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Problem Solving

Refining the art of asking why - 5 Why's

Refining the Art of Asking Why – How to get the right answers from 5 Why’s

In the current manufacturing and engineering environment, companies have complex problems triggering issues like scrap, non-scheduled overtime, poor product performance, and warranty claims, resulting in heavy losses and impacting bottom lines. Companies may try to solve these complex problems with traditional Root Cause Analysis methodologies, but often the expected results fall short. The most critical […]

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What is TransaXional Problem Solving?

What is TransaXional Problem Solving?

If your business is struggling with any issue that is not an engineering problem, TransaXional can help. Necessity Dictates Adaptation TransaXional is Shainin’s approach to solving and preventing business process problems. Dorian Shainin discovered that Pareto’s principle applied to the contributions of different root causes to the overall variation observed in the output of a

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What is Red X Problem Solving?

What is Red X Problem Solving?

In the current manufacturing and engineering environment, companies have complex problems triggering issues like scrap, non-scheduled overtime, poor product performance, and warranty claims, resulting in heavy losses and impacting bottom lines. Companies may try to solve these complex problems with traditional Root Cause Analysis methodologies, but often the expected results fall short. The most critical

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Header image for Trouble-free Launches with Resilient Engineering - featuring two engineers having a discussion in a facility

Trouble-Free Launches with Resilient Engineering

Modernizing Product Development The tools that helped us improve product designs and manufacturing processes since the 1970s are holding us back from reaching the expectations of today.   Traditional techniques, like Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), have become outdated. While FMEA has significantly contributed to quality improvements – transforming defect measurement from defects per hundred

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Improve Problem Solving Skills to Grow Continuous Improvement

Improving your problem-solving skills is essential to Continuous Improvement Now that you’re familiar with the Six Key Elements of Problem-Solving Methods, it’s a good time to consider why improving your problem-solving skill is important for continuous improvement.   The market demands that businesses continually innovate to stay competitive. Innovation brings changes to products and processes

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6Key Elements of Problem Solving depicted as icons.

Six Key Elements of Effective Problem-Solving Methods 

There have been many articles written about the important steps in a problem-solving method: Clearly define the problem, Evaluate the measurement system, etc. Because of this, nearly every problem-solving framework you come across will contain these same steps. And when there are such similarities, it can often be difficult to distinguish what makes one method

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Maximizing Your Problem-Solving Potential: Embracing Versatility in Problem Solving Methods

Not every problem solving methodology is right for every problem. And as we continue our series on Problem Solving, it is crucial to emphasize the importance of aligning problem-solving projects with company goals, and learning which problem-solving methodologies are best in certain situations or for certain groups.   In our previous articles (which you can see

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Title Slide for Drive Continuous Improvement by Tying Projects to Company Goals

Drive Continuous Improvement by Tying Projects to Company Goals

Continuous improvement is a cornerstone of success for any organization wanting to stay competitive in today’s dynamic world. To achieve sustained growth and efficiency, companies need to develop a culture of continuous improvement in all areas of their operations. A key strategy to drive a continuous improvement culture is aligning team projects with company goals.

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Title Slide for The Crucial role of focused leadership in problem solving

Unlocking Success: The Crucial Role of Focused Leadership in Problem Solving

Why successful problem solving efforts start at the top As manufacturing continues to face ever-evolving challenges, one thing remains clear: in today’s fast-paced and competitive landscape, companies cannot afford to waste time and resources on unaddressed or unimportant issues; making effective problem solving crucial for sustainable growth and production. This is where a focused leadership

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Dorian Awards Criteria

Team Project Awards

Product Development
PROJECT OF THE YEAR

This category recognizes technical problems solved during product development and launch. These projects typically have small sample sizes to work with. Product development begins the lifecycle of a product. Projects that win this award will demonstrate:

  • Potential impact of the problem.
  • Effective use of the Shainin Red X® tools to uncover the root cause.
  • The timeline of resolution from initial discovery to solution implemented. 
  • Explanation of lessons learned and how to use this knowledge in the future.

Dorian Awards Criteria

Team Project Awards

Field Reliability
PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Field failures impact more than just your bottom line. This category is dedicated to projects that focus on field issues such as ‘No Trouble Found’, fatigue failures, and other destructive or malfunction events. Projects that win this award will demonstrate:

  • Initial impact of the problem.
  • Creative and effective use of the Shainin Red X® tools to uncover the root cause.
  • Speed and efficiency in resolving the issue.  
  • Impact of resolving the problem.

Dorian Awards Criteria

Team Project Awards

PLANT MANUFACTURING
PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Manufacturing is a world all its own. With the fast-moving pace, the speed of solving problems matters. The Plant Manufacturing Project of the Year Award recognizes projects that resolve complex problems in ongoing production which impact the end user, company bottom line, production quality rates, and the like. Projects that win this award will demonstrate:

  • Technical difficulty or complexity in resolving the issue.
  • Creative and effective use of the Shainin Red X® tools to uncover the root cause.
  • How the solution or information discovered was leveraged.
  • Timeline for resolving the issue.
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John Abrahamian

Executive VP - Problem Solving

John Abrahamian is a highly respected problem solver as well as an expert in the field of Lean manufacturing, with a career spanning over three decades. Throughout his career, John has become renowned for his innovative approach to problem-solving and his unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction. 
  
After receiving his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Connecticut in 1985, John began his career as a design and development engineer at Pratt & Whitney. It was during this time that his interest in problem-solving first emerged. By 1994, John had become a Continuous Improvement Manager at the company. During his tenure, John led Pratt & Whitney’s efforts in Lean manufacturing and Value Engineering. 
  
In 1990, John began pursuing his MBA in Operations Management, where he was first introduced to the concept of Lean manufacturing, and this influenced the direction of his career. In 1996, he was encouraged by his Pratt & Whitney team to take Shainin Red X training, building on his Lean manufacturing efforts. This training proved to be a turning point in John’s career, igniting his passion for problem-solving and setting him on a path to becoming one of the industry’s most respected experts. 
  
In 1998, John joined Shainin, where he has spent the last 25 years pursuing his passion for problem-solving. During his time here, John has developed innovative approaches to problem-solving, having received a US Patent for a problem-solving method. He also integrated function analysis into Shainin methods, seeding what would ultimately become Resilient Engineering.  
  
Despite his busy schedule, John still finds time to pursue his hobbies, which include golfing, stand-up paddleboarding, and skeet shooting. He especially enjoys traveling with his wife and spending time with family, including his three grandsons. 
  
Having the opportunity to work in a wide variety of industries, experiencing different cultures and meeting new and interesting people gives John the kind of job satisfaction that makes him grateful to be in this field of work. He truly enjoys creating meaningful relationships with his customers and inspiring ordinary engineers to become extraordinary problem solvers. 

Dorian Awards Criteria

Red X® Master of the Year Award

The Red X® Master of the Year Award is for leaders with a Red X® Master Certification who have increased the impact of problem solving using Shainin technologies within their organization.

To be considered for this award, the submission must meet the following criteria:

  • Applies leadership skills to expand the impact of Shainin technologies within the organization.
  • Results include projects that made a significant impact improving business performance.
  • The number of individuals coached to certification.

Dorian Awards Criteria

Team Project Awards

This category of awards is for project teams who have demonstrated outstanding application of Shainin methodologies in solving complex problems within their company.

To be considered for this award, the submission must meet the following criteria:

  • Speed and efficiency of the problem solved
  • Technical difficulty and complexity of the problem solved
  • Project impact and leverage across the organization
  • Creative use of Shainin technologies
  • Clarity of the project documentation