Can you review this as a reply to this post? it's about improvement tool

The first tool I would use would be the Affinity Diagram bc I think the brainstorming, by way of complaints, is already done. The complaints by the clinic staff are already listed: Too long for data, rude, unhelpful, won't answer the phone. You then add the complaints by the HIM staff: more work, less help and unnecessary phone calls by receptionists. These complaints can be placed into consolidated categories buckets that target the bigger issues. These categories might include Training/Education, People and Procedures

The second tool would be the fishbone Cause and Effect Diagram. It helps people visualize the effects of their behavior and actions on each and the system.

Another tool would be the Top-down Flowchart. Again, it is nice for people t visualize the impact each action has on another person or the system as a whole. It can be used to identify specific steps where the breakdown is happening which allows action to be taken at set points in the workflow.

After I wrote these options down, and was thinking through how I would apply this at my workplace, the biggest tool I have come to appreciate is the Workflow Diagram. It is so easy for coworkers to point the finger at one another as to who is to blame for the way things are, when in fact, they most likely do not know what their own workflow should be, let alone that of another department. Misinformation and assumptions lead to personal bad behavior; ie: rudeness. Once the workflow is established- real vs expected, you can start to identify more clearly the pain points and places of confusion and while a solution may not be quick and simple, you will have solid ground to start rebuilding the foundation of trust and team collaboration.

Ideally, both quantitative and qualitative tools should be used when sorting out problems, but they are not required in every situation. Quantitative methods are used to confirm a theory while qualitative methods are used to understand the thoughts of a situation. I think it really depends on what you are trying to understand or fix as to how the issue should be approached. I feel as though a nice Pareto chart would substantiate the action to be taken after all the qualitative data gathering has been concluded.