AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF PROBLEM STATEMENT CREATION WITH IS/IS-NOT

This paper explores the creation of problem statements using 5W2H questions using an is/is-not matrix and seeks to determine if use of 5W2H type questions leads to a quicker resolution of problems. An 8D report database with fields for problem descriptions and days to root cause identification was used to determine if better defined problems were solved quicker than problems that were less well defined. The level of detail in the problem statements was assessed, problems were classified as having a low or high level of detail, and then a statistical hypothesis test was performed. Problems with a better defined problem statement were solved quicker than those without. Those with a more detailed problem statement required a mean of 34.1 day and those with a less detailed problem statement required a mean of 48.0 days.