CHAPTER 4

– BDA 10602 –

4.1 IDENTIFYING PROBLEM

4.2 DETERMINING THE OBJECTIVE
4.3 STATING THE PROBLEM

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 1

4.1 Identifying Problem
4.2 Determine Objective

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 2

What is PROBLEM..?

Discuss with your friend

3 minutes….

A matter or situation regarded as “unwelcome”

or harmful and needing to be deal with and
overcome.

A thing difficult to achieve or accomplish.

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 3

Problem Definition
 “It is worth spending an appropriate
amount of time making sure that you have
defined the problem properly BEFORE you
set out on an project. (Qvist, 2004)

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 4

Problem Definition

• No matter how clever

we are at coming up
with solutions to
problems, if we are
working on the wrong
problems in the first
place we are wasting
our time. "The question is more important than the
answer" –Edward Deming

• Troubleshooting skill

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 5

Problem Definition

 Troubleshooting skill

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 6

Types of Problem
Presented Problem:
- problems which come to us, or are given to us, or happen
to us.
- problems are presented to us by outside world [J. R. Hayes]

Examples
• Machinery breaking down
• A target set is by somebody else
• Being stuck in a traffic jam

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 7

Types of Problem
Constructed Problem (we want it..!):
- problems that we make for ourselves.
- There may not be anything specifically wrong but we are
interested in the possibility of improvement, or change, or
doing something different.

Examples
• Gaining a qualification, master, PhD
• Innovating a new product
• Improving an existing procedure or service

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 8

 Step to Tackle Problem
Using ‘HOW TO’ statement…

Examples
• Motocycle breaking down:
- how to repair the motorcycle?

• A target set is by somebody else:

- how to achieve the target?

• Being stuck in a traffic jam:

- how to get out of the jam? Jumping car, fly,….
- how to organize schedule to avoid traffic jam?

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 9

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 10
 Test/Exam

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 11

 Consider this problem

• A hospital was getting lots of complaints from

patients about the food.

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 12

 "Solve the Egg Problem and you Solve
the Food Problem"

• Before they dived in and did things like outsourcing

the catering function, they did some analysis.

• They asked the patients if the problem was with all

of the food. The patients said that it wasn't all of the
meals that were a problem, it was just the
breakfasts.

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 13

 "Solve the Egg Problem and you Solve
the Food Problem"
• When asked what the problem was with breakfasts
the patients replied that the food arrived cold.
They were then asked if all of the breakfast was
cold. They said that it wasn't, it was the eggs that
were cold.

• As a result, the hospital ensured that breakfast-

time eggs were kept warm and complaints about
the hospital meals dropped significantly.

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 14

 PROBLEM DEFINITION

Delivery Price

Customer
Dissatisfaction

Data
Returns Reliability Phone Gathering
Response

Pareto
Delivery Invoice Queries

Phone
Calls

e
ns

Re ice

y
De t y
n

er
r
ho

i
tu

Pr

bil
liv
Sales

lep
Chasing

Re

lia
Te
Chasing
Checksheet
Delivery
Sales
Invoice Queries
Other

Pareto

s s g r ry
e rie Sale asin Othe elive
u Ch D
eQ
Clearer Invoices? oic
Inv
har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 15
 4.3 Stating the Problem

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 16

 Problem statement and data gathering

ISHIKAWA DIAGRAM
• Also known as
 Cause and Effect Diagrams,

 Fishbone Diagrams,

 Herringbone Diagrams,

 Fishikawa Diagrams.

• The procedure was officially developed by

Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa (1915–1989) in 1968
with applications in manufacturing quality
control.
• Each cause is placed in a line that ends in a
box identifying a problem, just as the
diagram illustrates
har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 17
 CAUSE AND EFFECT DIAGRAM

Step 6
Step 5 • Analyze
• Add the
Step 4 Detailed Diagram
Step 3 • Identify Levels
Causes
• Identify Influencing
Main the Effect
Step 2 Categories
Step 1 • Fill in the
• Identify Effect
and Box and
Define • Draw the
the Spine
Effect

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 18

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 19
har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 20
har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 21
har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 22
har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 23
How to address problem statement???

Statement
Too many cars, motorcycle in UTHM

Problem
Road getting crowded, accident frequently,
environmental pollution, fuel consumption

So… how…?

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 24

What is a good problem statement?

1. INVITATIONAL STEM

 The initial statement of a problem often reflects a

preconceived solution.
 Once we have settled on a perspective, we close off but
one line of thought.
 Certain kinds of ideas occur to us, but only those kinds
and no others
 The formulation of a problem determines the range of
choices: the questions you ask determine the answers
you receive.

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 25

 To start with, it’s helpful to coin problems in a particular
way.

 Write the problems you want to solve as a definite

question. Use the phrase “In what ways might I…?” to
start a problem statement.

 This is sometimes known as the invitational stem and

helps keep you from settling on a problem statement that
may reflect only one perception of the problem.

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 26

In the series of letters below, cross out six letters to make a common word.

CSRIEXLEATTTERES

• If you state the problem as: “How to cross out six letters to
form a common word?” you’ll find it difficult to solve.
• If, instead, you framed it: “In what ways might I cross out
six letters to form a common word?”
• You will likely find yourself inspired to think of many
alternative possible solutions,
• You will then include the solution which is to literally cross
out the letters “S,” “I,” “X,” “L,” “E,” “T,” “T,” “ and so on,
leaving the word CREATE.

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 27

2. CLEARLY STATE OWNERSHIP

• Problem statement should clearly state whose problem

you are working with.
• Ownership clarification must link to invitational
statement.
• “In what ways .....might”............................ I or Abu... –
clear that you are working on a problem for which one
person has the ownership.

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 28

3. VERB AND OBJECTIVE

• Problem statement should make clear the objective and

action for the question
• i.e: “In what ways may we increase membership in our
group”
• Verb – increase – is constructive
• Objective – membership
• States clearly that we need to find ideas to increase

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 29

Creativity
Thinking in Creative the following
problem statement:

“How to make all peoples in UTHM more attractive

to walk and cycle during in the campus ? ”

har/jkp/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 30

har/jkbr/fkmp/2019 BDA 10602 31
The art of thinking about your thinking, while
you’re thinking, so as to make your
thinking more clear, precise, accurate,
relevant, consistent, and fair;

The art of constructive skepticism; the art of identifying and

removing bias…and one-sidedness of thought;

The art of self-directed, in-depth thinking…

(Paul, 1990)
Critical Thinking is :

1. “interpreting, analyzing or evaluating information, arguments or

experiences with a set of reflective attitudes, skills, and abilities”

2. “reasonable reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to do

and what to believe” OR “to guide our thoughts, beliefs and actions”

3. “examining the thinking of others to improve our own”

Elements of Critical Thinking
1. Observation: From a series of observations, we can come to
establish:
2. Facts: From a series of facts, or an absence of facts, we
make:
3. Inferences: Testing the validity of our inferences
(hypothesis), we make :
4. Assumptions: From our assumptions, we form our:
5. Opinions: Taking our opinions, we use the principles of logic
to develop:
6. Arguments: When we want to challenge the arguments of
others, we employ:
7. Critical analysis
Importance of Critical Thinking

• Critical thinking prepares person to educate themselves

for the rest of their lives
• Critical thinking skills are necessary for success in many
fields
• Critical thinkers are less likely to just go along with the
crowd
Critical Thinking as Higher Order Thinking Skills

• The concept of higher order

thinking skills became well
known with the publication
of Bloom’s taxonomy of
educational objectives.

• Bloom’s Taxonomy was

primarily created for
academic education;
however, it is relevant to all
types of learning.
Divergent & Convergent as Higher Order Thinking Skills

• Divergent and Convergent thinking skills are both “critical

thinking” skills.
• Convergent and Divergent thinking skills are two sides to the
same coin—of critical thinking. One without the other
doesn’t make sense. Both start with asking simple questions
from a curious mind.
• Often times when people are problem solving or decision
making, he or she flips back and forth between
convergent and divergent thinking.
• When first looking at a problem, people often analyze the facts
and circumstances to determine the root cause.

• After which, they explore new and innovative options through

divergent thinking, then switch back to convergent thinking to
limit those down to one practical option.