Beyond Folders : 5 whys

LEAN on Me: Using the 5 Whys to Eliminate Stress from Your Day-to-Day

Community Manager — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:45:00 GMT

Eliminate the unnecessary. This could be a bumper sticker for the "stress less" ethos we advocate in the Beyond Folders Blog. From purging unused paperwork, computer files or jettisoning low-priority, time wasting tasks, the Beyond Folders bloggers advocate organizing your work and home life to achieve balance, efficiency and maximum productivity.

Regular readers of the Beyond Folders blog know that I am an enthusiastic advocate of the 5 Whys, a problem solving method used by proponents of LEAN manufacturing, a business practice focused on reducing waste and improving quality. The 5 Whys is a question-and-answer process that reveals the root cause of a problem and in turn, a solution. Try applying the 5 Whys to what is causing you stress. As you work through the 5 Whys, does an opportunity to ameliorate the situation present itself?

I would also direct readers to an eye-opening article by Peter Bregman for the Harvard Business Review. A Practical Plan for When You Feel Overwhelmed brings a certain rigor to the task of eliminating stress. The article suggests incremental, measurable ways to tackle tasks that appear insurmountable. Bregman demonstrates that all assignments, all situations, can be tamed a task at a time.

Finally, you may have heard the buzz about Google's new Priority Inbox; it's worth a look to see if it can help tame e-mail overload. Check out Google Priority Inbox Soothes Email-Overload Stress.

Do you have a method for handling stress? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Bradley Eggers

The Whys of Resume Writing

Community Manager — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:19:00 GMT

An up-to-date resume is a must-have for job hunter and job holder alike. Given today's uncertain economy, the smart employee is continually working to improve their personal brand, enhance their skills and have a marketable, well-written resume in their job hunting toolbox.

Make the Most of Your Resume

Compelling resumes are more than just well-written and carefully proofed; a persuasive resume clearly articulates a candidate's strengths. Don't fall into the common resume trap of putting down a laundry list of jobs, rather carefully asses what information best highlights your strengths and sells you for the role you wish to fill.

What to Put in? What to Leave out?

When assessing your work history and successes, carefully examine each piece of information you are considering for your resume. If it sells you, keep it in; if its extraneous information, detracting from your overall message and branding, get rid of it. I like to think of this as "5-Whying" your resume.

The 5 Whys, which I've posted about in the past in Problem Solving with the 5 Whys is a useful business practice focused on reducing waste and improving quality. What better way to streamline and polish your resume?

So let's get started. Look at each bullet point or job description on your resume. Does it reflect well on you? Does it enhance your marketability? Distinguish you from the competition? Does each sentence "sell" you? Is it relevant to the position to which you are applying? If the answers to any of these questions is "no," the information either needs to be re-written or eliminated.

Consider 5-Whying your resume with a friend or a colleague. It's often difficult to assess ourselves or our work with dispassion and detachment. Ask your reader to apply the 5 Why's to your resume; this will help you gauge how another set of eyes perceive your resume and its persuasiveness.

For more information on how to decide what information should (and should not) be on your resume, I've collected the following useful resources:

What do you look for in an applicant's resume? Do you have tips for resume do's and don'ts? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Bradley Eggers

Problem Solving with the 5 Whys

Community Manager — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:18:00 GMT

Anyone who has ever spent time with young children has heard the question:"Why?" over and over again. Kids are onto something: "why" is not only a classic information gathering tool, it does double duty as a problem-solving device.

Consider the 5 Whys, a problem solving method developed by car-making kingpin Saikichi Toyoda of Toyota Industries. Toyoda advocated a 5-step question and answer process to discover the root cause of a problem and find a solution. Today, the 5 Whys are used by proponents of lean manufacturing-a business practice that focuses on reducing waste-to solve problems, improve quality, and reduce costs.

Why ask Why?

So how do the 5 Whys work? Here is an example from Lean Tool Box How-To: Five Why's Problem Solving.

The problem: A key piece of equipment failed.

1. Why did the equipment fail? Because the circuit board burned out.

2. Why did the circuit board burn out? Because it overheated.

3. Why did it overheat? Because it wasn't getting enough air.

4. Why was it not getting enough air? Because the filter wasn't changed.

5. Why was the filter not changed? Because there was no preventive maintenance schedule to do so.

Solution: Develop a preventive maintenance schedule.

In this example, the 5 Whys neatly lead to a useful and easily executable solution. Problem solved. However, problems can be more intractable so care should be taken to develop an effective problem statement. If the problem is inaccurately characterized, every step that follows will be wrong. Remain open to amending the problem statement as you learn more during your investigation. Also, take care not to combine multiple problems into one.

For more on the 5 Whys, we've assembled some useful resources:

Have you found the 5 Whys helpful in problem solving? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Bradley Eggers