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Thinking Outside of the Box The SFE University Book Review is covering a book titled, Thinking outside of the Box. The book provides techniques on how to creatively solve problems. It offers three easy techniques that you may be able to adapt in your work. The first is to think in "Categories". Identify an issue or problem; then find all the things that are right about the situation. List them on 3x5 cards. Identify categories that pertain to your specific issue or problem. The categories are unique to each situation. Place the "right things" in the proper categories. Examine the results. The holes in the situation may become obvious. You can then look for solutions to fill in the holes. It may take several solutions attacking each hole as a separate problem to bring about the change you desire. A second technique taught in the book is to think in terms of the senses; sight, smell, touch, taste and sound. You can apply these senses to your problem to provide a creative solution. Let me give you an example. Your car doesn't start. That seems like a simple problem. If you are open to all the senses helping you understand the situation you might find that you hear (sound) an unusual click when you turn the key that was not there before; the key heats up (touch) when you try to start the car; it is dark and you see arcing (sight) coming from the ignition key area; you smell an acrid odor and smell smoke; in fact you can smell so much smoke that it leaves a funny taste in your mouth. All these things add up to a solution to your problem probably all taken into your senses in about 1 second. You turn the key off and go find a fire extinguisher…. That is a very natural process. Now apply that same technique to what you do daily and see if you can't use all of your senses to detect issues. A third method discussed in the book is to think in terms of colors. The example cited may be useful for our CFT's. Colors may be a way to help identify important parts of a project. They suggest that you use Blue to identify action items that have a due date; Red for the "have to" or critical parts of the projects, Green is for you private thoughts on a subject (your two cents worth), and the main text of your notes in Black. The shop can use color creatively as well. Hot projects may get a hot pink traveler. We currently use the red tag already to identify parts with known deficiencies or for hold tags. Be open to new ideas that relate to color Here is a challenge. We have set a goal of 2 Quick and Easy Kaizen ideas to be IMPLEMENTED by each employee each month. Some of you will be able to do more; others may struggle to get any. The challenge: Use one of these techniques to create a Q/E Kaizen to improve your work area or process. Up for it? We will give a second Kaizen award of $20 to the items submitted that can show me that you are using either the category, senses or color methods of creating change. Good luck and happy coloring! Frank |
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