SPPS: Problem Solving Through Questioning
A Toyota mentor teaches problem-solving by asking questions and requiring firsthand observation. In the crane-alarm story, visiting the shop floor tests an initial explanation and reveals conditions that the written report alone did not convey.
THE IDEA
Learning Problem Solving Through Questions
Early in my career, I often reviewed a team’s problem report and gave feedback without seeing the problem firsthand.
After one such instance at Toyota, I asked my Japanese mentor-trainer Hiro to look back at the problem-solving report with me. The problem involved team members who weren’t able to hear the overhead crane warning alarm when it passed over them. Hiro quickly scanned the report, asked me some questions, and suggested that maybe the problem wasn’t that team members couldn’t hear the alarms. The real problem may be that team members were in an unsafe area and correcting the problem by focusing on the alarms wouldn’t solve the problem. Hiro asked if I had been to the floor to look at the actual problem and talk to the team members. When I told him I had not, he suggested I go see the problem to gain a fresh perspective.
I did as he suggested and experienced what the team members were dealing with by “walking in their shoes.” This enabled me to see what I couldn’t imagine just sitting in a room trying to visualize the situation. What the team members said was true and they were in a safe authorized area. The noise was louder than the traditional alarm bells on the overhead cranes. The bells could barely be heard. Either the bells had to be louder or the noise reduced to solve the problem. I suggested the team members focus on what was in their control to improve the problem.
Hiro’s initial suggestion was a hypothesis. Visiting the floor supplied the facts needed to test it.
I remarked to Hiro how Japanese trainers appeared to be experts at problem-solving and I asked whether they attended a special school. He laughed and said no, rather they learned the hard way. His supervisor in Japan taught him problem-solving by constantly asking him questions instead of giving him answers. Every time he brought the supervisor a problem and asked for help, the supervisor would just ask him questions.
One day in frustration Hiro asked his supervisor why he only asked questions and never gave him answers. The supervisor replied, “Hiro my job is not to give you answers. My job is to teach you problem-solving by asking you questions. If I give you the answers, then you won’t learn anything about problem-solving. You will depend on me for the answers. Someday you will find yourself alone and I won’t be around to assist you. In problem-solving, you don’t have to know the answers; you just need to know what questions to ask to lead you to solve the problem. That is why I ask you many questions to get you to think and observe for yourself. I want you to be able to defend your position with facts, not guesswork.”
Hiro described the training he knew in Japan: problem-solving was taught on the shop floor, took about seven years to master, and passed from supervisors to team members.
SPPS combines continued questioning with observation. The learner must gather facts, test an explanation, and defend a proposed solution rather than depend on a supervisor to supply it.
When to use it
When a manufacturing line experiences frequent breakdowns, use SPPS to ask operators about conditions and processes rather than immediately ordering repairs.
In software development, when a bug is reported, use questioning to understand the environment and user actions before diving into code fixes.
During team meetings, when a problem is presented, resist offering solutions and instead ask the team clarifying questions to guide them toward root cause analysis.
When troubleshooting a customer complaint, go to the actual location (Gemba) and ask open-ended questions to understand the situation fully before proposing a solution.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Crane Alarm Problem at Toyota
Team members reported they couldn't hear the overhead crane warning alarm. Instead of focusing on the alarm volume, the mentor suggested the real problem might be that team members were in an unsafe area. Going to the floor revealed that team members were in a safe area and the noise was louder than the alarm bells. The visit pointed to either making the alarms louder or reducing the surrounding noise.
Hiro's Training with His Supervisor
Hiro learned problem-solving by being asked questions every time he brought a problem to his supervisor. The supervisor explained that his role was not to give answers but to teach problem-solving by asking questions, ensuring that Hiro could think and observe for himself and defend his position with facts.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Think of a recent problem you encountered. How could applying the questioning technique (SPPS) help you uncover the root cause rather than just symptoms?
In your current role, how can you shift from giving answers to asking guiding questions when helping others solve problems?
Recall a time when you jumped to a solution without firsthand observation. What questions could you have asked to gain a fresh perspective?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Thinking in Systems and Mental Models Think Like a Super Thinker (Dawson, Marcus P)