Early in my
career as a Quality Claims Investigator for a textile company, I was flown to
Denver, Colorado, to “save” a fast food uniform program. A box of knit shirts
had arrived in my office the day before. Our customer claimed the fabric was
“falling apart” in the field.
It was true.
The shirts were in poor shape: severely faded color with holes, snags, and
rips. The knit shirt program was just a few months old. What happened to our
fabric?
During the
next two days, I visited 6 different pizza delivery stores during two shifts to
observe our product “in the field.” This visit became pivotal to developing my
quality problem solving techniques.
This is what I learned:
Communication.
Talk to the end user. Although it is important to develop a relationship with management,
the end user provides a wealth of information about product performance. In my
example, the end user was a pizza delivery employee.
Consistency.
Ask open ended questions and ask all end
users the same questions. I developed a questionnaire to use in the field.
Despite many distractions and numerous employees, I collected valuable data.
Observation.
Be curious and observe the product in use. Is it being used the way you assumed?
The key to my case was a washer and dryer in the back room.
Patience.
Be
prepared to wait. Show consideration of break or lunch times. Work your
investigation around their schedule. In my fast food fieldwork, I sat in the
backroom waiting out the lunch rush. I used that time to compile my notes and
observe my surroundings.
Humility.
Often during this research, comments were made about my company making the
horrible shirts. I remained calm and explained that I was there to conduct an
investigation to solve a mutual problem. I didn’t have the answers and needed
their help.
Problem Solved!
My fieldwork
investigation revealed several factors leading to fabric failure:
1 - The uniform
shirts were being worn on 2 shifts for 7 days a week. Employees selected shirts
from stock laundered at the store. This practice accelerated fabric wear.
2 - Name tag
pins were often laundered with the shirts. Snags and holes were caused by the
movement of shirts and pins in the washer and dryer.
3 - Broken
plastic filters in the dryers caused snags and rips in the shirts.
The 5 problem
solving keys of communication, consistency, observation, and patience served me
well in the pizza store case. The
uniform program was saved. My fieldwork became a specialty, and was marketed as
a value-added feature of our fabric program.
In his
January post, Bill Troy shares points he gained in discussion with Paul O’Neill,
expert in healthcare economics and former Secretary of the Treasury. Click here
to read that inspirational article.
