Fishboning Fatal Flaws

Done any fishboning lately?

You’ve heard the same complaint over and over:"“The problem is we need more people!"

Ok,… no. The problem isn't that you need more people. The problem may be that your mail isn't getting delivered by 5 pm. That may be the problem.

One of the reasons, or causes, or the delay in delivery, is that you may be in the middle of a hiring freeze and therefore you don't have as many mail carriers as you used to.

However, the problem is not that you need more people. The problem is also not that you need more money or that you need more time. Those are not problems...

Of course, you could brainstorm what the problem really is. But would that come up with the correct answer?

Maybe. But there is a lot of room for wild goose chases.

One way to find the problem, so that you are better equipped to find a viable solution to the problem, is to draw a fishbone diagram - a graphical depiction of cause and effect.

The purpose of using a fishbone is to arrive at a handful of main causes that contribute most significantly to the problem being examined.

Then you can apply brainstorming techniques with devastating effect.