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Evaluate and Agree on the Problem Solution

Having gathered all the group members’ suggested solutions, cut and paste their ideas into a new e-mail that you send to the problem-solving team. For example:

Subject: Donut Problem Solutions
From: Howard Uno
Date: Oct 17To: Donut Team

Dear Team:

What great responses you gave as to how we should solve the donut problem! Here is what you said:

1. Buy more donuts.

2. Wean ourselves off of donuts by replacing them with carrot and celery sticks one day a week.

3. Ration donuts based on body weight. Those who weigh more get less, and vice versa.

4. Change donut vendors so that we get fullsize donuts—maybe at a better price.

5. Hold a weekly contest: whoever eats the fewest donuts gets to come in 30 minutes later on Fridays.

Please look these potential solutions over and let me know—by noon Friday please—which one you think will work the best. As you evaluate these potential solutions, please keep the following in mind. - Is this a solution our team can implement? - What will the short-term and long-term impact of this solution be? - Is this soulution relatively low cost? - Do we have the resources currently available to solve this problem? - Is this a solution management will buy into?

Thanks,

Howie

Once you have received input from the team regarding what they think is the best solution, send an e-mail that notifies everyone of the most popular solution. For example:

Subject: Donut Problem Solution
From: Howard Uno
Date: Oct 20
To: Donut Team

Dear Team:

Thanks for your responses. Your solution to the donut problem is: Wean ourselves off of donuts by replacing them with carrot and celery sticks one day a week. Also, another popular solution is: Hold a weekly contest: whoever eats the fewest donuts gets to come in 30 minutes later on Fridays. I see no reason why we can’t adopt both of these ideas. It will save us money—and, more importantly, keep us healthy.I will set up an action plan and forward you the details as soon as I’ve worked them out. Thank you for your great work on this!

Best,

Howie

What problems could you solve? What are some of the problems that you could work on using this e-mail problem-solving technique? For the best outcome, choose problems that you have a good deal of control over. Problems that lay outside your immediate sphere of influence will be harder to implement—no matter how good the solution.

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