Swarm and Solve is the practice escalating a problem at the time it occurs, by “pulling in as many people as needed” until the problem is resolved.
The concept originates in (physical) manufacturing where it is triggered when an Andon Cord is pulled when a problem (defective part, too long processing time, anything awry..) is detected.
While the practice can be expensive in the moment (many resources/people allocated; many context switches through work interruptions), it is assumed that solving the problem as fast as possible is less costly in the long-run.
| Pro | Contra |
|---|---|
| global learning | interrupts work |
| all minds -> fastest remedy | triggers context switches |
| puts high & obvious prio on issue | disgruntles workers |
| minimizes WiP |
Sources
Related
- Swarming (not to be confused with)
