The greatest obstacle businesses face is not the existence of problems, but the same problems appearing again and again. I am sure that you, too, have encountered many situations in your company in which the same problem is repeated. On the journey of lean production and continuous improvement, it is essential to eliminate the illness completely instead of treating the symptoms. Fast, unplanned, and person-dependent "firefighting" reflexes may make the work look solved in the short term, but in the long term they lead to serious quality costs and to the loss of customers. At this point, the 8D (Eight Disciplines) problem-solving technique is one of the strongest keys to the transition from reactive crisis management to proactive excellence.
What Is the 8D Approach, and Why Does It Make a Difference?
Developed initially by Ford Motor Company, and now a global standard from automotive to aviation and from the defense industry to the service sector, 8D is a structured methodology designed to solve, permanently, complex and chronic errors and errors that have turned into customer complaints.
The most distinctive feature that sets 8D apart from traditional problem-solving methods is that it is based on data, and that it takes the problem off individuals and places it with the shared judgment of a cross-functional team. Every step, from defining the problem to verifying the root cause, and from interim containment actions to permanent corrective actions, is a flawless reflection of the PDCA (Plan - Do - Check - Act) cycle. Although this looks a little like bureaucracy, it contributes a great deal to the improvement of the business, because the problem is permanently eliminated.