Disciplined Problem Solving and 8D + Human Factors

8D Problem Solving Method

8D (Eight Disciplines) is a step-by-step team-orientated problem-solving methodology which identifies and corrects the root causes of events as opposed to simply addressing their symptoms –

• Act rapidly to put immediate containment action in place to protect the customer

• Find and fix the root cause with a permanent corrective action on all current product

• Prevent the recurrence of the problem in the future by identifying and implementing preventive action anywhere possible within the organization

• Formally report on progress in a customer-agreed format

Human Factors (HF) in Manufacturing

We’ve all heard the excuse: “it’s down to human error” with the assumption that there’s nothing we can do about it. Human Factors (HF) focuses on understanding why human errors occur in manufacturing operations –

• selecting and using the appropriate 'model' to search for root cause(s)

• finding and proving the root cause(s)

• then implementing effective ‘controls’ (barriers) to prevent; using practical psychology; or mitigate the consequences of human errors to downstream operations or the customer