01

When Ford developed the Eight Disciplines – or 8D for short – method to address issues within their organization, they actually created something much greater. 

当福特在其公司内部创造出了解决问题的8个步骤（简称8D）时，实际上，他们创造了更伟大的东西。

They didn’t just resolve their own problems, but they gave the world a tool that has proven very useful in getting rid of problems of all sorts, drilling down to the root cause in a systematic manner.

他们不仅解决福特公司自己的问题，而且给世界提供了一个已被证明有助于处理各种问题，并能在系统层面进行深入探究根本原因的工具。

A common misconception is that the 8D method is primarily suited for auto manufacturing and related industries. 

一个常见的错误是，8D方法主要适用于汽车制造业及其相关行业。

While that’s the environment it originated in, the system is flexible enough to be applied in various other contexts with relative ease. 

虽然8D起源于汽车制造业，但该体系足够灵活，可以相对容易地应用于各种环境中。

What’s ultimately needed is an experienced hand, guiding the process and applying each step correctly.

最终需要的是一个有丰富经验的老手，在过程及运用中的每一步进行正确的引导。

 Understanding the eight steps is not that difficult in general, and it can be a useful bit of knowledge for anyone in a leadership position, or responsible for solving a problem.

一般而言，理解8D并不难，而且对于任何一个处于领导地位，或负责解决问题的人来说，这都是有用的知识。

02

D1 Plan – everything related to lean processes starts with proper planning.

D1计划-与精益生产相关的一切，都始于恰当的计划。

The 8D method is no exception, and it’s important to develop a good understanding of the bigger picture before you take any action at all.

8D方法也不例外，重要的是，在你采取任何行动之前，必须在全局上有较好的理解。

It’s not much use implementing strategies and attempting to put them to action without a solid plan to work on.

如果没有一个坚实的计划，仅仅去实施策略，并试着其化作行动，则没有多大用处。

Gathering information and data, and conducting interviews is typically done at this time.

收集信息和数据，并进行访谈，通常在这个时候完成。

D2Use a team – the people implementing the solution to any given problem must be specifically chosen to have experience in that area, and to have a fundamental understanding of the process involved. These should be experts involved with the problem, not people who are simply available.

D2运用团队-对于任何给出的问题，执行解决方案的人员需要在某方面具有经验，并经过特别挑选，并且对参与的流程有基本的了解。这些人应该是参与这个问题的专家，而不仅仅是合适的人而已。

D3Develop interim containment plan – it’s critical to develop actions that can isolate the problem to a sufficient degree, allowing the team to focus solely on implementing a solution to it. This stops the “bleeding” of the problem to the customer. 

D3制定临时围堵计划-制定能够将问题隔离到一定程度的行动，这一点是至关重要的，这使得团队只专注于执行解决方案，让问题不再传递给客户。

Depending on how much the problem affects other areas of operation in the organization, this may prove to be a very difficult step. 

这取决于这个问题在组织中对其他运营领域的影响，这一步可能非常困难。

Sufficient attention has to be paid to it, especially if the problem has the potential to have long-term implications.

因此，必须对此给予足够的重视，特别是如果这个问题有可能产生长期影响的话。

D4Determine and verify root causes and escape points – the next step should be to get to the root cause of the problem. 

D4确定和验证根本原因和规避要点–下一步应该是找到发生问题的根本原因。

This is a separate area in itself and can get complicated quite fast, but it’s important in ensuring the long-term validity of the solution developed. 

这本身是一个单独的方面，可以很快变得复杂，但对于确保制定的解决方案的长期有效性非常重要。

If you’re not confident that you’re addressing the true root cause, the problem may end up resurfacing in a different form some time later.

如果你不相信你正在解决真正产生问题的根本原因，那么，最终这个问题在后面可能会以不同的形式重新出现。

D5Verify permanent corrections (PCs) for problem will resolve problem for the customer – even if the solution was planned and implemented correctly, there’s no guarantee that it will actually lead to a resolution for the customer. 

D5验证问题的永久解决方案（PCS），为客户解决问题–即使解决方案有计划，并且被正确实施，也不能保证它会为客户带来解决方案。

Proper analysis and testing will ensure that the solution is the correct one, and as long as the organization’s model is understood correctly, it should be perfectly possible to predict the outcome of every part of the solution. 

合理的分析与测试将确保解决方案是正确的，只要组织的模式被正确理解，就完全有可能去预测解决方案的每一部分的结果。

D6 Define and implement corrective actions – after everything has been analyzed and tested properly, the actual implementation of corrective actions can begin. 

D6定义与执行纠正措施-在一切被分析与测试，纠正措施的实际执行才能开始。

As long as the planning was done to a satisfying degree, this should be a straightforward process that doesn’t require any special additional input.

只要计划能达到令人满意的程度，这应该是一个直接的过程，并不需要任何特殊的额外的投入。

D7 Prevent recurrence/system problems – depending on how the problem occurred in the first place, it can sometimes be very challenging to ensure that it never resurfaces. 

D7预防问题再发生-取决于问题首先是怎么样发生的，有时，去保证问题不会重复发生是很有挑战性的。

This is the final challenging step in the process, and one that requires no less attention than the ones before it. 

这是这个过程中最后一个具有挑战性的步骤，比前面的步骤更需要关注。

If you don’t want to end up having to repeat the whole exercise from the start, it’s very important that you use the knowledge gained during the root cause analysis and take appropriate corrective measures with it.

如果你不想把从一开始就重复整个过程作为结局的话，那么使用在根本原因分析中获得的知识，并采取适当的纠正措施，就显得非常重要了。

D8Congratulate your team – this might sound like it doesn’t need a separate step of its own, but the failure to recognize this is a common problem for many unsuccessful leaders. 

D8团队庆祝-这似乎并不需要一个单独的步骤，但对于许多失败的领导者来说，没有意识到这一点，却是一个常见的问题。

It’s important that everyone on your team is shown clearly that their contributions matter and are valued by everyone, especially the higher-ups in the company.

重要的是，你的团队中的每个人都清楚地显示出他们的贡献的重要性，并得到所有人的重视，尤其对于公司的高层而言。

03

Conclusion 

结论

As you can see, there’s nothing really specific to the 8D method that limits its use to the automotive industry. 

正如你所见到的，确实没有什么特别之处让8D只能限定在汽车行业的使用。

It’s a universal process that can be easily applied to other industries, and even organizations in the service or nonprofit worlds.

8D 是一个通用的过程，可以很容易地应用到其他行业，甚至服务型企业或非营利组织中。

All it takes is a clear understanding of the organization’s underlying processes, and the requirements that each of those processes is trying to satisfy. 

其所需要的是，对组织的基本流程要清楚的理解，并试图去满足每一个流程中的要求。

The rest comes down to gathering the right data and integrating it into your solution appropriately.

接下来，需要做的便是收集适当的数据，并将其整合到解决方案之中。‍