Trancript

Welcome, to the next lecture on Checklist. In this module we are seeing how to – what are the creativity blocks? What are the creativity tools we can use? Now that we have created ‘n’ number of solutions and now we have to go to the next level to improvise our creativity thought process. So we would see this in this lecture about checklist.

Introduction:

Question check listing is a simple but effective problem-solving activity. It is straightforward to use and easy to adapt to any specific circumstance. Using a set of structured question encourages both broad and deep analysis on a situation or a problem. See you have to be as broad as possible and deep as possible. People say we will go broader and, broader and, broader when you go broader and broader and broader in your problem so then you miss out a deeper understanding. So, this check listing is a very powerful tool which will try to have a broader as well as a deeper understanding of the problem. The question themselves may be simple but when used as part of the checklist they become a powerful management tool. We would insist that those people who are working in the area of developing agricultural implements to follow this check listing procedure. The tool uses your question hierarchy. In this hierarchy what broadly states the situation or the problem although, why is the arguable we the most powerful question you can ask. “What” broadly States the situation “Why” arguably sets the most powerful question you can ask. Asking ‘Why’ forces you to consider the significance of the problem and thus the nature of your response. Repeatedly asking why can enable a deeper understanding of the problem, essentially for getting to the root cause.

Next, you should use “how“,” where“,” who” and “when“. These questions are designed to both deepen and broaden your analysis. “Why” are used to go towards a deeper understanding “how”,” where”,” who” and “when” helps you towards broader as well as deeper understanding. When combining into your question checklist they become both a tool for analyzing and the solving problem. The following image in the next slide shows the structure of the question checklist and includes some examples for more detail, follow-up questions, it is easy to develop a checklist to suit your own situation. So I was talking about “why”? So, let us ask a simple question for ourself. Why am I not able to perform this task? Because I don’t have an understanding of the process. Why you don’t have understanding of the process, because nobody has taught me to do this process in a systematic manner. Why nobody has taught you because you are the first customer to use the product. Why are you the first customer, because this product was developed exclusively for you now. Now you see we have gone step by step by, step by, step asking why and we have gone almost to the root cause. So asking five times why is very powerful. When a child is born it always starts asking you questions – Why is it so? How is it so? Many a times we don’t have solutions to it, we try to avoid giving answers to these questions. So, asking why is to be encouraged. If you ask why then you will understand the problem more in clarity. So, these are the questions which are structurally arranged.

First, is “What” so, what do I want to achieve? Next is, What are the facts? Next, is what would happen if no decision was made or solution found? You are trying to solve this problem. You are not able to get the solution. So, if this still this existing solution if you are happy then why at all to solve this problem. Next, what do I need in order to find a solution? First, of all you should ask so, that all I have to solve this problem if you have to solve this problem, what do I need in order to solve this problem. Why do I want to achieve a solution? Why did the problem or theopportunity arise? Why do I need to find a solution or a way forward at all ? Ask five Whys. This is all a structured thing for why. How will the situation be different ? Suppose, you are trying to use a product on a sunny day. The same product when you use in a fog day or on a cold winter day, how does it respond? Does it still work? For example, if you use this tea leaf plucker your hand is exposed to the environment. So, you will start shivering, when you start shivering you will not be able to achieve the product output. So, that’s what I said how will the situation be different at different seasons ? How relevant is this information I am gathering? So suppose if they say for every 15 minutes we will take a break, and then we used to relax for some time and then start doing it. Is this information very important? Yes, it is important because that tries to talk about the fatiqueness which the employee undergoes. Suppose, if they say green color if you have then it becomes more appealing. So, is this information really required? You can ask right. Next, is how can I find out more? If something is stopping ,or if they don’t give more reasons, or if they don’t give more insights, so then you should ask how can I find out more? So, that means to say I asked 10 people, and whatever the ten people saying are contradicting each other, I need to have more information. How do I do it? I can start looking through the internet browser for data, I can talk to experts and collect more, then I can go to another village and collect more, or I can try to go understand . What is the practice in another country? How can I find out more? Then, how can I involve relevant people? So, these are all the different house which is to be taken to understand in a structured manner. Where, where did the issue arise? Where does it impact? Is this where important? If so why? Next, Who am I trying to please? Who care about this situation? Who is affected? Who is involved in, that means to say information help action. Who need to be informed? So these are the different “whose” which you should ask or after doing the brainstorming session you should put all these questions. Then, last “When” did the issue arise ?When do we need to act then, by when must it be resolved? So, these are the things where in which it talks about time which is getting integrated into the solution.

So, five W’s What – what this is really the first question you ask when you are trying to gather requirements for projects to define the scope. It gets no simpler than what do we do? That is the first W. Next, is Why, as I told you why am I doing it and ask five times why to go towards the root cause. Next, who are your stakeholders, team, customer, that will work on sponsor and ultimately get benefited through your project. “When” sometimes this question, gets asked before all the questions, we discussed about get to discuss about to get the answer. You need to know “Why”, “What”, and “Who”, will be part of your project before you can adequately answer when it will get completed. So, “When” is time-bound. As, I told you in the previous slide also, “when” is time-bound. The next, one is “Where” where did you get this data? Where are you going to implement? Who is going to solve it? So then, after all is said and done, where will your project be done and how will it be done ?

To summarize:

Checklisting is a whole proofing tool for covering all the questions that are needed to be answered in the ideation process. So this can also parallely happen during brainstorming session itself. But after the brainstorming also you can do this. You structure it. S checklist should have five W’s (What, Why Where, Who, and When) and finally you should have and How will you execute it.

Thank you very much.