QuickProblem Solving
5 Whys coach
Asks one why at a time and makes you say how you know.
You need: a problem, ideally with a number
Open prompt →
Coach me through a 5 Whys on the problem below.
Ask me one "why" at a time and wait for my answer. Do not suggest causes yourself. When my answer sounds like a guess, ask how I know: did I see it, measure it, or hear it from someone? If I heard it, ask who could confirm it.
Stop when we reach a cause we can act on and check, or when I say I don't know. Then give me:
1. The chain of whys, one line each, marked SEEN, MEASURED or HEARD.
2. What I should go and check before anyone starts fixing.
Problem: [DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM, WITH A NUMBER IF YOU HAVE ONE]
QuickProblem Solving
Sharpen a problem statement
Turns a vague complaint into a gap: what is happening against what should be.
You need: the problem in your own words
Open prompt →
Help me write a problem statement from the description below.
Use this shape, in one sentence of 40 words or fewer:
[what is happening, with a number] against [what should be happening, with a number].
Rules:
- No causes and no solutions. The word "because" is not allowed.
- Use only numbers I gave you. If a number is missing, write MISSING in its place and tell me where I might find it.
- If my description holds more than one problem, list them and ask me which one to work on first.
After the sentence, list up to three questions that would make it sharper.
My description: [DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM IN YOUR OWN WORDS]
QuickProblem Solving
Sort a brainstorm into a fishbone
Puts your team's ideas under the 6Ms without adding any of its own.
You need: a list of possible causes
Open prompt →
Sort our brainstorm of possible causes into a fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram.
Problem (the head of the fish): [THE PROBLEM]
Use these six categories: Man (people), Machine, Method, Material, Measurement, Mother Nature (environment).
Rules:
- Use only the ideas in our list. Do not add causes of your own.
- Keep our wording. Merge ideas that say the same thing and show both versions.
- If an idea is really a solution ("need more training"), put it in a separate list called SOLUTIONS, NOT CAUSES.
- If an idea fits two categories, put it in the better one and note the other.
Then list the categories with no ideas in them. Those are places the team has not looked yet.
Our list:
[PASTE THE BRAINSTORM LIST HERE]
QuickWaste and Flow
SIPOC from a process description
A first-pass SIPOC to scope a project, with the gaps marked.
You need: a few sentences about the process
Open prompt →
Build a SIPOC from my description of a process.
Give me five columns: Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers.
- Process: 5 to 7 high-level steps, each starting with a verb.
- Put a start point and an end point above the table.
- Use only what my description says. Where it does not say, write UNKNOWN rather than guessing.
After the table, list the UNKNOWNs as questions I can take to the people who do the work.
My description: [DESCRIBE THE PROCESS, WHERE IT STARTS AND WHERE IT ENDS]
QuickStandard Work
Find the vague words in a work instruction
Flags every "check", "ensure" and "as needed" that two people could read two ways.
You need: the text of a work instruction or SOP
Open prompt →
Review this work instruction for words that two people could read two different ways.
Look for words like check, verify, ensure, inspect, clean, properly, correctly, carefully, as needed, as required, tight, secure, approximately and a few. Also flag any step that says what to do but not how to tell it was done right.
Give me a table: step number | the exact words | why it is unclear | the question to ask the person who does this job.
Do not rewrite the instruction. The answers have to come from the people who do the work.
Work instruction:
[PASTE THE WORK INSTRUCTION HERE]
QuickQuality
Group complaints with real quotes
Sorts free-text complaints into groups and keeps the customer's own words.
You need: complaint or survey comments
Open prompt →
Group these customer complaints (or survey comments) by what the customer is actually unhappy about.
For each group give:
- A short name for the group.
- How many comments are in it.
- Up to three quotes, copied word for word. Do not paraphrase.
Sort the groups from most comments to fewest. Put comments that fit no group under OTHER, and comments that mention more than one problem in every group they belong to (say so).
Leave out customer names, order numbers and anything else that identifies a person.
Comments:
[PASTE THE COMMENTS HERE, ONE PER LINE]
QuickDaily Management
Shift handoff from messy notes
A clean handoff for the next shift, with safety and quality first.
You need: your end-of-shift notes
Open prompt →
Turn my end-of-shift notes into a handoff for the next shift.
Use these headings, in this order:
1. Safety: anything that happened or nearly happened.
2. Quality: holds, rejects, anything waiting on a decision.
3. Equipment: what is down or running badly, and who knows about it.
4. Open actions: what, who (by role), and by when, as my notes say.
5. Watch for: what the next shift needs to keep an eye on.
Keep it short, one line per item. Use only what my notes say. If a heading has nothing, write "Nothing noted." If an action has no owner, write NO OWNER.
My notes: [PASTE YOUR SHIFT NOTES HERE]
QuickDaily Management
Huddle notes to an action list
Pulls every action out of a tier meeting, and shows which ones have no owner.
You need: notes from a huddle or tier meeting
Open prompt →
Pull every action out of these huddle (tier meeting) notes.
Give me a table: action | owner | due date | status.
- Use the owner and due date exactly as the notes say. If one is missing, write NO OWNER or NO DATE.
- An action starts with a verb and says what "done" looks like. If a note is too vague for that, rewrite it as a question to ask at the next huddle.
- Leave out discussion that did not lead to an action.
Below the table, list anything that was raised twice or more without an action.
Notes: [PASTE THE HUDDLE NOTES HERE]
