The Issue: "Better Faster Cheaper" Prior to the beginning of the recent recession, your company had decided to hire a consulting company to audit the...

The Issue:  "Better Faster Cheaper" 

Prior to the beginning of the recent recession, your company had decided to hire a consulting company to audit the business operations for inefficiencies. As the recession impacted profits, company leadership made the decision to implement the recommendations of the report immediately. 

According to the conclusions of the audit, there was a tendency of the company to add employees over the years for the purpose of responding to new business requirements. In other words, the business had a tendency to grow departments in their attempts to solve problems rather than discover new modes of management, new procedures, or new production techniques.

Company leaders have decided to solve the problem of operational inefficiencies by doing things with fewer resources. Moreover, in order to survive and thrive in the sluggish economy against other global competitors, they have decided that all business operations must also do their duties faster and better than before. The new company motto for efficiency is "better faster cheaper."

Your manager has given you the task of reducing inefficiencies on your shift. She is expecting you to reduce your personnel from 15 to 12 or fewer. You are expected to do more with fewer workers. Furthermore, you are expected to improve quality while getting the job done faster.

One of the most difficult tasks that your crew performs is also vital to the production lines, namely, the monthly confined space procedure. According to regulatory requirements, the large 5 metre deep tanks must be cleaned, maintained and inspected. The confined space procedure has typically required 90 minutes, not including the preparation and clean up, during which time the production lines are shut down. Furthermore, all of your workers have been involved and required for the safe completion of the task. 

You are concerned that doing such a task according to the new company motto "better faster cheaper" may not be possible. Reducing the task from 90 minutes to 60 minutes without the required number of workers may jeopardize the health and safety of your crew. Secondly, it may reduce the level of success of the task itself, thereby potentially impacting the production lines and product.  

Creative & Critical Thinking

1. Rethinking the Problem (5 marks)

Examine the scenario in order to clarify what the problem actually is. Briefly describe your initial reaction to the scenario. Then describe how you have redefined the problem after having completed your analysis. What were the most important factors that influenced your problem definition? 

2. Lateral Thinking (5 marks)

Can this problem be thought of as an opportunity? Should you tackle the problem directly? Attempt to solve the problem using a "lateral thinking" approach. Briefly describe how you would apply lateral thinking to the above scenario. Explain at least one possible solution that emerges out of your lateral thinking. 

3. Brainstorming (5 marks)

Alone or with a group, brainstorm ideas in order to search for a possible solution. Briefly describe your brainstorming session (at least two sessions of 10 minutes each). Identify at least one idea that may provide a solution to the problem. Identify at least one idea that may have the potential to lead to an idea that may provide a solution to the problem. 

4. Free Association: (5 marks)

Use this creative problem solving technique as a method to generate new ideas and/or solutions to the problem. Use at least three prompts. And spend at least 10 minutes thinking about the combination of the prompt and the problem. Document your process. Identify the best idea that was created in the process.

5. The Solution (10 marks)

Having clearly defined your problem, choose the best possible solution from any of your lateral thinking, brainstorming or free association sections. State clearly the best possible solution to the problem. Why is it the best possible solution as chosen from the list of others? Give reasons to justify your choice. List the reasons for your choice in the most logical order. Lastly, be sure to consider issues connected with implementation, from management approval to the many consequences that your solution would have.