Anyone who has faced a production problem with a need to solve
it by using production data can relate to the notion of a brain
teaser. The brain teasers presented here are based on real-world
situations encountered by workers in manufacturing environments.
The brain teasers have three parts: (1) the situation, (2)
available data or other supporting information and (3) questions
that various workers need answered for continual improvement.
Recommended solutions follow in the next issue and on the Web at
Quality Online (www.qualitymag.com). Jill is the production
manager for a small company that manufactures key blanks for a
variety of different home door locks. In the past week, one
customer-a large home supply chain-cancelled all of their
business because 25% of the keys made from one type of blank
have been returned. The home supply chain recorded customer
complaints; the keys were too short or too long to work
correctly. At a morning production team meeting, Jill asked
Sara, the quality manager, to research