Solve problems with low-cost, commonsense solutions

"Problem-solving is not progress if we spend money on the solution."

- REY ELBO

That's not just a subtitle of my 2016 book Total Quality by Maximization (TQMax). It's also the same line that makes CFOs sleep better at night. The premise? You don't need a gold-plated algorithm or an AI robot that speaks five languages to fix everyday issues.

Sometimes, your best solutions are already in your office—probably sitting in the break room, wondering why no one ever asks them anything. We're talking about ignored employee ideas, overlooked assets like unused tools or equipment and empty rooms. It's time to give these resources the spotlight.

TQMax puts a spin on the ideas behind the generic principle of kaizen, lean thinking and their branded equivalent in the Toyota Production System, which I call the Thinking People Strategy when applied in the non-manufacturing environment. Believe it or not, even in places without conveyor belts, people want to be recognized for their ideas.

The trouble is that we often hear people talking about its irrelevance in the service industry. That's why when an organization is experiencing work overload, many managers hire both regular and contractual employees without looking at a viable, long-term solution, like analyzing the reasons so they can eliminate them.

Sometimes, they would buy expensive equipment or software to make their work easy while being unmindful of the ills of their processes. But how many can afford overstaffing if they do not buy new equipment or software, even if they have the money to throw away?

In the book