Fault tree analysis (FTA) — Secret weapon for root cause analysis

Fault tree analysis (FTA) — Secret weapon for root cause analysis

Fault tree analysis is one of the most commonly used methods in system reliability analysis. It is a process of system design or improvement by analyzing various factors that may lead to system failure, including hardware, software, environment, human factors, etc. By drawing the fault tree, we can determine the possible combinations of modes and the probability of the cause of the system failure. The failure probability of the system is calculated and the corresponding measures are taken.

Continue reading
A Comprehensive Guide for PDCA

A Comprehensive Guide for PDCA

PDCA is considered one of the most popular frameworks for continuous improvement of business processes. PDCA (plan do check action), also known as Deming cycle, is the simplest framework for process improvement. Basically, it’s a series of feedback cycles of continuous improvement — you decide how it works, figure out how to improve it, eventually make changes, and keep repeating the cycle. I believe PDCA is the simplest and most effective way to help you improve your workflow.

Continue reading
Six Thinking Hats Tutorial

Six Thinking Hats Tutorial

The six thinking hats technique, proposed Edward de Bono in 1999, encourages a group to approach the issue at hand from a number of different perspectives. This forces the team to move outside their habitual thinking style, and helps them to get a more rounded view of a situation. It is an important and powerful technique to debate an issue, solve a problem or to arrive at an important decision.

Continue reading
A Comprehensive Guide to Lewin’s Change Model

A Comprehensive Guide to Lewin’s Change Model

Organizational Change is a common thread that runs through all businesses regardless of size, industry and age. It is about the process of changing an organization’s strategies, processes, procedures, technologies, and culture, as well as the effect of such changes on the organization. Kurt Lewin developed a change model involving three steps: unfreezing, changing and refreezing.

Continue reading
A Comprehensive Guide to Kotter’s 8 Step Model of Change

A Comprehensive Guide to Kotter’s 8 Step Model of Change

Kotter suggests that for change to be successful, 75% of the practice team needs to “buy into” the change. In other words, you have to really work hard on Step One, and spend significant time and energy building urgency, before moving onto the next steps. Don’t panic and jump in too fast because you don’t want to risk further short-term losses — if you act without proper preparation, you could be in for a very bumpy ride.

Continue reading
A Comprehensive Guide to 5 Why Analysis

A Comprehensive Guide to 5 Why Analysis

The 5 Whys is a simple tool used to help you understand what’s causing a problem by using an iterative interrogative technique to explore the root cause underlying a particular problem. As the name suggested, 5 Whys takes five iterations of asking “Why” to drill down from one symptom to another until you reached the root cause (Sometimes asking “Why?” five times is too many, and sometimes you need to ask it more than five times).

Continue reading
Strategic Planning to Actionable Items: From SWOT to TOWS Analysis

Strategic Planning to Actionable Items: From SWOT to TOWS Analysis

SWOT matrix is a planning tool, whereas TOWS matrix is an action tool. In SWOT analysis you identify all the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats in point form. After that you think of each point as a singular perspective. Whereas, TOWS matrix identifies the relationships between these factors and selecting strategies on their bases. Strengths and weaknesses are abstract concepts that can be hard to think about without any sort of context.

Continue reading
Integrate PERT Chart with RACI Roles to Task Manager

Integrate PERT Chart with RACI Roles to Task Manager

Today I would like to use Visual Paradigm to demonstrate how to perform task planning for team members who will take up the RACI roles and these tasks in the Enhanced PERT Chart can automatically be assigned to the automated task manager called “Tasifier” for project management. A traditional PERT chart is a project management tool used to schedule, organize, and coordinate tasks within a project. The enhanced PERT Chart tool adds four additional features for integrating with different Visual Paradigm building blocks. You can do all these within an enhanced PERT Chart modeler.

Continue reading
Decision Table: Clearer Logic and Better Decision

Decision Table: Clearer Logic and Better Decision

A decision table is an excellent tool to use in both testing and requirements management. Essentially it is a structured exercise to formulate requirements when dealing with complex business rules. In a decision table, business logic is well divided into conditions, actions (decisions) and rules for representing the various components that form the business logic.

Continue reading