Here at the LHA Facilitator HQ we all agree that one of the Value Adding aspects of the NHS is good Diagnosis and it's no different when selecting Continuous Improvement Projects.

For me, it's been a busy few weeks. In fact 6 diagnostics of potential projects in 6 weeks and I have to say that these diagnostics have been made much easier by the very high standard of Problem Statements, or as I prefer, Opportunity Statements presented to me.

Let me explain further.

A Problem Statement is a specific, descriptive, and actionable description of an issue.

• The key to good problem statements is making sure they are specific enough to be actionable, but general enough so as not imply any causes or solutions.
• Good problem statements state the issue and the location where the issue occurs
• The problem statement is the basis for all subsequent problem solving
• It is meant to summarize the relevant, data based aspects of a problem in a clear, simple, and understandable form

Good Problem Statements...

...are not so general that they are unmanageable

...are not so specific that they imply a solution or root cause

...are free of emotional data

...identify the area where the issue is causing pain

...describes the issue without interpretation

For example:

• - "The computer won't turn on."
• - This problem statement is too general. Trying to problem solve and error proof all the ways to turn on a computer would take a very long time!
• - "The instrument lead is too short."
• - This problem statement is too specific and it implies a solution. If this were the problem statement, the solution would be to lengthen the instrument lead.
• - "The patient is frustrated with our service."
• - This is not actionable information. It is emotional data that does not assist in identifying the problem. It only states that there is a problem.
• - "Current capacity of the clinic is less than patient demand, causing a situation where appointments are cancelled and queues are created."
• - Data based problem statement with explicitly stated issue and area of focus

So, as a Facilitator, having a sound Problem Statement, makes Diagnosis of the issue clearer and as a result makes the Project plan (or Treatment plan) much more likely to have a successful outcome.

As an aside, are Council run Car Parks some of the leanest organistions in the World?

1 minute, yes 1 minute, over my allotted time and I was booked... As Abdul would say... "Don't get me started!"