When 4 = 3

 

If I tell you that 4 = 3, you probably think that I am crazy. Don't believe? Let me try to prove it to you.

Still don't believe it? Something is missing here? Yes, you are right. If you examine closely, there is a fallacy in the equations above. We started off by assuming a + b = c. This makes the term (a + b – c) equals to 0. As such, we are not supposed to divide both sides of the equation in the last step by this term as this will result in infinity. The lesson learned here is everything happens for a reason. It is up to us to find out the real cause it. So next time when you hear people saying "I don't know how it happened" or "There is no reason for this to happen" in your project, challenge them. Do not accept 'no reason' as reason. Be curious, stay doubtful!

It is very common for us to come across similar situations in our projects where things were not working the way we wanted them to be and yet we couldn’t figure out what could be the root causes. Some people will resign to fate believing that they were just ‘unlucky’ while others will try to ‘shift’ the problem to someone else and find a scapegoat in order to get out of it fast. What would you do when you are stuck in an entanglement in your project which you are not able to find a way out? Instead of putting on your running shoes immediately and attempt to escape from it, do you have the courage to open the Pandora’s Box and try to find the ‘hope’ inside? If you are gung-ho enough to tread on the land where few have dared to walk, here are a few tips that you may adopt. I would call this the CAR process – Cause Analysis, Action Plan, and Review Progress.

1. Cause Analysis or Root Cause Analysis (RCA): This is a set of methods that will help you to identify the root causes of a problem and should be the first crucial step to be performed. The most commonly used techniques include Fishbone Diagram, Failure Mode & Effect Analysis, Cause & Effect Matrix, 5 Whys, and Fault Tree Analysis etc. Each technique varies slightly from the others, and depending on the nature of the problem you are facing, you may need to select a suitable technique that best fits your situation.
2. Action Plan: Once the root causes have been identified, the next step is to define follow-up actions to be taken, assign owner and set deadline for each of the action items. In fact, this is the step that most stakeholders are interested in. Finding the root causes of a problem, no doubt, is crucial. But what the stakeholders would really like to know are how and when to get them fixed. Defining action items, sometimes, may not be a straightforward task. You may even need to organize a few brainstorming sessions and focus group discussions in order to come up with a viable action plan.
3. Review Progress: Do not be too happy when you have the action plan ready as your job is not over yet. Obviously, you still need to review and monitor the progress of all the action items in the action plan. The action plan defined in the previous step is definitely not foolproof and therefore, requires continuous review to ensure the objectives of each action item are achieved. In some cases, you may even need to modify the action items in order to adapt to any environmental changes. This is important and you may need to keep doing it until all the action items in the action plan are completed successfully.

By following this CAR process, I hope you will have a safe and smooth drive through your journey of problem solving.