Combining Quality Tools for Effective Problem Solving

Purpose
This paper provides quality practitioners with a diverse set of tools that have a wide range of uses. These tools are already known to many professionals in the field of quality; however, this paper will use a hypothetical case study to show how the use of quality tools can be interlinked. Readers of this paper will also understand how to take a collection of brainstorming ideas and turn it into actionable items.
Design/methodology/approach
Quality tools from the literature are briefly discussed and illustrated with a simple example. A hypothetical case study is then used to show the use of the tools for addressing a realistic situation. The examples are generic so that they can easily be understood across manufacturing and service industries.
Findings
The concepts presented are illustrated by a hypothetical case study at the end of the paper. This paper provides quality practitioners with guidance on the use 14 of simple and easy to use tools with a wide range of applications. In addition, it shows how the use of one tool may lead to the use of a different tool.
Originality/value
Although the quality tools presented are not new, the translation of an Ishikawa diagram into an action item tracking list is unknown in the reviewed literature and will be a great asset to those who have multiple
hypotheses to investigate during a root cause analysis.

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Quality tools, Problem solving, Issue management, Root cause analysis.