Problem Solving & Decision Making Skills for Engineers and Technical Professionals

What are the Goals?

Problem Solving and Decision Making skills for Engineers and Technical Professionals presents a structured and transparent approach with methods to help you to describe, analyse, solve and prevent problems effectively and to make the best decisions with maximum acceptance.

By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the increasing necessity of using sound methods for problem solving and decision making
• Involve the right people in the right way in any analysis
• Solve and prevent issues and problems more rapidly and effectively
• Make better decisions and recommendations
• Communicate and present analysis, solutions and recommendations with maximum understanding and acceptance
• Apply and implement the methods learned in daily practice immediately after the training

Who is this Training Course for?

You work at tactical or management level and want to increase your effectiveness in problem solving and decision making. You are therefore looking for a structured and easy to apply approach to any issue.  This training course is suitable to a wide range of professionals but will greatly benefit:

• All professionals involved in problem solving and decision making within maintenance, engineering, technology and production
• Anyone who wishes to update themselves on problem solving and decision making, judge the suitability of these methods for their needs, and learn how to implement them for the benefit of their organizations

Daily Agenda

Day One: Introduction

• Introduction to the program
• Introduction: Problem Solving & Decision Making
• Introduction: Generic Approaches for Problem Solving and Continuous Improvement (Deming circle, Kaizen, 8D, DEMAIC, RATIO)
• Introduction of Problem Solving Methods (5 Why, Ishikawa, Fault tree, Apollo, etc.)
• Introduction: RATIO-approach
• Introduction: Case and Demo

Day Two: Reflect on your Problem

• Theory: RATIO-step - Reflect
• Introduction case to determine the root cause
• Theory: Event Mapping
• Event Mapping exercises
• Application of Event Mapping in daily practice

Day Three: Analyse Technical Problems

• Theory: RATIO-step - Analyse
• Theory: Problem Analysis - Describe the problem (IS/IS-NOT)
• Theory: Problem Analysis - Determine possible causes (brainstorming, using characteristics and changes, using Ishikawa-diagram)
• Theory: Problem Analysis - Determine true cause(s)
• Exercises in Problem Analysis
• Completion of Event Map with outcome of Problem Analysis

Day Four: Analyse Human or Organizational Problems – Determine Best Solutions

• Theory: Human Factor Analysis
• Exercise: Human Factor Analysis
• Theory: RATIO-step - Target (alternative and best solutions)
• Theory: Decision Analysis
• Exercise: Decision Analysis
• Completion of Event Map with outcome of Human Factor Analysis and Decision Analysis

Day Five: Implement, Observe and Evaluate Results

• Theory: RATIO-step - Implement
• Theory: Risk Analysis
• Exercise: Risk Analysis
• Theory: RATIO-step - Observe and Evaluate
• Implementation of problem solving & decision making methods in daily practice

Evaluation and closure of training