Just-Do-It: the obvious fix, done right away and written down at once.
Just-Do-It is the route for a simple problem at one workstation where the fix is obvious: you do it right away, without a team or a form. With SolveR the operator closes the case from a phone and the record writes itself, so even a quick fix stays in the knowledge base for the next person.
When to use Just-Do-It, and when not to
You pick Just-Do-It when the cause is known or found on the spot, the problem sits at one workstation, and neither a customer nor safety is involved. A shift has plenty of problems like these, and they are exactly the ones that often go unrecorded today: something gets settled quickly on the floor, and nothing is written down. Just-Do-It differs from immediate containment in step D3 of an 8D by its purpose: it removes a cause that is known.
The operator or the team lead on the shift opens the case, phone in hand. The quality engineer gets a record of the small fixes too, without anyone filling in a form.
Example: an air leak at one station, today and with SolveR
Demo case: an air leak at one station, caused by a worn seal.
| Today | With SolveR |
|---|---|
| The operator replaces the worn part and moves on. The fix works, and the knowledge is gone. | The operator opens the case from a phone, right at the workstation. |
| Nobody opens an 8D or a 4-Step for a worn seal, so the shift book gets one line at best. | The cause is recorded and confirmed by observation: the seal wore out in regular use. |
| A line in the shift book has no cause, no result and no owner. | The action is recorded: the seal is replaced the same day, and the neighbouring unit is checked by an agreed date. |
| Nobody notices a repeat at the same station, because there is no record. | The case closes with a record. The next time someone describes a leak at this station, this case comes up. |
At the meeting we show it on one of your own cases.
What you get
A one-page record that writes itself while the operator fixes the problem: the problem, the cause and how it was confirmed, the action and the closure. The operator closes the case from a phone. A record like this has what a line in the shift book lacks: a cause and a result.
What SolveR does
The record is built from what the operator enters during the work, so there is no separate form to fill in. SolveR suggests actions from your plant's closed cases and shows the source of each suggestion. The operator decides.
The Just-Do-It steps
- 1CaptureWhat happened and where
- 2Find causeThe cause, confirmed on the spot
- 3ActAn action, done right away
- 4CloseCase closed, record kept
A cause that someone merely states is not yet confirmed. It is confirmed by observation on the spot, a test or an earlier case from the same station. That is why a closed case counts like any other: it has a confirmed cause and an action.
One knowledge base for every method
A quick fix is there for the next person just like a closed 8D, with its cause and action. If the problem comes back or turns out not to be simple, you open a new case in 4-Step or 8D, and the earlier Just-Do-It comes up among the similar solved cases. Every closed case feeds Brain, so the next similar problem is solved faster.
You can also ask Brain. Your data stays in the EU, see Security & Architecture. Why problems keep coming back when nobody can find the earlier fix is the subject of the blog post Europe's productivity is stuck in spreadsheets.
Questions about Just-Do-It
What is a Just-Do-It in Lean Six Sigma?
In lean manufacturing and Lean Six Sigma, a Just-Do-It is a simple improvement that you carry out quickly, without extensive analysis, planning or a project. It fits when the action is clear and can be done right away. Similar quick improvements also go by the names quick win and Quick Kaizen. In SolveR, Just-Do-It is the route for a simple problem at one workstation.
What is the difference between 8D containment (D3) and a Just-Do-It?
Containment in step D3 limits the damage while the cause is still unknown: you hold the parts, sort them or send the customer replacements. A Just-Do-It removes a cause that is already known, in one step. When you do not know the cause, you start with 4-Step or, for a customer complaint, with 8D.
When is a Just-Do-It enough, and when do you need 4-Step, 8D or DMAIC?
A Just-Do-It is enough when the cause is known or found on the spot, the problem sits at one workstation and the action can be done right away. You need 4-Step when the cause still has to be found, 8D for a customer complaint, a safety issue or a recurrence, and DMAIC when the process varies and the cause cannot be found without data.
Why record even a small fix done on the spot?
Because without a record nobody notices that the same problem keeps coming back at the same station. A line in the shift book has no cause, no result and no owner, so the next person cannot find it and cannot learn what helped. A Just-Do-It record is built during the work, so the operator has no form to fill in.
What happens if the problem comes back?
When someone describes the same problem, the earlier Just-Do-It comes up with the cause and the action that helped back then. If it keeps coming back, the problem was not simple: you open a 4-Step or, if a customer is involved, an 8D, and the earlier record shows what has already been tried.
Other methods
Every team picks the method that fits the problem, and one knowledge base stands behind all of them.
Bring a few small problems from your last shift to the call.