All people who will be influenced by the way a problem is solved should be included in information collection. For example, a store that is deciding what hours to open on Sunday needs to know how the hours will affect everyone from the janitors to the accounting staff.

     Some of the people, procedures, and equipment to observe:

     People to observe

• Employees
• Customers
• Managers
• Visitors
• Suppliers
• Salespeople
• Others

     Procedures to observe

• Steps involved All people who will be influenced by the way a problem is solved should be included in information collection.
• Number of people involved at each step
• Type of records being kept
• Troubleshooting methods

     Equipment to observe

• Machines
• Electrical devices
• Software programs

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