1. www.stangerweb.de Problem Description Training and Explanation 1

2. www.stangerweb.de Purpose of EasyTools There are lots of Quality tools around that can help improving many situations of the daily quality life. The problem with many tools is that you need training and experience to use them effectively. EasyTools is a collection of easy to use and mostly self explaining tools that everybody can use. No need for weeks of training or years of experience. 2

3. www.stangerweb.de Problem Description – ask questions “We have a welding problem in our production” might be a nice statement but not a problem description. A problem description shall describe what is wrong with what. To help you getting a good problem description just answer a couple of questions: What ? Where ? When ? How many ? Which ? After that other people can understand the problem reading your answers. 3

4. www.stangerweb.de What? Where? What ? The question asks for the problem. It compares the desired behavior with the observed behavior. Example: A wheel shall be joint to the car by 6 wheel nuts (desired behavior). I have seen a wheel joint by only 5 wheel nuts (observed behavior). Where ? The question asks for the location on the part and / or in the process. Example: It was at the front wheel, passenger side (left hand driver) of my car. The wheels were changed at Slipshod & Co. garage. 4

5. www.stangerweb.de When? How many? When ? The question asks for the time. Example: I saw it today when I tried to tighten up the nuts after the garage had changed the wheels of my car. It was the first time ever I have seen such a mistake. I’m sure that it is the first time because I always tighten up the nuts after changing the wheels. How many ? How many parts are affected? Example: It was just that one wheel where the nut was missing. 5

6. www.stangerweb.de Which? The question asks affected products. Example: It happened only at my Ford T-model car. On the Ferrari and the Rolls Royce I didn’t change the wheels. Do you understand my problem now? Just use the form to create your own problem description! 6

7. www.stangerweb.de Problem Description - Questionnaire 7