Lesson Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Explain the purpose of investigating a problem.
• Identify the information required to investigate a problem.
• Identify appropriate sources of information.
• Distinguish between facts, ideas, needs, opinions, and prejudices.
• Assess the accuracy and reliability of information.
• Use questioning and other information-gathering techniques to investigate a problem.
• Identify and investigate possible causes of a problem.

Lesson Overview

Defining a problem gives you a starting point. Investigating the problem helps you understand what is actually happening.

At this stage, you need to gather relevant information, examine what you already know, and identify what you still need to find out. You also need to look at possible causes and consider information from people who experience or observe the problem.

The investigation should give structure to your search for information and ideas. For an open-ended problem, the information can help you understand obstacles and identify ways to achieve your objectives. For a more clearly defined or closed problem, it can help you clarify the problem, identify causes, and consider possible solutions.

Main Lesson Content

Start With the Problem You Have Defined

Before gathering new information, look carefully at the problem statement.

Ask yourself:

• Is this a new problem?
• Is the problem clearly and precisely stated?
• What assumptions am I making?
• Are those assumptions true?
• What would happen if nobody took action?
• Can I restate the problem in another way?
• What data do I already have?
• Is that information accurate?
• Do any rules, procedures, or precedents apply?
• What additional facts do I need?
• Could I interpret the facts differently?
• Who has the authority to make the decision?

These questions help you identify gaps in your understanding before you start collecting more information.

Determine What Information You Need

Do not collect information simply because it is available.

First determine what information you actually need.

Your investigation should answer questions such as:

As you answer these questions, create a list of the information you need, where you can find it, and how you will obtain it.

Use Existing Information First

Your original problem definition may already contain useful information.

Look at:

• Who is involved
• What is happening
• Your objectives
• Obstacles
• The current situation
• The desired situation
• Possible causes identified during the earlier analysis

You can also draw on:

• Past experience with similar problems
• People involved in or affected by the problem

These sources can help you identify information you need to investigate further.

Separate Facts From Opinions

Not all information has the same status.

During an investigation, distinguish between:

• Facts—information supported by evidence.
• Ideas—suggestions or possible explanations.
• Needs—requirements expressed by people affected by the problem.
• Opinions—personal views or interpretations.
• Prejudices—conceived views that may influence how someone interprets the situation.

You should not automatically discard information because someone presents it as an opinion. It may still provide a useful lead.

For example:

“Customers are angry because our employees don’t care.”

This is an opinion.

You could investigate it by asking:

How many complaints have customers made?
What do the complaints say?
When do the complaints occur?
What happens during those interactions?

You can then separate what people believe from what the evidence shows.

The Learner Guide stresses that you must distinguish between facts, ideas, needs, opinions and prejudices while still considering all information that may be relevant.

Make Sure Your Information Is Relevant and Reliable

Useful information should be:

Relevant

It should help you understand the problem.

Accurate

It should represent the situation correctly.

Quantified where possible

Numbers can make the problem easier to understand and compare.

For example:

“Production is low.”

is less useful than:

“Production averaged 420 units per shift against a target of 500 units over the last four weeks.”

The second statement gives you something measurable.

The Learner Guide specifically recommends information that is relevant, accurate, and preferably quantified.

Involve Other People

You cannot always understand a problem by yourself.

People who:

• Notice the problem,
• Experience the problem,
• Work with the affected process,
• Manage the affected area,
• or have relevant expertise

may have information that you do not have.

The Learner Guide emphasises the importance of getting input from people who notice and are affected by the problem.

Gather individual perspectives

It can be useful to speak to people individually, especially at the beginning.

This gives people an opportunity to explain what they have experienced without immediately being influenced by the opinions of a larger group.

Write down:

• What you think
• What others have told you
• What evidence supports each view

Where you think a performance problem may involve an employee, seek another perspective from a peer or supervisor to verify your impression rather than relying on your own assumption.

Information-Gathering Techniques

The Learner Guide identifies several questioning and analysis techniques that can help you investigate a problem:

1. 4W’s and H
2. 5 Whys
3. 6 Universal Questions
4. Senses Questioning
5. Fact-Finding Questioning
6. Fishbone Diagram

1. The 4W’s and H Technique

Ask:

• What?
• Where?
• When?
• Who?
• How?

This technique helps you gather basic information about the problem without immediately jumping to conclusions about why it is happening.

For example:

What is happening?
Where does it happen?
When does it happen?
Who is affected?
How does it happen?

You can then use other techniques to investigate possible causes.

2. The 5 Whys

The 5 Whys technique uses a series of “Why?” questions to uncover deeper issues.

The key is to listen carefully to each answer and use that answer to form the next question.

Example

Problem: Customer orders are delivered late.

Why?
Because orders leave the warehouse late.

Why?
Because employees cannot find some of the required stock.

Why?
Because stock locations are not updated correctly.

Why?
Because employees do not update the system consistently.

Why?
Because the current procedure does not clearly assign responsibility for updating stock locations.

The technique can separate a complex problem into distinct parts and point towards potential root causes.

Remember

Do not mechanically ask “Why?” five times.

Listen to the answer and build the next question from it.

3. The 6 Universal Questions

The Learner Guide describes six universal questions:

What? Where? When? How? Why? Who?

These questions provide a simple framework for gathering information about almost any problem.

You can use them to build a complete picture before deciding what requires further investigation.

4. Senses Questioning

Senses Questioning encourages you to focus on what you can actually observe using your senses.

Instead of relying only on what someone tells you, ask:

• What can you see?
• What can you hear?
• What can you smell?
• What can you feel?
• What can you observe directly?

The technique helps you distinguish direct observations from assumptions or interpretations.

Example

Someone tells you:

“The machine is running badly.”

Instead of accepting that statement as the problem, observe the machine.

You might see:

• Excessive vibration
• Irregular movement
• Product defects
• Unusual readings

You now have specific observations that you can investigate.

5. Fact-Finding Questioning

Fact-finding questioning helps you uncover relevant facts by examining three areas:

Impact

Ask:

• Are the effects general or specific?
• How does the problem affect employee morale?
• Is the problem simple or complex?
• Does it involve one issue or several?

Location

Ask:

• Is the problem local or widespread?
• Does it occur in one location or several?
• Is it an isolated event or part of a wider pattern?

Time Frame

Ask:

• Is the problem recent?
• Has it been developing over time?
• Is it constant or intermittent?
• Has it already happened or could it happen in the future?

These questions help you establish the extent and pattern of the problem.

6. Fishbone Diagram

You previously used the fishbone diagram to help define a problem. You can also use it during investigation to explore possible causes.

The fishbone diagram was developed by Professor Kaoru Ishikawa. It helps structure the identification of possible causes and encourages a deeper, open-minded examination of the problem.

It also helps prevent the team from jumping too quickly to a solution.

A simplified structure looks like this:

The original major categories included the 4 M’s:

• Man
• Materials
• Methods
• Machinery

The diagram can be expanded with additional categories where appropriate.

Creating the Fishbone Diagram

Step 1: Identify the problem

Write the problem clearly and include who, what, when, and where where possible.

Step 2: Identify the major issues

Identify things that contribute to the problem, such as people, systems, equipment, or materials.

Step 3: Identify possible causes

Brainstorm possible causes under each major issue.

Step 4: Analyse

Review the completed diagram and investigate the most likely causes further, especially where the problem is important or difficult.

Bringing the Investigation Together

A good investigation does not simply produce a pile of information.

It should help you answer:

As your investigation develops, your understanding of the problem should become clearer and more evidence-based.

Workplace Example

The problem

A company notices that customer complaints have increased.

Initial information

The manager knows:

• Complaints have increased.
• Customers sometimes contact the company more than once.
• Employees believe the issue comes from another department.

Investigation

The manager gathers:

• Customer complaint records
• Dates and times of complaints
• Information from customer-service employees
• Information from the other department
• Direct observations of the process

The manager then uses:

Fact-Finding Questions to establish when and where complaints occur.

5 Whys to explore why customers need to contact the company repeatedly.

Fishbone Analysis to examine possible causes involving people, processes, systems and resources.

The investigation now gives the manager evidence instead of relying on assumptions.

Key Notes / Lesson Summary

• Investigate the problem after you define it.
• Start by identifying what you already know and what you still need to find out.
• Decide what information you need, why you need it, and where you can obtain it.
• Use relevant, accurate, and preferably quantified information.
• Distinguish between facts, ideas, needs, opinions and prejudices.
• Consider information from people who experience or observe the problem.
• Check the reliability of your information sources.
• Use questioning and analysis techniques to investigate the problem.
• The 5 Whys helps explore possible causes.
• The 6 Universal Questions provide a broad questioning framework.
• Senses Questioning focuses on direct observation.
• Fact-Finding Questioning examines impact, location, and time frame.
• A fishbone diagram helps organise and investigate possible causes.