There are various problems a company faces in its day-to-day operations. These problems can be solved by management without any difficulties. But certain changes will cause a major problem for companies that are used to the earlier ways of functioning. One of the things that are troubling many of the traditional small and medium businesses is the arrival of digital technology in business. There is a huge change in the way business is being done with the advent of digital technology and online marketing. Companies need to make major changes in the way they functioned and this is seen as a problem by many companies. But there are great opportunities that lie with integrating the new technology in business. You can use problem-solving services in Singapore to turn the problem into a great opportunity.
The first step to solving a problem is to define the problem correctly. You must look at the problem rather than the symptoms. It is essential to first find the root cause of the problem. Find out what is at the center of the problem instead of looking at irrelevant incidences which may be a fall-out of the actual problem. Once you solve the problem itself then all the reactions to it will also stop completely.
A problem can have different opinions. The opinions must be rejected and the actual problem studied in detail. You must first find out which process has the problem. There are several processes and functions in a company. A problem in one of the processes may reflect in other places. So, find the actual place where the problem occurred and try to find a solution for that. A quick fix solution will only aggravate the problem instead of solving it.
A problem may even be the result of wrong functioning in one of the many places where the process starts. For example, if there are problems with payroll management, the cause could be in any of the places where information is collected to make the payroll. The information for the payroll comes from different departments. You must find out whether all the departments are passing the information at the right time for payroll preparation. Is there a system in place to ensure that the information about attendance, leave and deductions to be made in the salary are all available to the payroll manager on time?
It is also essential to find out if there are clear policies for the preparation of payroll. One must know the policies that are laid down for deciding the salaries and how salary deductions should be done. Are all employees treated in the same way when it comes to hours of work? Are there certain employees who have flexible working times? Such policy changes could also make it difficult to prepare the payroll. It is essential to analyze a problem from different angles and see where is the cause of the problem.
In the case of the payroll preparation problem, the root cause of the problem must be the non-availability of information to the payroll manager. He or she may not be getting the information about attendance, leave and other aspects from the different department heads. Without this information, it is not possible to prepare the payroll properly or on time. It is essential to find out which department is not passing on the information on time to the payroll section.
You must also investigate the reasons for the department head not passing on the information on time. There could be different shifts in the department that makes it difficult to get the attendance on time. There could be both contracts and regular workers in the department and that might take time for passing on information. If there is a lack of proper system then that cause must be addressed.
It is essential to find out as many solutions as possible for the problem. It is not good to find one solution and immediately start implementing it. When you start exploring multiple solutions you will be probably hit at the best one over time. It is not always the first solution that is the best one. Once you have decided what is the problem to be solved, then it is easy to find many solutions to it. Bringing in all the stakeholders can help in developing a good solution.
It is also essential to understand that a complex and costly solution need not be the best one. A simple solution that is easy to implement and economical is best. Allowing the time to consider all the alternatives available may help you arrive at a solution that is most suitable for all the people involved in the process. Considering many alternatives allows you to completely solve the problem permanently.
This is very important if you want the solution to be effectively implemented. Hand over the responsibility of implementing the solution to people who are involved in the process. Ensure that they understand their role in the implementation of the solution and how they are going to go about it. They must assume ownership of the job and complete it within a set timeframe. That is the only way to make the problem go away quickly.
You must make sure that there is a follow up on the working of the solution. The results must be analyzed and measured. One should know how effective the solution has been in removing the problem and making work easier. For this purpose, it is essential to build a feedback mechanism as part of the implementation of the solution. There must be feedback channels built-in with the solution. Only continuous monitoring will tell you whether the solution is working as per your expectations. There must be an actual vs expectation analysis to see the effectiveness of the solution.