the only solution considered. The young engineer explains that the documentation
supports the conclusion that this is a good solution. “But could there not be even
better solutions?” the mentor asks. So it’s back to the drawing board to identify
other potential solutions. The mentor may in fact think it is a perfectly good
solution. What he or she is trying to teach is a way of thinking.
The Toyota Waydocumented the case of the Prius development. With intense
pressure to get out this first production hybrid vehicle on an unreasonably short
timeline, the chief engineer still decided to explore many possible solutions. Chief
Engineer Uchiyamada asked the engine group to identify all viable hybrid engines,
a total of 80, which were winnowed down to 10, and then four that were simu-
lated on a computer before one was finally selected. Similarly, when selecting the
styling for the vehicle, he held a competition among four Toyota design studios
in Toyota City, Tokyo, Paris, and Calty, California, generating 20 alternative
designs and then five detailed sketches, four full-size clay models, and then two
exceptional designs. Those two designs were thoroughly evaluated, and the con-
tributing studios in California and Japan were asked to make an additional
round of improvements before the California design finally won.
There are many ways to generate a list of alternatives, including the use of
competing groups in developing the Prius. And one useful technique for a group
of people involved in a project is “brainstorming.” Many companies tried it when
they experimented with the “team concept,” but it was viewed as only part of
team activities and eventually fell out of favor. In fact, brainstorming is useful in
ensuring the thorough evaluation of a subject. The failing of brainstorming is often
that the problem was not well analyzed to begin with, and the process of evaluat-
ing solutions and narrowing down to a preferred solution is not well understood.
Chapter 16. Consider Alternative Solutions 357TRAP
Be wary of comments such as, “There is only one way to solve this
problem.” In one case this comment, followed by an explanation of
the proposed solution—at a cost of $10,000—led to further evalua-
tion, and an effective solution with a cost of $200 (and savings of
$80,000 per year) was implemented. There will alwaysbe more than
one solution for every problem!Simplicity, Cost, Area of Control, and the Ability to Implement Quickly
An evaluation whose criteria are simplicity, cost, area of control, and the ability
to implement quickly will ensure implementation of the most cost effective