Lean Problem Solving Consulting From TXM Lean Solutions
Problems happen at every level of an organisation — and most businesses treat the symptoms instead of the cause.
In any complex operation, problems are constant: quality defects, machine downtime, late deliveries, material shortages. Many businesses become very good at firefighting — patching the symptom to keep production moving at all costs. It feels like progress, but it builds in cost, hides quality risk, and guarantees the same problems come back next week.
TXM’s lean problem solving consulting takes a different path. We coach your people to find the true root cause and fix it for good, using a structured method simple enough to use every single day. The result is fewer recurring problems, lower cost, and a team that improves the business without waiting for help.
With TXM’s lean problem solving consulting, your business will:
- Stop recurring problems at the root cause, not the symptom
- Cut downtime, rework, scrap and quality escapes
- Make decisions on facts, not opinion or blame
- Engage front-line teams in improving their own work
- Free leaders from daily firefighting to focus on growth
- Build a self-sustaining culture of continuous improvement
What Is Lean Problem Solving?
Lean problem solving is a structured, root-cause approach to eliminating problems permanently rather than reacting to their symptoms. It gives everyone in your business – not just managers and specialists – a simple, repeatable way to identify an issue, find its real cause, and act on it as part of normal daily work.
Done well, lean problem solving shifts an organisation from reactive firefighting to disciplined . Problems become visible early, get solved at the source, and stay solved through standardised work. That is exactly what TXM’s consultants build with your teams.
The TXM Problem Solving Approach — Solving Problems Every Day (SPED)
Structured problem solving is a learned skill. Our trademarked Solving Problems Every Day (SPED) methodology gives your people the tools, the forum and the coaching to make problem solving a daily habit rather than an occasional event. As we say at TXM, a problem shared is ten problems solved.
SPED is built on the scientific method: we thoroughly investigate the core cause before devising a solution, test the solution by implementing it, then lock in the gain through new standard work. Here is how we coach it into your business.
1. Define the problem clearly
Most failed problem solving starts with a poorly defined problem. We coach your teams to — what is happening, where, when and how big — before anyone jumps to a solution.
2. Make problems visible every day
At the core of SPED is the magnetic concern strip — a simple visual tool that lets any team member raise an issue the moment it occurs. Reviewing concern strips in a short daily team meeting builds Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) thinking into everyday work and keeps the focus on solving, not blaming.
3. Find the true root cause
Day-to-day visibility is not enough on its own. For recurring or complex problems, we run weekly cross-functional deep dives using proven root-cause tools — the to surface every contributing factor, and the 5 Whys to drill into the most likely causes. This is where is built.
4. Implement and verify the corrective action
Once the root cause is clear, we agree a corrective action and put it to the test. For larger problems we use to structure the thinking, and the concern strip is used to monitor how well the fix has actually worked.
5. Lock in the gain with standard work
A problem is only solved when it cannot return. We help your teams capture the new method as standard work, so the improvement holds long after our consultant has left.
6. Build the habit – and the capability
SPED is designed to be sustained. We coach team leaders and front-line supervisors to run daily problem solving with confidence, reinforced through the . Where a problem genuinely needs heavier analysis, we escalate to more sophisticated statistical tools and techniques, but only when the problem warrants it.
A3 Problem Solving for Complex, Recurring Issues
For bigger or stubborn problems, TXM coaches your team in A3 problem solving — a single-page method that walks an issue from background and current state through root cause, countermeasures and follow-up. It keeps the thinking structured, visible and easy to review, so complex problems get solved with the same discipline as daily ones.
Firefighting vs Structured Problem Solving
Most operations default to firefighting. Structured problem solving is what separates businesses that keep solving the same problems from those that eliminate them for good.
| Reactive Firefighting | TXM Structured Problem Solving (SPED) | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Treats the symptom to keep going | Eliminates the root cause |
| Who solves problems | Managers and a few experts | Every team member, every day |
| Cadence | Crisis-driven, ad hoc | Daily meetings + weekly deep dives |
| Method | Gut feel, experience, blame | 5 Whys, fishbone, A3, PDCA |
| Visibility | Tribal knowledge in people’s heads | Visual concern strips everyone can see |
| Outcome | Problems keep coming back | Problems are solved permanently |
| Leadership | Consumed by daily crises | Freed to lead and improve |
| Cost & quality | Cost and risk built in | Lower cost, better quality |
Why Choose TXM for Problem Solving Consulting?
We don’t hand over a workbook and leave. TXM consultants coach your people on the floor, in real time, on your real problems — because adults learn problem solving by doing it, not by sitting in a classroom.
We build your capability, not your dependency
Our goal is a team that can solve its own problems long after we’ve gone. We coach your leaders and operators to run SPED themselves, so the capability stays in your business.
Practical experience, not theory
Our consultants are former manufacturing and operations leaders who have run the floor themselves. With more than 20 years’ experience across over 1,000 businesses in more than 30 countries, we’ve seen your problem before, and we know how to coach your team through it.
A method proven to stick
The scientific rigour of SPED – investigate, test, standardise, combined with simple visual tools means improvements hold. We measure success by problems that stay solved and a culture that keeps improving.
What Makes TXM Different to Other Problem Solving Consultants?
Plenty of consultants can teach root-cause analysis in a workshop. Few can make it part of how your business runs every day.
That is the TXM difference. Our trademarked SPED system pairs serious root-cause discipline with tools simple enough for any team to use daily, and we reinforce the habit through the so it sustains after go-live. The same approach works on the factory floor, in the warehouse, and in office and service teams — anywhere problems get in the way of good work. And because our , your people earn recognised capability as they go.
Lean Problem Solving Case Studies
Global coatings manufacturer: lead time cut 60%, inventory cut 50%
The challenge: A global coatings manufacturer was producing colours and designs ahead of confirmed demand. With frequent design changes and short product lifespans, stock was becoming obsolete and surplus inventory was tying up the business.
The TXM solution: Using to expose the waste, we redesigned the process to cut lead times, reduce inventory and pull product to actual customer demand – then locked in the new way of working through standard work.
The results:
- 60% reduction in lead time
- 50% reduction in inventory
- Less obsolete stock and a faster, demand-driven flow
TXM has applied the same structured problem solving to drive and a .
Frequently Asked Questions About Lean Problem Solving
What is lean problem solving?
Lean problem solving is a structured, root-cause approach to fixing problems permanently rather than reacting to symptoms.
It equips everyone in a business – not just managers – with a simple, repeatable method to identify a problem, find its true cause, and act on it as part of daily work.
The aim is to eliminate problems for good and prevent them from returning.
What is the SPED (Solving Problems Every Day) methodology?
SPED is TXM’s trademarked problem-solving system.
It uses a simple visual tool – the magnetic concern strip – together with short daily team meetings and weekly deep dives to make problem solving a daily habit at every level of the business.
SPED follows the scientific method: investigate the root cause, test a solution by implementing it, then lock in the result with standard work.
What problem-solving tools and techniques does TXM use?
TXM uses a range of tools, from the simplest visual techniques to sophisticated statistical analysis.
The core SPED toolkit includes concern strips and Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) for daily issues, and fishbone (Ishikawa) diagrams, the 5 Whys and A3 one-page plans for root-cause work.
For complex problems we escalate to statistical and Six Sigma techniques where the problem justifies it.
How is structured problem solving different from firefighting?
Firefighting treats the symptom to keep production moving, so the same problem returns and quietly builds in cost and quality risk.
Structured problem solving finds and removes the root cause, then standardises the fix so it cannot come back.
Firefighting relies on a few experts reacting to crises; structured problem solving engages every team member in solving problems as part of daily work.
How is lean problem solving different from Six Sigma or 8D?
Six Sigma and 8D are powerful but data-heavy methods best suited to complex, high-variation problems.
Lean problem solving prioritises a simple, sustainable method that everyone can use every day to solve the majority of issues at the source.
TXM combines both: SPED handles daily problems, and we bring in statistical or Six Sigma tools when a problem genuinely needs them.
How long does it take to embed daily problem solving?
The basics can be running in weeks – daily team meetings and concern strips are quick to introduce. Building genuine capability and a self-sustaining habit takes longer, typically a few months of coaching as teams work through real problems and leaders learn to run the process confidently.
TXM stays alongside your team until problem solving is part of how the business runs.
Who needs to be involved in lean problem solving?
Everyone. The strength of SPED is that front-line team members raise and solve the problems closest to their work, while team leaders and supervisors run the daily process and coach their people. Managers are freed from firefighting to support the harder problems and lead improvement.
TXM coaches each of these levels to play its part.
Does lean problem solving work outside manufacturing?
Yes. While SPED was proven on the factory floor, the same structured approach works in warehouses, offices and service environments – anywhere recurring problems get in the way of good work.
The tools are deliberately simple so any team, in any function, can use them.
What results or ROI can we expect from lean problem solving consulting?
Results depend on your starting point, but the gains are real and measurable. As one example, a global coatings manufacturer TXM worked with cut lead time by 60% and inventory by 50%.
More broadly, clients see fewer recurring defects, less downtime and rework, and leaders who spend their time improving the business rather than reacting to it.
Getting Started With TXM Lean Problem Solving
Stop fighting the same fires. Start building a team that solves problems at the source, every day.
Your engagement begins with an honest look at how problems are handled in your business today and where the recurring ones are costing you. From there, our consultants coach your teams in the SPED method and embed the daily rhythm that keeps problems solved.
to talk through lean problem solving consulting for your business.