable your time (or lack thereof) is.
However, there inevitably will be a problem(s) that arise in the workplace that will need to be dealt with & others that don’t.
It’s natural to have problems. Not everybody is going to like each other, we don’t always have adequate resources, personal issues get in the way, etc.
However, solving problems doesn’t have to be a hard and emotional task. When done correctly and consistently, it can be very rewarding not only to your department, but for yourself as well. It can also reap long-term rewards.

6. How do we typically address problems?
Plagued by indecision
Some decisions are simple/Some decisions are challenging
Waver back and forth between alternatives
May feel paralyzed to make a decision
Tendency to punish the masses
Easier than dealing with individual problems
React vs. Anticipate
Supervisors often solve problems and decisions by reacting to them
Stressed & Short for time
Do what we did before
“Quick Fix”
Get stuck in a circle of solving the same problem over and over again
Before we begin to learn how to solve problems the ‘right’ way, we need to first look at how we have typically solved problems in the past so that we don’t fall into these bad habits.
1.React to problems vs. anticipate problems
Much of what managers and supervisors do is solve problems and make decisions. New managers and supervisors, in particular, often solve problems and decisions by reacting to them. They are "under the gun", stressed and very short for time.
2. Do what we did before
Consequently, when they encounter a new problem or decision they must make, they react with a decision that seemed to work before. It's easy with this approach to get stuck in a circle of solving the same problem over and over again if we truly didn’t solve the problem.
We end up spending more time, energy, and resources which leads to frustration from everyone.
Employees become cynical and stop bothering to try if they think they are always going to get the same result.
Have you ever had a problem that refused to go away? No matter what you did, sooner or later it would return, perhaps in another form.
Stubborn and recurrent problems are often symptoms of deeper issues. A "quick fix" may seem convenient, but it's really just a temporary solution and it may solve only part of the problem.
3. Plagued by indecision
Some of our decisions are simple. Like deciding what to eat for dinner or what shirt to wear. However, some choices are challenging and take careful thought and consideration.
When we are confronted with these types of decisions, it can be very difficult to decide on the best option, and we may be plagued by indecision. We may be forced to choose between two equally good options, or perhaps, we may have to pick between two choices that both have drawbacks. We may waver back and forth between different alternatives and may feel paralyzed to make the decision.
4. Tendency to punish the masses
Easier than dealing with individual problems
For example, if one person is consistently late, then all are punished for their next tardy instead of addressing the problem with the particular person(s)

7. 7 Step Problem Solving &Decision Making Process
Series of steps when you are confronted with a problem
This is one method of many
May not work on all situations, but may help with many of the problems you are confronted with
Important to use one process and remain consistent in how you solve problems.
If you use this program consistently, you will get consistent results, a consistent workplace, a consistent culture, etc.
The key word = consistency
Why do you think consistency is so important?
Need to establish an organized approach to problem solving. Therefore, as a new manager or supervisor, get used to an organized approach to problem solving and decision making. Not all problems can be solved and decisions made by the following, rather rational approach.
This procedure involves a series of steps that you can go through on your own when you are confronted with a decision or problem that needs to be solved. This approach may not work perfectly for all difficulties, but it may help with many of the problems you are confronted with in your life.
There are many problem-solving methods, and this method is just one of them. The problem for most people is that they do not use one process to solve problems and issues or to make decisions. Another problem is that people are not consistent in how they solve problems. They do not find something that works and then do it the same way over and over to be successful.
Not all problems are the same; therefore this approach might not work on all situations.

8. Step 1: Problem Orientation
Often, finding the right problem to solve is the most difficult part of the creative process.
Sample Questions to Ask Yourself:
What would our patients want us to improve or what are they complaining about?
What small problems do we have that could grow into bigger ones?
What slows down our work or makes it difficult?
What are our competitors doing?
How can we improve quality?
What is frustrating and irritating to our team?
Often, finding the right problem to solve is the most difficult part of the creative process.
When problems exist, you have opportunities for change and improvement. This makes problem finding a valuable skill!
Problems may be obvious. If they're not, they can often be identified using trigger questions like the ones below:
What would our customers want us to improve? What are they complaining  about?
What could they be doing better if we could help them?
Who else could we help by using our core competences  ?
What small problems do we have which could grow into bigger ones? And where could failures   arise in our business process?
What slows our work or makes it more difficult? What do we often fail to achieve? Where do we have bottlenecks  ?
How can we improve quality?
What are our competitors doing that we could do?
What is frustrating and irritating to our team?
These questions deal with problems that exist now. It's also useful to try to look into the future. Think about how you expect markets and customers to change over the next few years; the problems you may experience as your organization expands; and social, political and legal changes that may affect it.

9. Step 2: Recognizing & Identifying Problems
Fact Finding:
Easy to miss reading the “real” problem
Get different perspectives
Know what has already been tried
If facing multiple problems, prioritize and deal with them one at a time
Does a problem actually exist?
Is the problem worth solving?
What is my attitude toward solving the problem?
Recognize problem exists with a positive attitude
This step involves recognizing that a problem exists and that solving the difficulty is a worthwhile endeavor. It is important that you approach the decision-making process with a positive attitude and view the situation as an opportunity or challenge. (i.e. customer complaint example – complaints are good – at least they haven’t left).
You should try to approach the situation with confidence and with a willingness to devote some time and effort to finding an appropriate solution to your problem. Remember, you are a competent person, and the problem you are facing can likely be solved with a little hard work.
A lot of us view problems negatively – as one more thing on our plate or our to-do list. We don’t look at the value and benefits that often come from problem solving.
Note: It might be more your nature to view a "problem" as an "opportunity". Therefore, you might substitute "opportunity" for "problem" in the following guidelines.
Tip:
A common difficulty during this stage is negative thinking – you or your team might start using phrases such as "We can't..." or "We don't," or "This costs too much." To overcome this, address objections with the phrase "How might we...?" This shifts the focus to creating a solution.
Fact Finding
The next stage is to research the problem as fully as possible. This is where you:
Understand fully how different people perceive the situation.
Analyze data to see if the problem really exists.
Explore the best ideas that your competitors have had.
Understand customers' needs in more detail.
Know what has already been tried.
Understand fully any processes, components, services, or technologies that you may want to use.
Ensure that the benefits of solving the problem will be worth the effort that you'll put into solving it.
With effective fact-finding, you can confirm your view of the situation, and ensure that all future problem-solving is based on an accurate view of reality.
Find the “real” problem
This is often where people struggle. They react to what they think the problem is. Instead, seek to understand more about why you think there's a problem.
Problems usually are tied to very emotional issues. Egos are usually connected to the problem or the possible solution. Because the emotions are a part of the process, people can miss reading the problem.
It’s very natural to want to protect people and it can become very personalized. We want to make people happy and we want them to like us.
Before you start to tackle the current problem, it is important to clearly understand the difficulty and why you are unhappy with the current situation. This may seem obvious, but it is important that you really think about and gather information about the problem, and make sure that the problem you are trying to solve is the "real" problem. That is, sometimes people find a different problem than the one that is really distressing them, and focus on this one, since it is easier than dealing with the real problem. This step really involves your thinking about the difficulty you are having, understanding the problem, and contemplating why the situation is distressing. Some people think of problems as a discrepancy between what they want and what the current situation is like. It is useful during this stage to think about how the current situation is different from how you would like it to be, and what your goals are for the state of affairs. If you are currently facing many difficult decisions, it may be helpful to prioritize those problems and deal with them one at a time.
2. Prioritize the problems
Sometimes problems are so big you have to break them down into smaller, workable problems and attack each small problem first. By doing this, a problem is not so overwhelming that you don’t know where to start. So if the problem is too “big,” refine it.
If you discover that you are looking at several related problems, then prioritize which ones you should address first.
Note the difference between "important" and "urgent" problems. Often, what we consider to be important problems to consider are really just urgent problems. Important problems deserve more attention. For example, if you're continually answering "urgent" phone calls, then you've probably got a more "important" problem and that's to design a system that screens and prioritizes your phone calls.
Prioritize the problems:
2. Look at potential causes for the problem
It's amazing how much you don't know about what you don't know. Therefore, in this phase, it's critical to get input from other people who notice the problem and who are effected by it.
It's often useful to collect input from other individuals one at a time (at least at first). Otherwise, people tend to be inhibited about offering their impressions of the real causes of problems.
Write down what your opinions and what you've heard from others.
Regarding what you think might be performance problems associated with an employee, it's often useful to seek advice from a peer or your supervisor in order to verify your impression of the problem.
Write down a description of the cause of the problem and in terms of what is happening, where, when, how, with whom and why.
Tip: Avoid negative thinking – “We can’t, We don’t, This costs too much…
Overcome this with “How might we?

10. Step 3: Define the Problem
Put in the time to define the problem
Discuss
Ask Questions
Visualize
Restate the problem in your own words
Explain the problem to someone else
Problem Definition
By the time you reach this stage, you should know roughly what the problem is, and you should have a good understanding of the facts relating to it.
From here you need to identify the exact problem or problems that you want to solve.
It's important to solve a problem at the right level. If you ask questions that are too broad, then you'll never have enough resources to answer them effectively. If you ask questions that are too narrow, you may end up fixing the symptoms of a problem, rather than the problem itself.
Min Basadur, who created the Simplex process, suggests saying "Why?" to broaden a question, and "What's stopping you?" to narrow a question.
For example, if your problem is one of trees dying, ask "Why do I want to keep trees healthy?" This might broaden the question to "How can I maintain the quality of our environment?"
A "What's stopping you?" question here could give the answer "I don't know how to control the disease that is killing the tree."
Big problems are normally made up of many smaller ones.
Write the problem down along with a goal statement
Often people keep the problem in their head as a vague idea and can so often get lost in what they are trying to solve that no solution seems to fit. Merely writing down the problem forces you to think about what you are actually trying to solve and how much you want to achieve it. The first part of the process not only involves writing down the problem to solve, but also checking that you are answering the right problem. It is a check-step to ensure that you do not answer a side issue or only solve the part of the problem that is most easy to solve. People often use the most immediate solution to the first problem definition that they find without spending time checking the problem is the right one to answer.
Once the individual has identified the problem, they should write it down in a clear and concise statement. They should also be able to write a goal statement that focuses on what is the successful end of the process. Making a goal statement also helps to see the gap between the problem and the goal. This whole process is about closing or fixing the gap between the problem and the goal.
Examples: Unhappy Customer…Happy Customer Gap=How to improve customer service

11. Questions to ask yourself when Defining the Problem
Ask yourself and others, the following questions:
What can you see that causes you to think there's a problem?
Where is it happening?
How is it happening?
When is it happening?
With whom is it happening?
Why is it happening?
What will happen in the team doesn’t address this problem?
See – no judgments, no assumptions, no hearsay
Where – certain place, front end, back end
How – computer glitch, human error, employee neglect
When – time of day, before a process, after a process
Whom – one employee, two employees, new employees, remote employees
Why – lack of knowledge, lack of motivation, lack of resources

12. 5 Whys – Defining Technique
Tool that helps users get to the root of the problem quickly
Best suited for simple to moderately-difficult problems
Look at any problem and ask: “Why” and “What” caused this problem?”
The answer to the first ‘why’ often prompts another “why” and so on
When looking at the problem, start at the end result and work backwards toward the root cause
Sakichi Toyoda, one of the fathers of the Japanese industrial revolution, developed the technique in the 1930s. He was an industrialist, inventor and founder of Toyota Industries. His technique became popular in the 1970s and Toyota still uses it to solve problems today.
Toyota has a "go and see" philosophy. This means that its decision making is based upon an in-depth understanding of the processes and conditions on the shop floor, rather than reflecting what someone in a boardroom thinks might be happening.
The 5 Whys technique is true to this tradition, and it is most effective when the answers come from people who have hands-on experience of the process being examined. It is remarkably simple: when a problem occurs, you uncover its nature and source by asking "why" no fewer than five times. Here it is in action:
Problem: Your client is refusing to pay for the leaflets you printed for them.
Why? The delivery was late, so the leaflets couldn't be used.
Why? The job took longer than we anticipated.
Why? We ran out of printer ink.
Why? The ink was all used up on a big, last-minute order.
Why? We didn't have enough in stock, and we couldn't order it in quickly enough.
Counter-measure: We need to find a supplier who can deliver ink at very short notice so that we can continue to minimize inventory, reduce waste, and respond to customer demand, in line with our Just in Time   approach.
When to Use the Tool
You can use the 5 Whys in troubleshooting, quality improvement and problem solving, but it is best for simple or moderately difficult problems.
For more complex or critical problems, it can lead you to pursue a single track of enquiry when there could be multiple causes. Here, a wider-ranging method such as Cause and Effect Analysis   may be more effective.
This simple technique, however, can often quickly direct you to the root of the problem. So, whenever a system or process isn't working properly, give it a try before you embark on a more in-depth approach.
The simplicity of this tool gives it great flexibility, too, and it combines well with other methods and techniques. It is often associated with lean manufacturing   (also part of the Toyota Production System), where it is used to identify and eliminate wasteful practices. It is also used in the analysis phase of the Six Sigma   quality improvement methodology.
How to Use the Tool
The 5 Whys is a simple, practical tool that is very easy to use. When a problem arises, simply keep asking the question "why" until you reach the underlying source of the problem, and until a robust counter-measure becomes apparent.
Note:
The 5 Whys uses "counter-measures," rather than solutions. A counter-measure is an action or set of actions that seeks to prevent the problem arising again, while a solution just seeks to deal with the situation. As such, counter-measures are more robust, and are more likely to prevent the problem from recurring.
Each time you ask "why," look for an answer that is grounded in fact: it must be an account of things that have actually happened – not events that might have happened. This prevents the 5 Whys becoming just a process of deductive reasoning, which can generate a number of possible causes and, sometimes, create more confusion.
Keep asking "why" until you feel confident that you have identified the root cause and can go no further. At this point, an appropriate counter-measure should become evident. If you're not sure whether you have uncovered the real root cause, consider using a more in-depth problem-solving technique like Root Cause Analysis  .
Key Points
The 5 Whys strategy is an easy to use, effective tool for uncovering the root of a problem. You can use it in troubleshooting, problem solving and quality improvement initiatives.
Start with a problem and ask "why" it is occurring. Make sure that your answer is grounded in fact, then ask "why" again. Continue the process until you reach the root cause of the problem, and you can identify a counter-measure that prevents it recurring.
Bear in mind that this questioning process is best suited to simple to moderately-difficult problems. Complex problems may benefit from a more detailed approach (although using 5 Whys will still give you useful insights.)
5 Whys
The 5 Whys is a simple problem-solving technique that helps users to get to the root of the problem quickly. Made popular in the 1970s by the Toyota Production System, the 5 Whys strategy involves looking at any problem and asking: "Why?" and "What caused this problem?"
Very often, the answer to the first "why" will prompt another "why" and the answer to the second "why" will prompt another and so on; hence the name the 5 Whys strategy.
How to use the tool:
When looking to solve a problem, start at the end result and work backward (toward the root cause), continually asking: "Why?" This will need to be repeated over and over until the root cause of the problem becomes apparent.
Bear in mind, however, that if it doesn't prompt an intuitive answer, other problem-solving techniques may need to be applied.
Example:
Why does our department have a high turnover rate? Because our employees are unhappy/dissatisfied.
Why are our employees unhappy/dissatisfied? Because they don’t get enough support from their management and are under a lot of stress.
Why don’t they get enough support from management? Because management has too many tasks to complete and cannot spend enough time coaching employees.
Why does management have too many tasks to complete? Because they don’t use proper delegation techniques to eliminate routine work that others can help with.
Why don’t they use proper delegation techniques? Because they don’t know how to delegate and they need training. Management needs to research possible training sessions as soon as possible.
A counter-measure is an action or set of actions that seeks to prevent the problem arising again, while a solution just seeks to deal with the situation.

13. 5 Whys – Defining Technique
Problem: Your client is refusing to pay for the brochures you printed for them.
Why? The delivery was late, so the brochures couldn't be used.
Why? The job took longer than we anticipated.
Why? We ran out of printer ink.
Why? The ink was all used up on a big, last-minute order.
Why? We didn't have enough in stock, and we couldn't order it in quickly enough.
Counter-measure: We need to find a supplier who can deliver ink at very short notice so that we can continue to minimize inventory, reduce waste, and respond to customer demand.
Sakichi Toyoda, one of the fathers of the Japanese industrial revolution, developed the technique in the 1930s. He was an industrialist, inventor and founder of Toyota Industries. His technique became popular in the 1970s and Toyota still uses it to solve problems today.
Toyota has a "go and see" philosophy. This means that its decision making is based upon an in-depth understanding of the processes and conditions on the shop floor, rather than reflecting what someone in a boardroom thinks might be happening.
The 5 Whys technique is true to this tradition, and it is most effective when the answers come from people who have hands-on experience of the process being examined. It is remarkably simple: when a problem occurs, you uncover its nature and source by asking "why" no fewer than five times. Here it is in action:
Problem: Your client is refusing to pay for the leaflets you printed for them.
Why? The delivery was late, so the leaflets couldn't be used.
Why? The job took longer than we anticipated.
Why? We ran out of printer ink.
Why? The ink was all used up on a big, last-minute order.
Why? We didn't have enough in stock, and we couldn't order it in quickly enough.
Counter-measure: We need to find a supplier who can deliver ink at very short notice so that we can continue to minimize inventory, reduce waste, and respond to customer demand, in line with our Just in Time   approach.
When to Use the Tool
You can use the 5 Whys in troubleshooting, quality improvement and problem solving, but it is best for simple or moderately difficult problems.
For more complex or critical problems, it can lead you to pursue a single track of enquiry when there could be multiple causes. Here, a wider-ranging method such as Cause and Effect Analysis   may be more effective.
This simple technique, however, can often quickly direct you to the root of the problem. So, whenever a system or process isn't working properly, give it a try before you embark on a more in-depth approach.
The simplicity of this tool gives it great flexibility, too, and it combines well with other methods and techniques. It is often associated with lean manufacturing   (also part of the Toyota Production System), where it is used to identify and eliminate wasteful practices. It is also used in the analysis phase of the Six Sigma   quality improvement methodology.
How to Use the Tool
The 5 Whys is a simple, practical tool that is very easy to use. When a problem arises, simply keep asking the question "why" until you reach the underlying source of the problem, and until a robust counter-measure becomes apparent.
Note:
The 5 Whys uses "counter-measures," rather than solutions. A counter-measure is an action or set of actions that seeks to prevent the problem arising again, while a solution just seeks to deal with the situation. As such, counter-measures are more robust, and are more likely to prevent the problem from recurring.
Each time you ask "why," look for an answer that is grounded in fact: it must be an account of things that have actually happened – not events that might have happened. This prevents the 5 Whys becoming just a process of deductive reasoning, which can generate a number of possible causes and, sometimes, create more confusion.
Keep asking "why" until you feel confident that you have identified the root cause and can go no further. At this point, an appropriate counter-measure should become evident. If you're not sure whether you have uncovered the real root cause, consider using a more in-depth problem-solving technique like Root Cause Analysis  .
Key Points
The 5 Whys strategy is an easy to use, effective tool for uncovering the root of a problem. You can use it in troubleshooting, problem solving and quality improvement initiatives.
Start with a problem and ask "why" it is occurring. Make sure that your answer is grounded in fact, then ask "why" again. Continue the process until you reach the root cause of the problem, and you can identify a counter-measure that prevents it recurring.
Bear in mind that this questioning process is best suited to simple to moderately-difficult problems. Complex problems may benefit from a more detailed approach (although using 5 Whys will still give you useful insights.)
5 Whys
The 5 Whys is a simple problem-solving technique that helps users to get to the root of the problem quickly. Made popular in the 1970s by the Toyota Production System, the 5 Whys strategy involves looking at any problem and asking: "Why?" and "What caused this problem?"
Very often, the answer to the first "why" will prompt another "why" and the answer to the second "why" will prompt another and so on; hence the name the 5 Whys strategy.
How to use the tool:
When looking to solve a problem, start at the end result and work backward (toward the root cause), continually asking: "Why?" This will need to be repeated over and over until the root cause of the problem becomes apparent.
Bear in mind, however, that if it doesn't prompt an intuitive answer, other problem-solving techniques may need to be applied.
Example:
Why does our department have a high turnover rate? Because our employees are unhappy/dissatisfied.
Why are our employees unhappy/dissatisfied? Because they don’t get enough support from their management and are under a lot of stress.
Why don’t they get enough support from management? Because management has too many tasks to complete and cannot spend enough time coaching employees.
Why does management have too many tasks to complete? Because they don’t use proper delegation techniques to eliminate routine work that others can help with.
Why don’t they use proper delegation techniques? Because they don’t know how to delegate and they need training. Management needs to research possible training sessions as soon as possible.

14. 5 Whys – High Turnover Rate
Why does our department have a high turnover rate? Because our employees are unhappy/dissatisfied.
Why are our employees unhappy/dissatisfied? Because they don’t get enough support from their management and are under a lot of stress.
Why don’t they get enough support from management? Because management has too many tasks to complete and cannot spend enough time coaching employees.
Why does management have too many tasks to complete? Because they don’t use proper delegation techniques to eliminate routine work that others can help with.
Why don’t they use proper delegation techniques? Because they don’t know how to delegate and they need training.
Counter – Measure: Management needs to research possible training sessions as soon as possible.
Sakichi Toyoda, one of the fathers of the Japanese industrial revolution, developed the technique in the 1930s. He was an industrialist, inventor and founder of Toyota Industries. His technique became popular in the 1970s and Toyota still uses it to solve problems today.
Toyota has a "go and see" philosophy. This means that its decision making is based upon an in-depth understanding of the processes and conditions on the shop floor, rather than reflecting what someone in a boardroom thinks might be happening.
The 5 Whys technique is true to this tradition, and it is most effective when the answers come from people who have hands-on experience of the process being examined. It is remarkably simple: when a problem occurs, you uncover its nature and source by asking "why" no fewer than five times. Here it is in action:
Problem: Your client is refusing to pay for the leaflets you printed for them.
Why? The delivery was late, so the leaflets couldn't be used.
Why? The job took longer than we anticipated.
Why? We ran out of printer ink.
Why? The ink was all used up on a big, last-minute order.
Why? We didn't have enough in stock, and we couldn't order it in quickly enough.
Counter-measure: We need to find a supplier who can deliver ink at very short notice so that we can continue to minimize inventory, reduce waste, and respond to customer demand, in line with our Just in Time   approach.
When to Use the Tool
You can use the 5 Whys in troubleshooting, quality improvement and problem solving, but it is best for simple or moderately difficult problems.
For more complex or critical problems, it can lead you to pursue a single track of enquiry when there could be multiple causes. Here, a wider-ranging method such as Cause and Effect Analysis   may be more effective.
This simple technique, however, can often quickly direct you to the root of the problem. So, whenever a system or process isn't working properly, give it a try before you embark on a more in-depth approach.
The simplicity of this tool gives it great flexibility, too, and it combines well with other methods and techniques. It is often associated with lean manufacturing   (also part of the Toyota Production System), where it is used to identify and eliminate wasteful practices. It is also used in the analysis phase of the Six Sigma   quality improvement methodology.
How to Use the Tool
The 5 Whys is a simple, practical tool that is very easy to use. When a problem arises, simply keep asking the question "why" until you reach the underlying source of the problem, and until a robust counter-measure becomes apparent.
Note:
The 5 Whys uses "counter-measures," rather than solutions. A counter-measure is an action or set of actions that seeks to prevent the problem arising again, while a solution just seeks to deal with the situation. As such, counter-measures are more robust, and are more likely to prevent the problem from recurring.
Each time you ask "why," look for an answer that is grounded in fact: it must be an account of things that have actually happened – not events that might have happened. This prevents the 5 Whys becoming just a process of deductive reasoning, which can generate a number of possible causes and, sometimes, create more confusion.
Keep asking "why" until you feel confident that you have identified the root cause and can go no further. At this point, an appropriate counter-measure should become evident. If you're not sure whether you have uncovered the real root cause, consider using a more in-depth problem-solving technique like Root Cause Analysis  .
Key Points
The 5 Whys strategy is an easy to use, effective tool for uncovering the root of a problem. You can use it in troubleshooting, problem solving and quality improvement initiatives.
Start with a problem and ask "why" it is occurring. Make sure that your answer is grounded in fact, then ask "why" again. Continue the process until you reach the root cause of the problem, and you can identify a counter-measure that prevents it recurring.
Bear in mind that this questioning process is best suited to simple to moderately-difficult problems. Complex problems may benefit from a more detailed approach (although using 5 Whys will still give you useful insights.)
5 Whys
The 5 Whys is a simple problem-solving technique that helps users to get to the root of the problem quickly. Made popular in the 1970s by the Toyota Production System, the 5 Whys strategy involves looking at any problem and asking: "Why?" and "What caused this problem?"
Very often, the answer to the first "why" will prompt another "why" and the answer to the second "why" will prompt another and so on; hence the name the 5 Whys strategy.
How to use the tool:
When looking to solve a problem, start at the end result and work backward (toward the root cause), continually asking: "Why?" This will need to be repeated over and over until the root cause of the problem becomes apparent.
Bear in mind, however, that if it doesn't prompt an intuitive answer, other problem-solving techniques may need to be applied.
Example:
Why does our department have a high turnover rate? Because our employees are unhappy/dissatisfied.
Why are our employees unhappy/dissatisfied? Because they don’t get enough support from their management and are under a lot of stress.
Why don’t they get enough support from management? Because management has too many tasks to complete and cannot spend enough time coaching employees.
Why does management have too many tasks to complete? Because they don’t use proper delegation techniques to eliminate routine work that others can help with.
Why don’t they use proper delegation techniques? Because they don’t know how to delegate and they need training. Management needs to research possible training sessions as soon as possible.

15. Appreciation – Defining Technique
Fact: We are way behind with our workload
So What? Evaluations won’t be done by the deadline
So What? Our employees will be upset
So What? Upset employees leads to lowered morale, higher turnover, decreased customer satisfaction, and workplace conflict
So What? Where possible, use delegation techniques to help with the workload and make evaluations your number one priority otherwise explain to your employees the reason for the delay and what they can be expecting.
Tool for extracting the maximum amount of information from a simple fact
Start with a fact, ask the question ‘So what?’
So what = implications of that fact
Keep on asking the question until you have drawn all possible inferences
Appreciation Example
You've just found out that your department's budget is going to be cut by 25 percent next year.
This is a huge cut, and you want to make sure that you've uncovered all the implications before you start to brainstorm possible solutions.
So, you use the Appreciation Process, as follows:
Statement: Our department's budget is going to be cut 25 percent starting January 1.
So what?
So the only way to accommodate that cut is to reduce our spending dramatically.
So we're probably going to have to cut staff, and we'll definitely have to cut spending on supplies, research, and staff parties.
So staff morale is probably going to drop, especially if I have to lay off members of our team.
So I'll need to come up with plenty of low-cost ways to boost morale without spending money.
So I'll need to start thinking about this tomorrow, since the new budget will go into effect in two months, and I want to be able to manage the consequences when I let the team know.
Key Points
Appreciation was originally developed by the military to give leaders a better understanding of a fact, statement or problem that they were faced with.
You use Appreciation by asking "So what?" repeatedly. This helps you to extract all important information implied by a fact.
Consider using other problem solving techniques with Appreciation, to make sure that you're not limited to one line of thinking.
Appreciation
A very simple but powerful technique for extracting the maximum amount of information from a simple fact.
How to Use the Tool:
Starting with a fact, ask the question 'So what?' i.e. what are the implications of that fact? Keep on asking that question until you have drawn all possible inferences.
Asking 'so what?' repeatedly helps you to extract all important information implied by a fact.
Example:
Fact: We are way behind with our workload
So What?
Evaluations won’t be done by the deadline
Our employees will be upset
Upset employees leads to lowered morale, higher turnover, decreased customer satisfaction, and workplace conflict
Where possible, use delegation techniques to help with the workload and make evaluations your number one priority otherwise explain to your employees the reason for the delay and what they can be expecting.

16. Appreciation – Our department's budget is going to be cut 25 percent starting January 1.
So what? So the only way to accommodate that cut is to reduce our spending dramatically.
So what? So we're probably going to have to cut staff, and we'll definitely have to cut spending on supplies, research, and staff parties.
So what? So staff morale is probably going to drop, especially if I have to lay off members of our team.
So what? So I'll need to come up with plenty of low-cost ways to boost morale without spending money.
So what? So I'll need to start thinking about this today, since the new budget will go into effect in two months, and I want to be able to manage the consequences when I let the team know.
Appreciation Example
You've just found out that your department's budget is going to be cut by 25 percent next year.
This is a huge cut, and you want to make sure that you've uncovered all the implications before you start to brainstorm possible solutions.
So, you use the Appreciation Process, as follows:
Statement: Our department's budget is going to be cut 25 percent starting January 1.
So what?
So the only way to accommodate that cut is to reduce our spending dramatically.
So we're probably going to have to cut staff, and we'll definitely have to cut spending on supplies, research, and staff parties.
So staff morale is probably going to drop, especially if I have to lay off members of our team.
So I'll need to come up with plenty of low-cost ways to boost morale without spending money.
So I'll need to start thinking about this tomorrow, since the new budget will go into effect in two months, and I want to be able to manage the consequences when I let the team know.
Key Points
Appreciation was originally developed by the military to give leaders a better understanding of a fact, statement or problem that they were faced with.
You use Appreciation by asking "So what?" repeatedly. This helps you to extract all important information implied by a fact.
Consider using other problem solving techniques with Appreciation, to make sure that you're not limited to one line of thinking.
Appreciation
A very simple but powerful technique for extracting the maximum amount of information from a simple fact.
How to Use the Tool:
Starting with a fact, ask the question 'So what?' i.e. what are the implications of that fact? Keep on asking that question until you have drawn all possible inferences.
Asking 'so what?' repeatedly helps you to extract all important information implied by a fact.
Example:
Fact: We are way behind with our workload
So What?
Evaluations won’t be done by the deadline
Our employees will be upset
Upset employees leads to lowered morale, higher turnover, decreased customer satisfaction, and workplace conflict
Where possible, use delegation techniques to help with the workload and make evaluations your number one priority otherwise explain to your employees the reason for the delay and what they can be expecting.

17. Step 4: Generate Solutions
Analyze the Problem
What is the history of the problem?
How serious is the problem?
What are the cause and effects of the problem?
How much freedom does the group have in gathering information?
What obstacles are prevalent?
Think about or brainstorm possible options and solutions
.Identify alternatives for approaches to resolve the problem
At this point, it's useful to keep others involved (unless you're facing a personal and/or employee performance problem). Brainstorm for solutions to the problem. Very simply put, brainstorming is collecting as many ideas as possible, then screening them to find the best idea. It's critical when collecting the ideas to not pass any judgment on the ideas -- just write them down as you hear them. (A wonderful set of skills used to identify the underlying cause of issues is Systems Thinking.)
You need to analyze a situation fully before you can move on to look at factors that contributed to the problem. To maximize the effectiveness of your RCA, get together everyone – experts and front line staff – who understands the situation. People who are most familiar with the problem can help lead you to a better understanding of the issues.
Analyzing
Now the problem is defined, analyze it to see what the real bottom-line root cause is. Often people get caught up in symptoms or effects of a problem, or issue and never get down to the real cause. They get mad at someone’s attitude, anger, or actions, which are not the cause of the problem. The key here is to focus everyone’s efforts on analyzing the problem for the real cause. Once the cause is found, plans can be made to fix it.
The next step in the process is often to check where we are, what the current situation is and what is involved in making it a problem. For example, what are the benefits of the current product/service/process? And why did we decide to make it like that? Understanding where the problem is coming from, how it fits in with current developments and what the current environment is, is crucial when working out whether a solution will actually work or not. Similarly you must have a set of criteria by which to evaluate any new solutions or you will not know whether the idea is workable or not. This section of the problem solving process ensures that time is spent in stepping back and assessing the current situation and what actually needs to be changed.
Can we solve it?
At this point, the decision is made to move forward or let the problem go.
A solution may be required based upon imperfect knowledge.

18. Step 4: Generate Possible Solutions
Brainstorming:
Generate many solutions and do NOT evaluate them
NO judgments
Get others involved
Write all ideas down as you hear them
Ask yourself:
Am I willing to consider views differing from my own?
Am I encouraging input from subordinates?
Brainstorming/No judgments and involve others
At this stage you should concentrate on generating many solutions and should not evaluate them at all. Very often an idea, which would have been discarded immediately, when evaluated properly, can be developed into a superb solution. At this stage, you should not pre-judge any potential solutions but should treat each idea as a new idea in its own right and worthy of consideration.
At this point, it's useful to keep others involved (unless you're facing a personal and/or employee performance problem). Brainstorm for solutions to the problem. Very simply put, brainstorming is collecting as many ideas as possible, and then screening them to find the best idea. It's critical when collecting the ideas to not pass any judgment on the ideas -- just write them down as you hear them.
During this stage, you should ask yourself, "What have I done in this situation in the past, and how well has that worked?" If you find that what you have done in the past has not been as effective as you would like, it would be useful to generate some other solutions that may work better.

19. Involve your subordinates!
Step 5: Decision Making
Which approach is the most likely to solve the problem for the long term?
Which approach is the most realistic to accomplish for now?
Do you have the resources?
Are they affordable?
Do you have enough time to implement the approach?
What is the extent of risk associated with each alternative?
This section of the problem solving process is where you investigate the various factors about each of the potential solutions. You note down the good and bad points and other things which are relevant to each solution. Even at this stage you are not evaluating the solution because if you do so then you could decide not to write down the valid good points about it because overall you think it will not work. However you might discover that by writing down its advantages that it has a totally unique advantage. Only by discovering this might you choose to put the effort in to develop the idea so that it will work.
It is important that you examine each of the options, and think about how realistic each is, how likely you would be to implement that solution, and the potential drawbacks of each. For example, if your solution costs a great deal of money or requires many hours of effort each day, this may be too difficult to implement. You should also consider the likelihood that each option has in terms of your being able to achieve the goals that you want regarding the solution. As you start to narrow down your choices, remember, no problem solution is perfect and all will have drawbacks, but you can always revise the solution if it does not work the way you want it to work.
Select an approach to resolve the problem
When selecting the best approach, consider:
Which approach is the most likely to solve the problem for the long term?
Which approach is the most realistic to accomplish for now? Do you have the resources? Are they affordable? Do you have enough time to implement the approach?
What is the extent of risk associated with each alternative?
(The nature of this step, in particular, in the problem solving process is why problem solving and decision making are highly integrated.)
Long-term – avoid the quick fixes. ‘Oh, I’ll worry about that later.’
Now – can we wait 6 months for a better budget or is this urgent?
Resources – will this create another problem down the line
Affordable – reasonable, will this create hardship
Time – it’s valuable
Risk – lose employees, reputation, create hardship…
Involve your subordinates!

20. Step 6: Create & Implement a Smart Action Plan
Plan the implementation & write down the process – How are you going to make this happen?
What will the situation look like when the problem is solved?
Who is the leader of the implementation of the plan?
What steps need to be taken?
What resources will be needed?
How much time is needed?
Communicate the plan!
5. Plan the implementation of the best alternative (this is your action plan)
Carefully consider "What will the situation look like when the problem is solved?"
What steps should be taken to implement the best alternative to solving the problem? What systems or processes should be changed in your organization, for example, a new policy or procedure? Don't resort to solutions where someone is "just going to try harder".
How will you know if the steps are being followed or not? (these are your indicators of the success of your plan)
What resources will you need in terms of people, money and facilities?
How much time will you need to implement the solution? Write a schedule that includes the start and stop times, and when you expect to see certain indicators of success.
Who will primarily be responsible for ensuring implementation of the plan?
Write down the answers to the above questions and consider this as your action plan.
Communicate the plan to those who will involved in implementing it and, at least, to your immediate supervisor.
Analyze and Compare Courses of Action The next step is to determine which course of action will best solve the problem. Therefore, leaders should develop as many advantages and disadvantages for each course of action as possible. Then, they must objectively and logically analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each one against the advantages and disadvantages of the others. It is another fallacy to think that the course of action with the most advantages or the fewest disadvantages is the one that you should recommend or use. In most cases that may be true, but by weighing the importance of each advantage and disadvantage, there may be times when the “best” course of action has fewer advantages (all critical to mission accomplishment) and one or more disadvantages than another choice (but most are insignificant). Up to this point in the problem-solving, decision-making process, leaders should have involved subordinates to research the problem, gather information, and develop and analyze the various courses of action. Subordinates are more likely to support a plan or decision if they took part in its development. This technique will pay off in terms of increased interest, higher morale, and better efficiency by team members.
Write down what you are going to do
This section of the process is where you write down what you are going to do next. Now that you have a potential solution or solutions you need to decide how you will make the solution happen. This will involve people doing various things at various times in the future and then confirming that they have been carried out as planned. This stage ensures that the valuable thinking that has gone into solving the problem becomes reality. This series of Next Steps is the logical step to physically solving the problem.
Once you have examined all your options and decided on one that seems to accomplish your goals and minimizes the costs, it is time to test it out. Make sure that when you implement this solution, you do so whole-heartedly and give it your best effort.
Plan the implementation/Action plan
Communicate the plan to those who will be involved in implementing it and, at least, to your immediate supervisor.
How to Set SMART Goals
Step 1: Make it Specific
The more specific you are with your goal, the easier it will be to achieve rather than trying to focus on a general goal.  Make your goal focused and defined to ensure a greater chance of accomplishment.
To help you be specific with your goals, answer the questions of: who, what, when, where, which, and why.  These answers are going to help you formulate the steps you need to achieve in your SMART plan to reach your goals.  Ask specific questions, such as: “What is it that I want to accomplish?”  “Who is involved?”  “Why am I setting this goal for myself?” and “Are there any other requirements or restraints that are going to keep me from reaching my goal?”
Step 2:  Make it Measurable
To ensure that your goal is measurable, you will need to have certain criteria that will help you measure your goal and the progress of your goal.
Set a timeline for your goal of when you want it to be accomplished, and certain mid-goal criteria to prevent you from falling behind on your goal.
Having a daily reminder to help you stay on track is a good way to measure the progress of your goal.  You can keep your reminder in a journal, on a whiteboard, or by using your smart phone to track your SMART goal’s development.
Step 3:  Make it Attainable
Make sure that your SMART action plan incorporates attainable goals.  Everyone has a certain schedule, workload, and information that they can use to help them attain their goal.  With the information that you have, can you obtain the goal of your action plan as your desire?  If you are coming across too many roadblocks that make your goal unattainable, try setting a different goal or re-constructing your goal to make it more achievable for you at this time.
To gauge if your goal is attainable in the preset, ask yourself questions such as: “Can I take on the commitments to reach this goal?” “Am I willing to tweak certain areas of my life to achieve the goal?” and “Is there a more achievable goal that I would rather work towards?”
Step 4:  Make Your Goal Relevant
If your goal is based on someone else’s wishes or desires, then it is not going to be one that is going to benefit you realistically in the present.
Make your goal relevant to the reality that you wish to currently achieve in your life.
Make sure that your goal is realistic.  For instance, if you are not a swimmer and you hate water, then your goal should not be to: “Swim 500 meters in the next two weeks.”  Set a goal that you have an actual chance of achieving.
Step 5:  Make it Time-Based
A smart goal should have a deadline.  A goal is not a goal if it is not time-bound.  A goal should have a set deadline.  This will help the goal seem more serious and it will motivate you to work harder, faster, and stronger to accomplish it.  If you goal seems flighty and there is no timeline attached to it, then you run the risk of getting sidetracked and putting your goal on the back burner for later.
When it comes to your time-based goal, you should develop a sense of urgency to help you achieve it better.  Of course you do not want to allow your goal to stress you out or overwhelm you.  However, you should carry a sense of motivation and motion to achieve your goal.
To help give your SMART action plan goal a time frame and schedule, you can ask yourself these questions:  “What can I do right now to help me reach my goal?”  “Where should I be with my goal in 3 weeks?”  “What are some things I can do next month to help me reach my goal?”

21. Step 7: Reviewing Progress
Evaluation is often a neglected step in the decision making process. Continually seek feedback.
Examine the chosen solution –
Follow-thru
Is it “solving” the problem?
Monitor the indicators of success
Are you seeing what you expected?
If it is not solving the problem
Try revising it
Try a different solution
Remember – it may take several
solutions before something really
works
During this stage, you should continue to examine the chosen solution and the degree to which it is "solving" your problem. If you find that the solution is too hard to implement or it is just not working, revise it or try something else. Trying to solve these problems is never an easy task, and it may take several solutions before something works. But, don't give up hope, because with persistence and your best effort, many difficult decisions and problems can be made better!
Monitor the indicators of success:
Are you seeing what you would expect from the indicators?
Will the plan be done according to schedule?
If the plan is not being followed as expected, then consider: Was the plan realistic? Are there sufficient resources to accomplish the plan on schedule? Should more priority be placed on various aspects of the plan? Should the plan be changed?
This is often the part we often fall through on. We spend so much time development and not on FOLLOW-THRU.
When changes occur – be patient and objective! Patience is an ingredient that all leaders must possess.

22. Homework
Assignment: Go back to your workplace and think about possible pending or current problems. Use the 7 step program on one problem using various techniques you learned today in class. Write everything down in a report (located in handouts) starting from step 1 all the way to step 7. Bring your report to your next training session.

23. The DOG