Problem Solving Process (PSP) - Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle

The Problem Solving Process (PSP) is a disciplined, iterative framework grounded in the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle that systematically guides teams from defining a performance gap and identifying root causes to implementing, verifying, and standardizing sustainable countermeasures.

6 katas, in the order they are used. Each is free, open-licensed, and comes with a companion guide.

1. Step 1

   Problem solving / root cause analysis

   A3 problem solving

   Structured problem solving on one page: background, a Pareto-driven root cause chain, and a tested countermeasure tracked against a target, actual, gap and standard (TAGS) scorecard.

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2. Step 2

   Problem definition

   Scoping canvas

   A one-page, multi-section definition of what an initiative actually covers — problem, goal, in scope, out of scope, team, timeline, assumptions — before anyone starts work on it.

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3. Step 3

   Kaizen events

   Implementation plan

   Milestones toward a real completion date, each owned by your own team, an outside party, or both — with days remaining, overdue and unowned milestones, and a mutuality check computed, not asserted: a plan where every milestone belongs to your own side isn't actually cross-functional.

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4. Step 4

   Kaizen events

   Mutual action plan

   The implementation-plan discipline pointed at a deal instead of an internal rollout: milestones toward the target close date, each owned by you, the buyer, or jointly — with days remaining, overdue and unowned milestones, and a mutuality check computed, not asserted, so a one-sided plan can't quietly pass as a real mutual commitment.

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5. Step 5

   Problem solving / root cause analysis

   Deal A3 — win-rate root cause analysis

   The same A3 discipline applied to a losing pattern in the pipeline instead of a shop-floor problem: a Pareto over loss reasons, a root cause chain that survives scrutiny, and countermeasures a sales leader can actually act on.

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6. Step 6

   Problem solving / root cause analysis

   Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)

   A structured failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) that scores each way a process or product could fail on severity, occurrence, and detection, looks at severity first, and ranks the rest by a risk priority number so the vital-few risks get acted on first.

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