Manufacturing Scenarios
1. Defective Products (Mobile Screens)
Possible Causes Using Fishbone Diagram:
Man (People): Lack of training, human errors in assembly.
Machine: Calibration issues, outdated equipment.
Material: Low-quality glass or adhesives.
Method: Poor quality control process.
Measurement: Inconsistent inspection standards.
Environment: Humidity affecting adhesive bonding.
Solution:
Conduct training for workers.
Regular machine maintenance.
Improve quality control.
Use high-quality materials.
2. Machine Breakdown (Packaging Machine)
Possible Causes:
Man: Operators not following SOPs.
Machine: Lack of preventive maintenance.
Material: Defective raw materials causing jams.
Method: Inefficient machine settings.
Measurement: Lack of real-time monitoring.
Environment: Dust accumulation affecting sensors.
Solution:
Regular preventive maintenance.
Train operators on correct machine usage.
Use high-quality packaging materials.
Install sensors for real-time tracking.
3. Production Delays (Car Manufacturing)
Possible Causes:
Man: Labor shortages, lack of skilled workers.
Machine: Frequent equipment breakdowns.
Material: Shortages or defective parts.
Method: Inefficient workflow, bottlenecks.
Measurement: Poor scheduling.
Environment: Power outages.
Solution:
Hire & train more workers.
Implement predictive maintenance.
Optimize supply chain.
Improve workflow automation.
Healthcare Scenarios
4. Long Wait Times (Emergency Department)
Possible Causes (4Ms – Man, Method, Material, Machine):
Man: Understaffed medical team.
Method: Poor triage system.
Material: Lack of beds & medical supplies.
Machine: Slow patient record system.
Solution:
Hire more staff.
Improve triage process.
Invest in more medical supplies.
Upgrade patient record system.
5. Medication Errors (Pharmacy)
Possible Causes:
Man: Pharmacists overloaded with work.
Method: Poor prescription verification.
Material: Similar-looking medication packaging.
Machine: Outdated dispensing system.
Solution:
Introduce double-check system.
Reduce pharmacist workload.
Redesign medication packaging.
Implement an automated dispensing system.
IT & Software Development Scenarios
6. Website Downtime (E-commerce Site Crashes)
Possible Causes:
Man: Lack of experienced IT staff.
Machine: Server capacity issues.
Method: Poor traffic management.
Measurement: No real-time performance monitoring.
Solution:
Increase server capacity.
Use load balancing techniques.
Implement 24/7 monitoring.
Train IT staff for better troubleshooting.
7. Software Bugs (Mobile App Issues)
Possible Causes:
Man: Inexperienced developers.
Machine: Insufficient testing tools.
Method: Poor coding practices.
Measurement: Lack of QA testing.
Solution:
Conduct rigorous software testing.
Use automated bug detection.
Train developers in best coding practices.
Retail & Customer Service Scenarios
8. Declining Sales (Retail Store)
Possible Causes:
Man: Poor customer service.
Material: Outdated product selection.
Method: Ineffective marketing.
Measurement: Incorrect sales forecasting.
Solution:
Train staff in customer service.
Update product offerings.
Improve marketing strategies.
Use better sales forecasting tools.
9. High Employee Turnover (Call Center)
Possible Causes:
Man: Lack of job satisfaction.
Method: Poor work policies.
Measurement: No feedback mechanism.
Environment: High work pressure.
Solution:
Improve work conditions.
Offer better incentives.
Conduct regular employee feedback sessions.
Education & Training Scenarios
10. Low Student Performance (University)
Possible Causes:
Man: Untrained teachers.
Method: Ineffective teaching methods.
Material: Outdated study materials.
Environment: Lack of motivation among students.
Solution:
Train teachers with new techniques.
Use interactive learning tools.
Update curriculum.
Provide student motivation programs.
11. Ineffective Training Programs (Corporate Training)
Possible Causes:
Man: Trainers lack industry knowledge.
Method: Outdated training techniques.
Material: Irrelevant course content.
Measurement: No performance tracking.
Solution:
Hire expert trainers.
Use modern training methods.
Update course content.
Implement training evaluation metrics.