Comic Counseling Version I.

Step One:

Clarify the problem. Try to visualize the gap between what is actually happening and the ideal situation. Describe the problem. Are there any historical issue(s) that need to be considered? Where do you want to end up? If you cannot answer these two questions, you do not understand the problem well enough to solve it.

Step Two:

Break down the problem. Try to identify exactly where things went wrong, and then, consider creating a list of potential factors. Try to test each and every factor to confirm which one has the greatest impact on the problem.

Step Three:

Once you have figured out the factor having the biggest impact on performance, set a performance target that moves to a total eradication of the factor. Think about a root cause. Why is the main factor occurring? The idea is to find the most fundamental issue that can be changed rapidly and focus on it. Look at the overall impact removing the factor might have on the problem moving forward. If possible, set a due date to take action.

Step Four:

Consider a number of solutions. If you only insist that there is one solution, you may not really understand the problem fully—or you may be jumping to the one solution that you are the most comfortable in implementing — which may actually be second or third best one. Force yourself to explore different possibilities of the root cause, and then, look at each one on the basis of impact and cost. (This is called “Thinking Outside Of The Box.”)

Step Five:

Pick the best solution to implement.

Step Six:

Follow through by making sure that a change(s) happens. If something gets off track, figure it out early on and ask why? Perhaps, something has been missed, or maybe, the commitment to solve the problem is lagging.

Step Seven:

Check the results and look closely at the process that you used. Are you getting the expected results? You may need to adjust or standardize. How can you make sure that these results will be successful? Are there other things that you need to fix to make sure the new process is sustained over time? What issues might still remain open? Can your learnings apply elsewhere to other similar problems?