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The Cynefin framework is a conceptual framework used to aid the decision-making process. This framework was created in 1999 by Dave Snowden while working at IBM Global Services; it has been described as a "sensemaking device". This word means habitat. Cynefin offers five decision domains—obvious / simple / clear, complicated, complex, chaotic, and disorder—that help managers to identify how they perceive situations and make sense of their own and other people's behaviour. Simple / Obvious / Clear This domain represents the "known knowns" which means there are certain rules in place, situation is also stable, and the relationship between cause and effect is also clear : if you do X, expect Y. The advice in such a situation is to "sense – categorize – respond”: establish the facts i.e. Sense, Categorize, and then respond by following a rule or applying any best practice. This is the domain of legal structures, SOPs etc. E.g. AHT (Average Handle Time) at a helpdesk is recorded high (Sense), Identify which type of calls are taking more time (Categorise) and create some SOPs / Scripts or templates against those type of calls to get these over faster. Here, managers must avoid of forcing situations into this domain by over-simplifying, or by becoming complacent. When success breeds complacency ("best practice is, by definition, past practice"), there can be a dangerous clockwise shift into the chaotic domain. Complicated This domain consists of the "known unknowns". Here the relationship between cause and effect requires some analysis or the expertise; there are a range of right answers. The framework recommends "sense, analyze and then respond": assess the facts first, analyze, and apply the appropriate good operating practice. Here, it is possible to work rationally toward a decision, but doing so may need the refined judgment and expertise. This is the area of engineers, surgeons, intelligence analysts, lawyers, and other experts. Artificial intelligence also copes up well here: Deep Blue plays chess as if it were a complicated problem, looking at every possible sequence of moves. Complex The complex domain means "unknown unknowns". Cause and effect can only be deduced in retrospect, and usually there are no right answers as such. This process as per Cynefin is "probe–sense–respond". E.g. Stock Market Investments. You may invest in the stock market basis the past performance of the share, market indices (probe), sense the future prospects and finally make the investment. But there are no right answers here as such. Chaotic In this domain, cause and effect are unclear. Here the events are too confusing & pressing to wait for any knowledge-based response”. Action and any kind of action is the first and only way to respond appropriately and then sense and respond. Here, immediate action is not to discover the patterns but to stop the the bleeding immediately. E.g. Corona virus Wave 2 eruption in India. Government has to take action 1st i.e. Impose immediate Lockdown / Mask / Sanitization guidelines / travel restrictions etc., Sense the effects of these measures over a period of time and then respond the crisis created by available health infrastructure. Disorder / Confusion This domain in the center represents situations where there is no clarity about which of the other domains applies in this situations. Here, we must break down the situation into further smaller parts and then assign each to one of the other four domains. Leaders can then make decisions accordingly. Applications : This framework has wide applications and can be used in: · Policy-making · Product development · Markets · Supply chain management · Branding · Software Development · Emergency Management Some critics find this framework too difficult and confusing overall as it needs a more rigorous base / foundation, and also it covers too limited a selection of possible contexts. Also there is another criticism is that terms used in this framework such as known, knowable, sense, and categorize are not very clear and creates ambiguity while applying the same in practical scenarios.

Cynefin framework Cynefin framework is a Leader’s framework for Decision making. It can be thought of as a “sense making device” created by Dave Snowden in 1999 while he was working with IBM Global services. Cynefin framework is used in a variety of situations to categorize a decision and respond accordingly. Mostly, it is useful in marketing, organizational strategy and for product development. It helps make better decisions in a crisis or emergency. The framework which is defined by cause-and-effect relationships outlines five situational domains. They are: · Obvious. · Complicated. · Complex. · Chaotic. · Disorder. Each of these domains has a decision-making approach that helps in making better sense of the situation, and choose the appropriate way forward. The Five Domains Obvious Contexts - considered as The Domain of Best Practice In "obvious" contexts, options are very clear and the relationships are apparent to everyone involved. For example, problems which occur at help desks or call centers are often predictable in nature, and there are processes set in place to handle most of them. Snowden argues that in such situation, it is advised to follow the "Sense – Categorize – Respond" Approach to obvious decisions. In such situation, we should assess the situation, categorize its type, and then base our responses on best practice. There is often one "correct" answer, based on an existing process or procedure set in place. However, there is always danger that contexts may be oversimplified. This happens when leaders, or an entire organization, experience success and then become relaxed. To avoid such kind of mistake, we should make sure that there are clear communication channels in place, so that team members can report any situations that don't fit with any established category. Another challenge faced often is that leaders may not listen to new ideas because of past experiences and success. For example, sometime it might happen people automatically start assuming that previous solutions will work again. To overcome this, we should be always open to new ideas and be willing to look for innovative suggestions. Complicated Contexts – considered as The Domain of Experts "Complicated" problems often have several "correct" solutions and there is a relationship which is clearly available between cause and effect, but not visible to everyone, because of problem which is complicated in nature. For example, we might be able to see symptoms of a problem but have no idea of how to fix it. Here the approach is to "Sense – Analyze – Respond." Here, we need to assess the situation needs to be assessed, analyzed with the help of experts, and decision is required to be taken on the best response, using good practice. Leaders often heavily are dependent on experts in complicated situations, while ignoring or not listening to creative solutions from other people. To overcome this, gather a team of people from a variety of backgrounds to ensure that everyone's views are listen. Complex Contexts – considered as The Domain of Emergence It might be difficult to identify one "correct" solution out of many solutions available, or spot an exact cause-and-effect relationships, in "complex" situations. According to the study done by Snowden and Boone, many business situations fall into this category. This kind of Complex contexts are often unpredictable, and the best approach in such kind of situation is to "Probe – Sense – Respond." Instead of trying to control the situation or focusing on a plan of action, it's often best to be patient, look for any patterns if available, and encourage a solution to emerge. It is often helpful to conduct Experiments in such situations, and accept failure and move on as part of the learning process. Make sure that the relevant processes are always kept in place to guide your team's thinking – even a simple set of rules can help us in getting better solutions. Communication is the best solution available here. Conduct a Discussion where diverse group of people come up with innovative, creative solutions to complex problems. Brainstorming tools such as Random Input or Provocation can be used to generate new ideas, and encourage your team to debate the possibilities. Chaotic Contexts – considered as The Domain of Rapid Response In "chaotic" situations, there is no relationship which exists between cause and effect, in such situations, the primary goal is to establish order and stability. Crisis and emergency kind of situations often fall in this Category. The decision-making approach used in such scenarios is to "Act – Sense – Respond." We should act decisively to address the most pressing issues, sense where there is stability and where there isn't any stability, then respond to move the situation from chaos to complexity. To navigate chaotic situations successfully, conduct a Risk Analysis to identify possible risks, prioritize them with a Risk Impact/ Priority Chart and make sure that we have a comprehensive Crisis plan Available in place. It is not possible to prepare for every situation, but planning in advance for identifiable risks is helpful. Reliable information is often critical in uncertain and chaotic situations, so we need to make sure that how to communicate in a crisis. Disorder It can be very difficult to identify when we are in a "disorder" situation. In such situations, it is not clear which of the other four domains is more dominant, and in such situation, we should generally rely on decision-making techniques that are known and comfortable to us. The primary goal in such kind of situation is to gather more information, so that we can move into a known domain and then take the appropriate action. Example A team has recently launched an innovative new Tablet. However, it is observed that it has developed an issue, and no one is aware on what's causing it. Customers dissatisfied with the products have started returning the product and the company's Brand Image has also taken a hit. Mr. X is managing a number of issues and has to help his team to check the cause of the problem so it can be fixed, he's working with marketing team for the compensation related issues as well as he's answering questions from the media about the Tablet’s issue. He has started using Cynefin framework for better understanding of the situation, and he has categorized it as "complicated," which means he is required to take a Sense – Analyze – Respond approach. So, he brings in experts from R&D team, IT team and manufacturing team to help him diagnose the problem. These experts then started listing down the quality concerns and then started focusing on each one individually to find the root cause of the problem. After several days of analysis, everyone agreed that the problem is caused by the loose IC. Working together, the consultants and A team members came up with a concise plan to address the issue and ensure that no more faulty Tablets are shipped.

Unlike Other Problem-solving tool, Cynefin uses 5 sections described by cause-and-effect relationships. This problem solving tools helps Business Owners/Project Managers to understand how they look out the issue and also check their own and other person’s habitat in solving the problem. Let see each of the 5 categories in detail using an example to improve Customer Satisfaction Employee Helpdesk : Obvious – This section will have solutions to the issues that are simple and doesn’t require any expertise like Frequently asked questions, Call Tree with predefined solutions. Complicated – This section will have solutions for the general issues but uses expertise to arrive at course of actions by considering risks involved. like High Volume queries, more new hires in Helpdesk, Employee Escalation handling, etc Complex – This section will have solutions generated by doing trials on the resolution, ultimate solutions are arrived by discovering solutions. More time consuming and not possible to find accurate solution and involves risk. after some course of actions, we can move this problem to complicated solutions Chaotic – As it is named, confused solutions are arrived during urgency. Low Call quality, immediate solutions may not work at it best but on a long run, the issue would have controlled due to several actions plans. Last is the Disorder – wherein we don’t know our hidden issues and once we come to know, we will assign them to appropriate sections.

Cynefin Framework was first conceptualised in 1999 by Dave Snowden where Cynefin means "Habitat" in Welsh . It has also be defined as a "Sense Making" device. The idea of Cynefin framework is that it offers Decision makers a "sense of place" from which they view their perceptions. . It helps leaders to understand that every situation is different & would require a unique way of approach to decision making . Cynefine outlines Five situational domains that has Cause & effect relationships . These domains offers a "sense of place" which aids in analysing behaviour & decision making The 5 domains are : 1. Simple : It represents the Known & Knowns. This signifies there are prescribed rules or best practices in place and if we do X ( Input) we expect Y ( Output ) ,results are known. The expectation in this domain is "Sense-Categorise-Respond", which means Establish real facts , formulate and categorise them and then respond by following the rule book Ex: If the customer has made expenses in the credit card & faltered making the minimum due - establish the facts , categorise them and respond by applying rule book or best practices. This domain is more like a governing body like Legal structure , Judge which has defined SOPs, rules Proven track records of past empirical data which helps analyse, forecast or guide . Here decision making lies entirely in the realm of reason 2.Complicated: It represents the Known & UnKnowns. This domain requires analysis or niche expertise as there are range of options of right answers that might come to light. The expectation here is "Sense-Analyse-Respond" and apply good operating process. Here it is important to apply a rationale before coming to a decision , which would require analytical thinking, rationale & justification . This province id of engineers , doctors , AI , lawyers where every complicated problem can be analysed , brainstormed to have a possible sequence of move Ex A motorist may know there is something wrong with his bike because the engine is making strange noise , but he has to take the bike to the mechanic to diagnose the problem . The complex problems requires investigation with several options which may be excellent , good practice or as opposed to best practice may seem to be appropriate 3. Complex: It represents the UnKnown & UnKnowns. There is no right decision in this domain & cause & effect can only be deduced from introspection. The expectation here is "Probe-Sense-Respond". This domain is very un predictive and leaders take intuitive risks that are safe in nature and see how it works or approaches, because the results are unknowns and every situation might change wither ways Ex : Let's take the example of Facebook. The founders could not possibly predict the importance of Community operations and Trust & safety . Facebook breached data protection laws by failing to keep users' personal information secure, allowing Cambridge Analytic-a to harvest the data of up to 87 million people without their consent worldwide while people used facebook. When the situation occurred with respect to Vote polling in US elections and it was claimed to facebook directly influencing US elections . The company built on this pattern of Data privacy policy and reinforced Trust & safety to protect privacy and data collection without consent of user also reinstated the community guidelines 4.Chaotic : In this domain - The cause & effect are unclear . The events are extremely confusing and doesn't have wait to have a systematic knowledge based response . In this domain need of the hour and Action or Any action is the only way to respond appropriately . The expectation here is "Act-Sense-Respond". Act to establish a specific Order , Sense to check where the stability is & Respond to turn chaotic to complex. In this situation a Leader should immediately act on first without trying to find the Root cause , bring the stability and then work on transforming situation and preventing re-occurence in future and discern new avenues Ex : A high level escalation from a high profile customer requires to be be immediately acted upon to curb revenue leakage and PR responsibility. 5. Disorder : This domain also known as Dark domain as there is no clarity about which of the other domains apply . The way out here is to break the problem into smaller parts & align leaders to solve each area assigned to them . Leaders then can take part contextually in appropriate ways to solve the constituent parts assigned to them Therefore Cynefin framework allows people to see things from new avenues , assimilate complex concepts and address real problem & opportunities . Using this approach leaders can learn to define framework with their own examples of past experience & scenarios of possible future. Using this framework people can gauge which situation they are in & they can make better decisions or avoid problems that arise if they continue following their preferred management style .

Hi Panna, Think of Pp and Ppk as the overall process performance - This performance assessment does not consider any sub-grouping. The formulae use the overall standard deviation, which has larger variation. This larger variation is due to the fact that between groups variation is bigger than within groups variation. Do remember that when we talk about grouping, it refers to logical subgrouping of continuous data in such a way that groups carry data that is homogenous. Think of Cp and Cpk as the potantial process capability - This performance assessment considers sub-grouping. The formulae use the within group standard deviation, which is lesser spread when compared to overall standard deviation. Cp and Cpk highlights capability that will be realised when between group differences are completely eliminated. Again, remember that we are refering to continuous data only when talking about these indices. When you go through Black Belt training, you will learn more nuances that relate to Process Capability assessment. Please note that none of these indicators relate to process stability. Stability assessment will require use of trend charts, run charts or control charts. Hope this helps.

Hello Panna The concept of Cp and Cpk is similar to Pp and Ppk. However Pp and Ppk give us the actual performance of the process while Cp and Cpk give us the potential performance of the process. The difference is how we calculate the standard deviation. The decision criteria of process capability using Cp and Cpk is same as that for Pp and Ppk.