1. Problem Formulation and Identification
 Jenifer Sellars
 Ariana Bolton
 Susana Hicks
 Aurora Ruby Castro
MGT 350 / Yvonne Richardson
University of Phoenix

2. Agenda
 Introduction: Jenifer Sellars
 Problem, solution and +/- of each
 Greek Restaurant: Ariana Bolton
 Medical Device company: Ruby Castro
 Network /High Tech: Jenifer Sellars
 Real Estate: Susana Hicks
 Conclusion: Jenifer Sellars
 Q & E Session: All

3. Ariana: Greek Restaurant
Firefighting Method
Temporary solution
 Stakeholders:
 The restaurant owners
 The investors
 The employees
 The customers

4. Ariana: Greek Restaurant
Problem Solving
 Not a decision -
making process
 Quick fix
 No long term solution
 More problems in
long run

5. Ariana: Greek Restaurant
Strengths and Weaknesses
+Strengths - Weaknesses
 Provides temporary
satisfaction  No long term solutions
 Problems snowball
 Potentially creates much
bigger problems

6. Ruby: NeoVista Incorporated
Autocratic Decision-Making
The Problem:
 Our R&D department
takes more than 48
hours to receive AP
invoices that reference
our purchase orders.

7. Ruby: NeoVista Incorporated
Problem Solving
 Goals:  Impact of Alternatives:
 Have invoices have  Company spending money
invoices back within 24  Decision:
hours  I get trained on hoe to
 Evaluate: receive in the system
 Implement Decision:
 AP receives a lot of phone
calls and/or emails  Meeting with R&D Vice
President and VP of Finance
 Cause of Problem:
 Measure Impact:
 Materials personnel
 Start off monitoring on
overwhelmed with work monthly basis, then weekly
 Alternatives:
 Hire new or train existing
employees to help

8. Ruby: NeoVista Incorporated
Strengths and Weaknesses
Weaknesses
Strengths
Vendors calling and emailing
No more angry phone calls/emails for payment daily
Build good credit Credit terms not allowed,
Invoices entered before month end Prepay all future orders
Materials person gets help Invoices being accrued
Save money if internal person Increased stress/ work for
trained materials person
AP routing for approval gets saved New hire will be expensive
Have to continue keeping a log

9. Jenifer: Cisco Staffing
Reactive decision-making
The Problem:
Issues are handled on a REACTIVE basis.
 Takes multiple people experiencing the
same issue for attention to be given.
 Stressful and frustrating to obtain timely resolutions.

10. Jenifer: Cisco Staffing
Problem Solving
Symptoms include: Root causes:
 Late background checks  Too many layers of
 Delay start dates management
 System access issues  Not one person
 Slow to obtain resolution
possessed autonomy to
or attention make corrections.
 Lack of service to
Stakeholders
 “Deal with it as we
go along attitude”
http://my.journaltimes.com/post/Solomon/blog/root_causes_of_school_system_failure.html Retrieved May 4, 2011

11. Jenifer: Cisco Staffing
Strengths ands Weaknesses
Strengths Weaknesses
 Can make adjustments  Problems escalated, drop
everything and fix!
„on the fly‟
 Undue urgency created
 No long term planning
required  Not effective at decision-
making
 Limited strengths  Lacks planning and
insight

12. Susana: Real Estate
Autocratic decision-making
PROBLEM
 One broker for many
employees.
 Broker maintains all
liability.
 Employees follow his style
of work, laws, and
guidelines.

13. Susana: Real Estate
Problem Solving
 Real Estate in California is time sensitive
 Unique clients, situations, and circumstance
 One Broker with exclusive liability
 Laws and specific demands must be adhered to
 Broker decides final guidelines and policies.

14. Susana: Real Estate
Strengths and Weaknesses
+Strengths -Weaknesses
 narrow room for outside
 A very personal circumstances
relationship between
you and broker  constant repetition of the
person in power
 You do not have to
answer to a hierarchy of  No room for advancement
supervisors or personnel
 One person to report to

15. Conclusion: decision-making methods
 “Firefighting” and
Reactive methods are
ineffective. No planning!
 The autocratic method
can help adhere to
regulations, yet relies too
heavily on one person.
 Q & A?
http://blog.perksconsulting.com/tag/strength/ Retrieves May 4, 2011