Go See & the Seven QC Tools

by Pascal Dennis

(Experience & Reflection)

In earlier blogs I extolled the power of the "Q7"

Indeed, they're an indispensable part of our problem-solving arsenal.

Caveat: the Q7 are an abstraction that exist in the world of Reflection.

Good problem solving entails moving fluidly between the worlds of Reflection & Experience.

Go See (genchi genbutsu) is central to the latter.

Problem solving begins in the world of Experience.

What is actually happening right now? Go See the defect the moment you hear about it.

Or stand in a circle, as Taiichi Ohno suggested, until you see it in real time.

We then move to the world of Reflection to define What Is Actually Happening & What Should Be Happening.

Problem solving, of course, concludes in the world of Experience - otherwise it's just 'academic'.

This pattern -- experience - reflection - experience is central to practical problem solving and to Lean as a whole.

Lean thinkers are comfortable in both worlds.

My mental image: a person with one hand deeply embedded in the ground, and the other reaching for the sky.

Reflect, by all means, then get your butt to rough & tumble of the factory floor (or farm, lab, design studio, surgery...)

Best,

Pascal