Regardless of the way the data was gathered, the issues will have to be analysed and addressed somehow. Below is a selection of techniques used by businesses to find and develop suggested improvements and solutions to problems.

Brainstorming

The simplest method to generate ideas, ideally suited to the forum situation mentioned earlier. Given a specific area to improve or problem to solve, the idea here is to come up with as many ideas as possible to solve it, however silly those ideas may be. Don’t discuss or dismiss any suggestions - this method encourages innovation, invention and creativity, and could produce solutions that logical thought would not have produced. Once you are certain that the possibilities have been exhausted, look through the list of suggestions and put them into broad categories if possible (generally, you will find that groups of suggestions are variations on the same approach). At this stage, each suggestion can be evaluated to see if it is a feasible solution as it stands, or if it requires further thought. Hopefully at this point, brainstorming will have produced a number of options with which to make improvements or solve the problems at hand.

Process Mapping

This technique involves the creation of flowcharts which illustrate the individual steps involved in a given process, and hence to pinpoint where problems arise and areas that could be improved. Mapping is particularly useful for spotting ‘bottlenecks’ - points in a process where delays may occur. By taking a close look at the process in this way, it may even be possible to remove unnecessary steps entirely. In its simplest form, a flowchart looks like this:

Step 1 -> Step 2 -> Step 3 -> Step 4, and so on.

Of course, not every process is as linear as this - subsequent steps may differ depending on the result of a decision made during a previous step. This can be represented by multiple branches from the decision step, one each for the different decision results. If the amount of branching is becoming too complex to illustrate using a flowchart, the solution may be to create separate flowcharts for smaller sections of the process.

Kaizen

As the name suggests, this is a Japanese set of techniques which promotes efficiency as a means to higher quality. One aspect of Kaizen is the concept of a ‘blitz event,’ where a small team is removed from normal duties for a week or so in order to concentrate on solving a major problem with the business. Over the course of the week, the team will receive basic training in many of the techniques described in this article, then apply them to the problem at hand. Any aspects of the process concerned which are deemed to be wasteful of resources are removed, and the process is refined. Towards the end of the week, they will perform tests to see if the changes they have made are viable, and then create an action plan to implement the changes - a month is usually the accepted period for the plan to be effective. During that month, the situation will be monitored by the team to ensure that changes are being adhered to, and that the situation has indeed improved.

It should be stressed that this is only a selection of techniques - others include Pareto Analysis, Cause and Effect Diagrams, Solution Effect Analysis, the ‘Six Thinking Hats’ method, and Force Field Analysis. All of the techniques mentioned thus far work on the same general principle, that is take a sampling of data from the staff or customers and break down the problems or suggestions into manageable pieces which can be solved, implemented and later reviewed to test their effectiveness.