ABSTRACT
A workaround is a short-term response to an immediate problem that does nothing to prevent the problem from occurring again. Instead of assuming that an individual is to blame, unless proven otherwise, a Lean thinker starts by assuming the problem is with the process or the system, unless proven otherwise. Time pressures on employees and managers often prevent us from doing deeper analysis and problem solving. At a hospital pharmacy that had not yet implemented Lean, pharmacists spent a good deal of time inspecting physician medication orders and patient charts, looking for errors or process defects. An employee may become known as an expert in working around problems and is often called on to work around problems for others. A reported problem might actually only be occurring in one department in one hospital within our system. When data are available, Pareto charts can be helpful statistical tools to focus problem-solving efforts.
