個案總覽

This sequel to Can You Analyze This Problem? (May-June 1965) describes the Kepner-Tregoe concepts and procedures for problem analysis. The main steps of a systematic approach to problem analysis include defining the problem, outlining the specifications, spotting the distinction, seeking the cause, and, if necessary, respecifying the problem. The use of a specification worksheet allows managers to draw a boundary around the problem and to limit the information needed for the problem's solution to only the relevant facts. In solving the problem of the case study, precise specification and careful problem analysis uncover a previously overlooked cause and prevent action which might have produced an even more serious problem.

The Kepner-Tregoe approach replaces hit-or-miss methods with a systematic method of problem solving and decision making. Managers who train in this concept of problem analysis often discover that their reasoning methods in handling problems and decisions are faulty. Readers test their own reasoning powers against the problems presented in a case history, based on an actual situation, and can then compare the results of their analysis with the solutions presented in a subsequent article, How to Analyze That Problem (July-August 1965). The main issues of the case involve questions concerning production, labor relations, and personnel.