Structured process for improving yield

First stop talking about solving problems. Reviews of yields and defect rates are just navel-gazing.
Assign a few small teams (ideal size = 3) to go after the top 1-3 problems. Whatever you can afford. Each team should work at least 50% of their time on solving the problem. NOTHING gets done when you spend 10% of your time on anything…
Use structured problem solving methods. (5-Whys, Y-X or branch and prune. See some of my resources for references and examples)
STOP using a bunch of statistics. These are usually only descriptive or enumerative and not applicable for problem solving.
Review progress by the team on a regular basis. Do NOT use PowerPoint and formal presentation approaches. I have used an approach where the management team goes to the floor and reviews progress with the team near the site of the problem.

 

Read up on A3 (Toyota 8-step) problem-solving and on Improvement/Coaching Kata. It focuses on simple techniques, going to the shop floor (gemba), simple hand-written/drawn discussion boards (A3 paper) and management coaching.

 

Technically, there is no such thing. Maybe that's why... A3 and 8D are not synonymous...

 

If you google Toyota 8 step problem solving process you will find numerous references to an 8 step process that is close to 8D but uses different words and a few different steps. There are also examples of how to place the steps within an A3. In the grand scheme of things this 8 step process is rather recent.

I have also seen people put the 8D and DMAIC steps on an A3 piece of paper…In fact I’ve done it.

Remember that A3 is a paper size and that the A3 method is a way to document your problem solving in simple graphical/picture format with minimal words. Brevity = clarity in the A3 ‘approach’.

 

Toyota 8-step problem solving process. I stated 8-step, not 8D or 8 Disciplines. Toyota 8-step is completely different from 8D. Note: 4 Ws is not 4 Whys. The 4 Ws are: Who, What, When, Where.

 

Pardon my ignorance. I learned something this week. In all my years in the auto industry, I had never heard of the Toyota 8 Step - only A3 - hence my jumping to conclusions.

Thanks for setting me straight. Never too old (or stupid) to learn...

 

Yes. Outside of Toyota, everyone likes to call it A3 (easier to say?), but as Bev noted A3 is just the paper size for the physical report. We use 8D for customer issues since it covers containment and emergency response actions but use A3/8-step for internal issues because unlike 8d, which was designed for "special cause" issues, A3/8-step is better suited for the chronic issues. One of the key steps is breaking a big chronic issue down into smaller issues that can be addressed one at a time like the old "How do you eat an elephant?" question. "One bite at a time."

 

Look at post number 7 above.

 

Thanks for reminding me that I have this book. I posted a few pics to show an example A3. I apologize for the shadows. It's early.

NOTE: Both pictures would fit on one side of a single page of A3 paper (approx. 12" x 17"). They are often handwritten/hand drawn as shown when used on the factory floor.

 

And you have identified your real problem: Navel gazing. You need to get your organization to stop talking about it and doing something about it. All that talking is a waste of resources.