The 8 Disciplines problem solving method or the 8D is the method of going into the root cause of the problem through the effort of the cross functional team to eliminate the errors by taking corrective actions based on the facts and not opinions. The origin can be traced back to US during the Second World War when it was known as the ‘Military Standard 1520 (Corrective Action and Disposition System for Nonconforming Material). But this technique gained popularity on the documentation of the same by the Ford Motor Company in the 1980s.

The 8D process was widely adopted by the automotive industry where nonconformity and recurring issues can turn out to be very expensive. The 8D involves the following processes;

• Establish a team which consists of the people with the right knowledge, skill, who has the time and authority to identify and correct the problem, guided by an effective team leader and supported by proper procedures. Team building tools like ice breakers helps in creating a rapport between the team members making them effective.

• Describe the problem, internal or external, in quantifiable terms. The 5W2H analysis –who, what, when, where, why, how often and how many – helps in getting an insight into the problem. The ‘who’ describes the person who is affected by the problem, who noticed it and who has not and to whom it was reported. ‘What’ helps to identify the nature of the problem. ‘When’ analyses the time when it was detected and when it could have been detected. ‘Where’ probes into the exact location of the problem which gives light to whether this was a predictable location or not and the other places where there are chances of it recurring. ‘Why’ analyses the reason for considering it as a problem. ‘How often’ examines the frequency with which the problem repeats, thus throwing the light on the trend set of the predicament. It could be continuous or cyclical in nature. Identification of the same is inevitable for reaching into a solution. ‘How many’ denotes the impact the problem has on the time, money and the employees. The sum total of these helps in the identification of the problem.

• Interim Containment Actions must be identified and introduced into the system until a permanent solution has been attained. The interim solution must be monitored to ensure that it has been successful in suppressing the problem for the time being.

• Identify and verify the root cause of the problem. The various possibilities for the problem must be identified and each cause must be analysed on the basis of its impact to the matter in hand to pin point the root cause. The root cause could be the ‘root cause of the event’ which is the reason for the event or the ‘root cause of escape’ which allowed the problem to escape without detection.

• Choose and verify the permanent corrective action plan to eliminate the root cause and to confirm that the new solution will help in the eradication of the same without creating any undesired side effects. Contingency plans to prevent the side effects must be identified on the basis of its severity of the problem.

• Implementation and validation of the Permanent Corrective Actions (PCA) is the next step involved in the 8D process. The corrective measure must be introduced into the system and the existing control systems must verify that the root cause has been eliminated. Additions, if any, to ensure the removal of the root cause must be made as and when required.

• Prevent recurrence of the same problem by providing better training to the employees, improving the practices and the procedures, reviewing the work flow, etc. Reviewing the manufacturing work instructions, control plans, etc helps to guarantee the prevention of the entry of the same problem into the system.

• Recognition of the team effort by publicising the effort of the team and using it for further learning add as a motivation for the efforts put in.

An addition of the D0 has been adopted by a few companies before D8 which include the identification of the warning sign that called for the Emergency Response actions, which had to be taken before the actual entry of the D8 process.

The 8D system of problem solving is a highly effective tool as it identifies the effectiveness of the existing control system besides the recognition and eradication of the root cause of the problem. Its success is dependent on the effectiveness of the training imparted to the team in data collection and analysis through the usage of various tools like Fishbone diagrams, etc. If trained, this is an effective tool in the hands of the management.