This post includes the top 5 most read posts on my blog of 2012. Thank you to everyone in the community for reading, commenting and sharing my content in 2012. I really appreciate what you readers, friends, colleagues and more have done. You constantly inspire me, this is why I believe I wouldn't been able to build and grow my blog by myself.
PDCA, PDSA, DMAIC, IDEA, classical approach are all different problem solving methodologies. Their use can fix and resolve many problems and compete a variety of projects. The PDCA cycle it’s a graphical and logical representation of how most individuals already solve problems. It helps to think that every activity and job is part of a process, that each stage has a customer and that the improvement cycle will send a superior product or service to the final customer. PLAN: establish a plan to achieve a goal DO: enact the plan CHECK: measure and analyse the results ACT: implement necessary reforms if results are not as expected 
The PDSA or Plan-Do-Study-Act continuous improvment spiral is a team oriented problem solving technique. The team focus objective is to improve the input and the output of any stage. As the PDCA, the PDSA - by Edwards Deming - are very useful techniques in product/process improvement projects. PLAN: what change could be desirable? DO: carry out the change or test preferably on small scale. STUDY: observe the changes of what has been done. ACT: study the results; what lessons was learned? What can be predicted from what was learned? Results may indicate that at least for now, no change at all is needed. Repeat step 1 with the new knowledge accumulated. Repeat step 2 and onward. 
Classical approach with the main team problem solving steps IDENTIFY business or customer problem and select one using one of more of these tools: brainstorming, check sheets, PDCA, customer feedback, pareto charts, process flow. DEFINE the problem and reduce it to smaller units so as to solve them one by one using these tools: fishbone diagrams, chech sheets, VSM, systematic troubleshooting, Pareto and process flow diagrams. INVESTIGAGE the problem collecting all sort of data and facts. ANALYZE the problem to find all the possible causes and prioritize them: brainstorming, check sheets, fishbone diagrams, Pareto and process flow diagrams, systematic troubleshooting, DOE, hypothesis testing. SOLVE the problem by chosing from the solutions available those with the greatest organizational benefit: obtain approval and support from the management and start with implementing the solution. CONFIRM the results making sure that problems stay fixed, collecting and keeping record of the implemented solution.
The IDEA problem solving loop is similar in nature to the PDCA and DMAIC process cycles. The process of IDEA consists of basic step-by-step questions to guide the problem solving team toward new and innovative solutions. The IDEA report is formatted so that the four steps are concisely and clearly displayed on one page. INVESTIGATE: provide a problem statment, background information, determine the cause of the problem. DESIGN: envision the idealized future state, suggest several solutions, indicate the potentially best solution. EXECUTE: detail key goals of the project, outline the implementation steps, indicate expected project impact. ADJUST: Reflect on the project outcome and results.
Engaging With Contextual Relevance To Build Customer Relationship
In the multi-screen environment information and contents must be Accurate, Relevant, Transparent (ART) and consumers must have access to tools to pull them where and when they require. ...