Creative workplace problem solving
Venue: Engineers Ireland, 22 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
Date: September 20th, 2010 and October 18th, 2010
Session time: 9.00am to 1.00pm. Registration and tea/coffee at 8.30am
Fee: Engineers Ireland members €250 Non-members €300.
CPD credit: 1
Course aim
Day One covers workplace problem-solving theory and classroom exercises. The course participants will then take this learning back to their own workplace, select a problem and apply the process to the chosen problem in the company.
Day Two takes place six to eight weeks after where the group will return and present their project results in A3 format. This half-day training session will involve the evaluation of all projects and will also require participants to pass a multiple-choice examination to assess concept learning and gain further CPD credits.
The objective of this type of training is to learn-by-doing and this programme will give participants the skills and confidence to approach and solve the many simple and complex problems faced in every type of workplace.
Overview
Creative workplace problem solving is the mental process of creating an effective and sustaining solution to a problem. Many of us develop a natural ability to solve problems from a young age and we also develop our own unique approaches to solving some of the many simple and complex problems we face in life.
In a business or workplace setting, our approach to problem-solving needs to have a solid framework if we are to successfully achieve continuous and positive results. With creative problem-solving, the solution must either have value, clearly solve the stated problem, or be appreciated by someone for whom the situation improves.
Developing the right framework, or problem-solving model, requires us to be exposed to tested systems that have a proven track record and shows real-life examples to learn from. This programme shows some of the tools and techniques required to become an effective problem-solver.
Using a five-step framework, participants will learn how to clearly define problems, develop measures to monitor the problem and effect, perform root-cause analysis on the problem, develop effective solutions and finally put controls mechanisms in place to sustain the results achieved.
Learning objectives
At the end of this programme participants will have the necessary knowledge and experience to effectively manage the many problems faced in every workplace. The programme will also help engineers and teams to approach problems in a logical step-by-step manner resulting in a process of continuous improvement.
Programme
This one day training course will equip participants with the fundamental tools of effective problem-solving in a work environment. Participants will learn how to structure and analyse problems using the five-step Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control cycle. Participants will also learn the A3 methodology to plan, manage and visually display project results.
Who should attend
Company owners, managers, engineers and team leaders interested in a companywide approach to effective problem-solving.
Trainer's profile
Tony Corrigan is Training Director of The WCM Centre. He has worked as a manufacturing engineer for 10 years with Bourns Electronics and then as a consultant-trainer with Productivity Europe for six years. He has been training companies, both nationally and internationally for the past fifteen years and so far has trained in excess of 14,000 people worldwide on engineering improvement tools and techniques.
Course requirements
A basic understanding of MS Excel spreadsheets is a requirement for this course as Excel templates are used to structure the problem-solving stages.
Course contact
CPD Training, Engineers Ireland
T: +353 1 665 1305 / F: +353 1 665 1370
E: cpdtraining@engineersireland.ie