Is / Is Not analysis poster

Is / Is Not analysis boxes a problem in by asking, for each of what, where, when and how big, where the problem is and where it could be but is not. The differences between the two are where the cause hides, and they give a test for every suspected cause: the true cause explains each is and each is not. This poster works one example through all four questions.

Download the poster

The PNG is free to download now. The print-ready vector PDFs open after a short form, once.

Download PNG (300 dpi)2550 x 3300 px, prints at 8.5 x 11 in · 413 KB · no form

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The words on the poster

Is / Is Not

Box the problem in. The differences point to the cause.

What IS: the seal leaks on model B. IS NOT: model A, made on the same line. What is different about model B?
Where IS: the left joint. IS NOT: the right joint. What differs between the two joints?
When IS: since Monday, the first hour of each shift. IS NOT: before Monday, or later in a shift. What changed on Monday? What happens at start-up?
How big IS: one or two parts an hour. IS NOT: rising day by day. What would cause a steady rate?

Test every suspect cause: the true cause explains every IS and every IS NOT. Drop any cause that does not.

After Kepner and Tregoe's problem analysis.

On the floor

How to use it

Putting the Is / Is Not analysis poster to work

1
Use it in the first meeting on a new problem, before the fishbone.
2
Fill the IS NOT side with real comparisons: the same part on another line, the same line on another shift.
3
Check each cause the team suspects against every card. Drop the ones that do not fit.
4
Pair it with the free Is / Is Not template.

Where the poster goes and how to teach with it, in the order to try them.

Which size to print

24 x 36 in or A2: a main wall or team board, read from a few metres away.
18 x 24 in or A3: a station or notice board. The A3 file also fits 11 x 17 in paper.
Letter or A4: a clipboard, binder or handout, on any office printer.

Every PDF is vector, so it stays sharp at full size. Nothing runs to the edge of the page, so no bleed is needed.

Sources and notes

Charles H. Kepner and Benjamin B. Tregoe, The Rational Manager (McGraw-Hill, 1965): problem analysis by what, where, when and extent, is and is not, and distinctions.