This document provides an overview and summary of a webinar on taking a team approach to problem solving. The webinar covered a six-step problem solving methodology: 1) identify the problem, 2) analyze the problem, 3) generate potential solutions, 4) select and plan the solution, 5) implement the solution, and 6) evaluate the solution. Various tools that can be used at each step of the methodology are described, such as check sheets, flow charts, Pareto charts, and root cause analysis for problem analysis, and criteria rating, consensus building, and Gantt charts for selecting and planning solutions. The benefits of using a structured team approach and problem solving methodology are highlighted.

1. A Team Approach
to Problem Solving
Presented by IMA Leadership Academy

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5. Moderator
V. Marcine Johnson, CPA
President and CEO
Accounting & Tax Advisory Services, Inc.
Dean
IMA Leadership Academy

6. Featured Presenter
Daniel Smith, CMA, CPA
Principal Consultant
Syntelli Solutions

7. Daniel Smith’s Biography
7
Using business intelligence platforms to bridge the gap between advanced data
analytics and the efficient, effective principles of accounting, Daniel Smith applies
technology and mathematics to make business faster and smarter.
Daniel has managed solutions for diverse client sectors such as advertising,
military, insurance, and oil and gas. These solutions include business intelligence
platform management, online key performance indicator identification and
tracking, to full predictive data model construction. Although the analytic
solutions are often mathematically complex, Daniel’s presentation and academic
background ensures any insights delivered by solutions are relevant and simple
to understand.
Mr. Smith earned his MBA from Coastal Carolina University in 2009, became a
Certified Management Accountant in 2010, and a Certified Public Accountant in
2011. He was also awarded the Institute of Management Accountant’s 2013
Young Professional of the Year award for his work in furthering business
intelligence in management accounting.

8. Objectives
8
After this session, attendees will be able to:
 Identify problem situations that are appropriate for
applying a problem solving methodology.
 List techniques for analyzing a problem situation to
understand it thoroughly.
 Become familiar with strategies for generating potential
solutions to a problem.
 Describe approaches for selecting a solution and
developing an implementation plan.
 Summarize methods for implementing a solution.
 Designate appropriate strategies for evaluating the
solution and identifying additional problems to resolve.

9. Discussion and Brainstorming
9
 Why should we take a team
approach to problem solving?
 What leadership attributes are
important to problem solving?
 Why should we adopt a specific
methodology for problem-solving?

10. Food for Thought
10
“A problem is a chance
for you to do your best.”
-Duke Ellington
“Never let the fear of
striking out get in your
way.
-Babe Ruth
“Need and struggle are
what excite and inspire
us.”
-William James
“All progress is precarious,
and the solution of one
problem brings us face to
face with another problem.”
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

11. Poll Question #1
11
Which quote best describes problem-solving for you?
a. “A problem is a chance
for you to do your best.”
–Duke Ellington
b. “Need and struggles are
what excite and inspire us.”
–William James
c. “Never let the fear of striking
out get in your way.”
–Babe Ruth
d. “All progress is precarious, and the
solution of one problem brings us face
to face with another problem.”
–Martin Luther King, Jr.

12. Problem Solving Methodology
12
1. Identify
the problem
2. Analyze
the problem
3. Generate
potential
solutions
4. Select &
plan the
solution
5. Implement
the solution
6. Evaluate
the solution

13. Step 1: Identify the Problem
13
 Changes in performance indicators (revenue,
expenses, sales, etc.)
 Increases in poor service or product issues
 Increase in customer complaints
 Cost ratios change disproportionally
 Process time increases
 Increase in employee turnover,
especially with experienced workers
 Increased absenteeism
 Increased employee disengagement
 Increased staff complaints and/or complacency
 Economic climate worsens
 Competition increases

14. Check Sheets
14
DAY Billing
Errors
Change of
Address
Policy
Change
Missed
Payments
Monday ////// ///////// / /
Tuesday /// //
Wednesday /// // /// /
Thursday // // ////
Friday // /// ///////////// /////
Saturday / / /// /
TOTAL 18 15 24 12

15. Flow Charts
15

16. Pareto Charts
16

17. Poll Question #2
17
Which tool do you think will be
most helpful to you in devising
a problem statement for the
problem you are facing now or
have faced recently?
a. Check Sheets
b. Flow Charts
c. Pareto Charts

18. Step 2: Analyze the Problem
18
 Rely on data, not opinions
 Focus on processes and
data rather than people
 May lead to a different or
edited problem statement

19. Root Cause Analysis
19
Received a
speeding ticket
WHY? Late for work WHY? Overslept
WHY?
Alarm clock
did not work
WHY?
Batteries
dead
WHY?
Forgot to replace
them

20. Gap AnalysisPerformanceMetric
Time
The Gap
Potential
Where we want to/could be
Performance
Where we are heading if we do nothing

21. Cause and Effect Diagrams
Plant Cannot
Print Ticket
People
Daily
Operational
Procedures
SoftwareHardware
Daily Procedures
Router Maintenance
Router Replacement Router Setup
Responsibility &
Accountability
Personal Objectives
Business Rules Business Rules

22. Step 3: Generate Potential Solutions
22
 Be creative
 Identify as many
solutions as possible
 Wait to limit solutions
in the next step

23. Brainstorming
23
1. No evaluation or criticism
of any kind is allowed
2. Everyone is encouraged
to generate ideas
3. Stretch for quantity
4. Build upon and modify
other people’s ideas
5. Capture and display every idea
6. Use humor

24. Literature Review
24
 Professional journals
 Business magazines
 Benchmarking studies
 Industry studies
 Competitive and
marketing analyses

25. Step 4: Select and Plan the Solution
25
 Establish criteria
 Apply the criteria to
the potential solutions
 Make a project plan for
implementing the solution

26. Criteria Rating
26
Criteria Wt Sol 1 Sol 2 Sol 3 Sol 4 Sol 5
Quick fix 1
Within budget 1
Affects few
employees
1
Correlated to
performance
2
Management
support
1
Total

27. Evaluate the Criteria
27
 Voice opinions
 Vote
 Autocratic
 Consensus
 Other

28. Consensus
28
 Open, honest communication
 Sharing all relevant information,
data, and feelings
 Conflict /differences of opinion
viewed as helping, not hindering
 Freedom to exert influence and
take risks without fear of ridicule
 Each member accepts responsibility
for hearing and being heard
 Mutual respect and trust

29. Poll Question #3
29
How does your team
typically arrive at decisions?
a. Voicing opinions
b. Voting
c. Autocratic
d. Consensus

30. Step 5: Implement the Solution
30
 Collect data to make
alterations where necessary
 Keep communications open
 Create acceptance for
the change

31. 5. Implement the Solution
31
Introducing a new library computer system
Forces for Forces against
Simplified transactions
Automatic reminders
Quicker search
Better service
Computer skeptics
Computer problems
Layoff fears

32. Gantt Chart
32

33. Tools
33
 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
 Surveys of impacted stakeholders
 Scorecards

34. Step 6: Evaluate the Solution
34
 Make improvements to the
problem solving process
 Verify that the solution
had the desired results
 Understand what contributed
to success and failure

35. Poll Question #4
35
Which tool have you most
often used to evaluate a
problem solution?
a. KPIs
b. Surveys
c. Scorecards
d. Other evaluation
process/tool
e. Have not done
a formal evaluation

36. Problem Solving Methodology
36
1. Identify the problem
4. Select and plan the solution
2. Analyze the problem
3. Generate possible solutions
5. Implement the solution
6. Evaluate the solution
Many problems Problem to solve
Many possible causes Root causes
Many solution ideas Clarified solutions
Many criteria One agreed upon solution
Many steps to implement Coordinated plan to work
Many results Improvements identified

37. Gaining Buy-In
37
 Align problem with the organization’s
strategic priorities
 Identify key stakeholders
 Summarize key
project information
 Prepare and execute
communications to
keys stakeholders
 Prepare and practice
“elevator speech”

38. Benefits of a Problem Solving Methodology
38
 Avoids jumping to a conclusion before
effectively analyzing the problem thoroughly
 Makes more likely to gather
critical information
 Defines the problem clearly
 Identifies clear root causes
 Brings a diverse set of ideas for
solutions through a wider variety
of team members
 Resources are available from
a broad circle of employees
 Reduces company political
obstacles with a team approach

39. Characteristics of an Effective Problem Solver
39
1. Has a positive attitude –
problems are opportunities
2. Defines problems carefully
3. Utilizes a system
4. Avoids the experience trap
5. Considers every
perspective as their own
6. Uses conflict management to
solve problems
7. Listens to their intuition
8. Goes beyond solving the
problem to find opportunities
9. Seeks permanent solutions
10. Gains agreement and commitment

40. Poll Question #5
40
Which characteristic of an effective
problem solver would you most like
to develop?
a. Viewing problems as opportunities
b. Using a system
c. Avoiding the experience trap
d. Using conflict management
to solve problems
e. Gaining agreement and commitment
f. One of the other characteristics

41. Summary
41
What needs to change?
•Check sheet
•Flow chart
•Pareto chart1. Identify
the
problem

42. 1. Identify
the
problem
Summary
42
What causes
the problem?
•Root cause
analysis
•Gap analysis
•Cause-and
-effect diagrams
What needs to change?
2. Analyze
the problem

43. 1. Identify
the
problem
Summary
43
What needs to change?
2. Analyze
the problem
How could the
change happen?
•Brainstorming
•Literature review
What causes
the problem?
3. Generate
potential
solutions

44. 1. Identify
the
problem
Summary
44
What needs to change?
2. Analyze
the problem
What causes
the problem?
3. Generate
potential
solutions
4. Select &
plan the
solution How could the
change happen?•Criteria rating forms
•Consensus
What is the best way
to make the change?

45. 1. Identify
the
problem
Summary
45
What needs to change?
2. Analyze
the problem
What causes
the problem?
3. Generate
potential
solutions
4. Select &
plan the
solution How could the
change happen?
5.
Implement
the solution•Force field analysis
•Gantt chart
Are we following
the plan?
What is the best way
to make the change?

46. 1. Identify
the
problem
Summary
46
What needs to change?
2. Analyze
the problem
What causes
the problem?
3. Generate
potential
solutions
4. Select &
plan the
solution How could the
change happen?
5.
Implement
the solution
6. Evaluate
the solution
How well did the solution work?
•KPIs
•Surveys
•Balanced Scorecards
Are we following
the plan?
What is the best way
to make the change?

47. 1. Identify
the
problem
Summary
47
What needs to change?
2. Analyze
the problem
What causes
the problem?
3. Generate
potential
solutions
4. Select &
plan the
solution How could the
change happen?
What is the best way
to make the change?
5.
Implement
the solution
Are we following
the plan?
How well did the solution work?
6. Evaluate
the solution

48. Action Planning
48
Do I have the soft skills, technical
skills, and/or leadership skills that
enable me to use the problem-
solving methodology most
effectively?
What are the most important
concepts I learned or reviewed
in this workshop?
How will my on-the-job
behavior change as a result
of what I learned or reviewed?
How will I and my company
benefit from what I learned
or reviewed in this workshop?

49. Questions & Answers
V. Marcine Johnson, CPA
President and CEO
Accounting & Tax Advisory Services, Inc.
Dean
IMA Leadership Academy
Use the Q & A Panel to send your questions to our panelists.
Daniel Smith
Principal Consultant
Syntelli Solutions

50. Thank You to Our Presenter!
Daniel Smith, CMA, CPA
Principal Consultant
Syntelli Solutions

51. Thank You to Our Moderator!
V. Marcine Johnson, CPA
President and CEO
Accounting & Tax Advisory Services, Inc.
Dean
IMA Leadership Academy

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Final Reminders

53. Notification of Future Webinar Schedules
Next Leadership Academy Webinar:
• Interpersonal Communications: Understanding You and Me
• Tuesday, September 23, 2014, 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
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