Reflection on Problem Solving Process

        At Vatico, everyone from interns to senior staff are given the opportunity to solve business problems using the problem solving framework developed here at Vatico. This write up serves as a reflection of the problem solving process at Vatico, using inventory discrepancies as an example. The objective is to identify gaps between the training content and the actual requirements, and to facilitate learning and improvement in problem solving using the framework.

 

Summary of Main Takeaways

1. Methodical Approach 

        As an intern/junior employee, it is vital that we follow step-by-step steps to ensure effective problem solving. It ensures that we are on track to achieve our objective. It also makes sure that our team knows where we are so that they can better provide assistance in achieving our objective.

 

2. Clear Communication with Team

        Proper communication needs to be maintained with the team to ensure that they are aware of which part of the process we are tackling so that everyone can provide proper feedback and input along the way.

 

Reflection on each step of problem solving process

Background

        As part of auditing efforts, we need to make sure that the amount of inventory we have calculated via data warehouse matches the amount of inventory we have physically at our warehouse. However, this was not the case when we conducted our investigation.

 

Step 1: Clear Expectations of the Problem

        In this case, the problem was very clearly defined from the start – Physical quantity is not the same as quantity in our ledger. There was no need for further clarification. Overall, there was also no confusion as this aligned clearly with what was mentioned in the training deck. This highlights the importance of providing sufficient information to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Screenshots and pictures should be used to make the expectations clear.

 

Step 2: Realistic Expectations of the Problem

        The next step would be to assess if the current expectations are realistic. For this case, the expectation of requiring inventory ledger and physical count to have the same number is a realistic one as the problem is centred around correctness of data which we are able to easily check and verify.

 

        There were also no issues converting what was shown in the slides to what was supposed to be done as the slides provided a good example of when expectations are realistic, from which I was able to easily deduce what would be the case in this scenario. This highlights the need to have good examples displayed in training decks to ensure that the theory can be better understood by junior employees.

 

Step 3: Problem Solving

        After the expectations are clearly defined and are realistic, we move on to actually solving the problem. The process outlined by the training deck was undoubtedly a little confusing and hard to follow. 

 

        The correct process should be to revisit the problems and objectives, after which understanding the underlying concepts, before finally dividing and conquering the problem using the Mutually Exclusive Collectively Exhaustive (MECE) framework. However, the current flowchart outlines these 3 steps as happening simultaneously without mentioning using the MECE framework at all. This eventually led to making a moon shot and jumping to trying to divide and conquer without a proper plan.

Current Flowchart of Problem Solving Process 

 

        The following slides also lacked explanation of the first two steps, explaining only divide and conquer. There was also no mention of needing to make an issue tree to ensure that the reasons for the problems are MECE. This gap in training material and expectations is also likely to cause confusion for future interns. As such, it would be better to make an explicit link between the MECE framework and the ‘divide and conquer’ step. The explanation also needs to be improved as currently, the explanation only shows examples of some questions that can be asked without showing them in the MECE framework.

 

        From this, we realise the need to be explicit in what we mean especially in training decks as new joiners may not have seen the process before and may not be able to make the necessary and correct inferences about the process.

 

What we did to improve training materials

        As such, to address these gaps, we have introduced new slides in the deck to provide a more elaborate explanation of the MECE framework and how it fits in with the issue tree. These slight not only provide an explanation of what ME and CE mean, but also harness the power of examples to junior staff contextualise the knowledge so that they can better apply it when doing their first problem solving process.

 

Slides added with examples to address gaps in explanation

 

Reflection

        As someone who is used to skipping steps in my work, it was not easy to adapt to the rigid processes. However, I soon realised the need to follow these steps because I am someone who is new to the company and do not yet have a concrete grasp of business operations and flow. Therefore, when steps are skipped, I could very well miss aspects of the problem and thus make my solutions not collectively exhaustive.

 

        There is also a need to maintain a clear flow of work as we are operating in a team scenario. If we jump the gun and make conclusions we are able to track, it may leave the team confused as to why we are making certain conclusions, thus, we need to ensure a methodical process at Vatico when we first start working here.

 

        In order to ensure that objectives are properly communicated, we should also paraphrase what the objective is based on our understanding and ask for confirmation for more complex objectives so that we can be sure everyone is truly on the same page. There were times where both team and I thought I had understood the objective but turns out we had different understandings due to miscommunication. While such difference in understanding is inevitable, we can help reduce miscommunication through paraphrasing, reducing unnecessary back and forth

 

        Moreover, never be afraid to ask questions to clarify any doubts as the whole process is meant to be iterative. Thus, helping to clarify doubts early can allow the team to help address the issue you are facing. It is always better to ask and realise you are wrong than finish your work and then realise you are wrong.

 

        On a more personal level, I also need to keep a more open mind to learn about processes that can help in business operations, keeping in mind that my objective here is not merely to learn how to be a good data analyst as outlined by my write up on objectives during my internship at Vatico.

 

Result Oriented Working Culture at Vatico

        Vatico adopts a result oriented work culture. What this means is that everyone is allowed to work in the manner which they wish as long as they are able to process the desired results. However, one important point to note is that most interns and junior staff do not have a strong enough knowledge base and the necessary expertise to perform tasks in their own way. As such, interns and junior staff should stick to current processes to help them produce high quality work.

 

        By following the process, it is also much easier for senior staff (who are doing multiple tasks at once) to provide guidance and feedback as the structure will help them understand the situation better, thus allowing work to be done more smoothly.

 

Foundation of a Good Problem Solving Process

Strong knowledge base

        Without a strong knowledge base, it is nearly impossible for us to trace the root cause of the problem. This knowledge includes knowing where the data is coming from, how the data is obtained and also business flow. 

 

        For eg. in the inventory ledger example, after we have examined the code logic and made sure all the code logic is correct, we would not know how to proceed to find why there is a discrepancy if we did not know the business flow. By understanding the business flow, we will realise that returned orders are returned to the nearest warehouse and not the origin warehouse, which allowed us to rectify this issue.

 

        In order to have a strong knowledge base, one must constantly ask questions to build up knowledge about the company and how we operate.

 

Classifying Problems

        Knowing how to classify problems plays a huge part in ensuring the breakdown of problems and solutions are MECE. If we are unable to properly classify problems, it will likely result in a lot of double or missing parts of our work.