1. TM 720: Statistical Process Control
IENG Lecture 03
Ideation:
Brain Storming, Fishbone Diagrams, Affinity Diagrams & Multi-Voting
11/30/2018
IENG 451 Operational Strategies
(c) D.H. Jensen & R.C. Wurl

2. IENG 451 Operational Strategies
Ideation Overview
This is the process of generating and selecting ideas. We need this for:
Identifying potential quality and lean process projects
Identifying potential Assignable Causes
Identifying potential solutions to 1 & 2 (above)
ANYTIME we need to find a starting direction for the team
Among the MANY ways, four will be discussed:
Brainstorming
Fishbone Diagrams (review)
Affinity Diagrams
Multi-Voting
11/30/2018
IENG 451 Operational Strategies

3. IENG 451 Operational Strategies
Brainstorming
Purpose is to collect a wide range of ideas:
Quickly produces many ideas
Allows ALL team members to contribute ideas for consideration
Identifying disparate ideas helps increase the quantity of ideas:
STIMULATION of other’s ideas
SYNTHESIS of new ideas
11/30/2018
IENG 451 Operational Strategies

4. IENG 451 Operational Strategies
Brainstorming
Process for Brainstorming:
Review the problem statement
Clarify the goal(s) and review information:
relevant data
hard constraints
Silent INDIVIDUAL idea time
Gather & display ideas
Add STIMULATION / SYNTHESIS ideas vocally
Consolidate ideas
11/30/2018
IENG 451 Operational Strategies

5. IENG 451 Operational Strategies
Brainstorming
There are NO Rules for Brainstorming:
NO criticism of ideas
NO judgements as ideas are offered
NO domination of vocal idea collection
NO paraphrasing of anyone’s ideas when documenting
11/30/2018
IENG 451 Operational Strategies

6. IENG 451 Operational Strategies
Brainstorming
Goals for Brainstorming:
Go for QUANTITY of ideas
Allow individuals to completely state their ideas (no interruptions)
Be brief when stating ideas (don’t overdo it)
Building on ideas is good (SYNTHESIS)
Organize only afterward
Keep notes/cards for affinity diagrams after documenting
11/30/2018
IENG 451 Operational Strategies

7. ENGM 720: Statistical Process Control
Fishbone Diagram
Fishbone (Cause & Effect) diagram constructed by brainstorming
Identified problem at the “head”
Connects potential causes along the spine
Sub-causes are listed along the major “bones”
Man
Material
Method
Machine
Environment
11/30/2018
ENGM 720: Statistical Process Control

8. ENGM 720: Statistical Process Control
Fishbone Diagram, Cont.
The purpose of the fishbone diagram is to obtain as many potential influencers of a process, so that the breadth and potential interactions in a problem can be identified.
Man
Method
Skill Level
Low RPM
Attention Level
Travel Limits
Bad Paint
Dusty
Environment
Poor Conductor
Temperature
Humidity
Poor Mixing
Orifice Clogs
Poor Vendor
Worn Parts
Machine
Material
11/30/2018
ENGM 720: Statistical Process Control

9. IENG 451 Operational Strategies
Affinity Diagrams
Purpose is to organize items:
Ideas
Facts
Opinions
Organizing helps to focus thinking:
Similarities among items
Central themes among the team members
11/30/2018
IENG 451 Operational Strategies

10. IENG 451 Operational Strategies
Affinity Diagrams
Process for Diagraming:
Gather ideas from brainstorming / fishbones
Write on notes / cards if starting fresh
Post idea notes / cards randomly on surface of board or table:
Silently begin INDIVIDUAL grouping time
Create copies if disagreeing about placement
Create Headers for each grouping after clustering
For each group, have participants interpret and label
Can do a second round for further consolidation
Complete diagram and discuss results
11/30/2018
IENG 451 Operational Strategies

11. IENG 451 Operational Strategies
Multi-Voting
Purpose is to narrow efforts to the few, or consolidate on the key items:
Best Ideas
Most Relevant Facts
Best Solutions
Consolidation helps to move team forward:
Sometimes the team is already at consensus, but just doesn’t realize it
Sometimes the team needs to move toward consensus
11/30/2018
IENG 451 Operational Strategies

12. IENG 451 Operational Strategies
Multi-Voting
Process for Multi-Voting:
Enumerate / Identify every idea / option
Write on notes / cards if starting fresh
Display all options for all participants to see
Decide how many votes each individual will have
Rule of Thumb: 1/3 of the total number of items
Cast votes
Count votes
Identify top vote getters,
Eliminate no / low vote getters
Can do a second round for further consolidation
11/30/2018
IENG 451 Operational Strategies

13. TM 720: Statistical Process Control
Questions & Issues
There WILL be a lab tomorrow!
11/30/2018
IENG 451 Operational Strategies
(c) D.H. Jensen & R.C. Wurl