Root Cause Analysis

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Finding the real cause of a problem. Explanation of Root Cause Analysis.

What is Root Cause Analysis? Description

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a structured step by step technique that focuses on finding the real cause of a problem and dealing with that. Rather than merely dealing with its symptoms. Root Cause Analysis is a procedure for ascertaining and analyzing the causes of problems, to determine how these problems can be solved or be prevented from occurring. It is a process to help stakeholders to understand causes of a problem well enough to achieve permanent resolution of that problem.

Usage of Root Cause Analysis. Benefits

Most problematic situations which arise within organizations have multiple approaches to deal with them. These different approaches generally require different levels of resource expenditure to execute them. Because of the perceived immediacy which exists in most of these situations, there is a tendency to opt for the solution which is the most expedient in terms of quickly dealing with the situation.

In doing this, the tendency is generally to treat the symptoms rather than the underlying fundamental problem that is actually responsible for the situation occurring (root cause). Yet, through choosing this expeditious approach to deal with the symptoms, the problematic situation may likely occur again, and must be dealt with over and over again. The costs of these quick solutions can be high over time.

The goal of a Root Cause Analysis is to find out:

• What happened.
• Why it happened.
• What can be done to prevent the problem from happening again.

A root cause is one of the most basic, or fundamental causes of the situation (condition) with which we are concerned. Since the situation (condition) is usually affected by many things (physical conditions, human behavior, behavior of systems, or processes), several root causes will usually be found. Compare: Cause and Effect Diagram

Steps in Root Cause Analysis. Process

The most common element of RCA method variants includes asking why today's situation (condition) occurred. While the answers are recorded. And then asking why for each answer, again and again. RCA attempts to identify contributing factors and all causes. This allows you to proceed further, by asking why, until the desired goal of finding the "root" causes is reached.

Finding root causes will lead us to the next step: to evaluate the best method to change the root cause, so we can improve our current condition. That is another process, commonly known as: corrective and preventive action. While we are searching for root cause, we must remember to review each found cause and factor for correction as well, since this can also provide for great improvements.

While the terminology RCA is generic, in the sense that there exist many different variants of the methodology, it does indicate that some kind of structural methodology will be used on the problem.

Limitations of Root Cause Analysis. Disadvantages

• This method presupposes a single source of the problem. In reality, the situation may be more complex.

Root Cause Analysis Forum New Topic  |  Help Common Reasons for Root Cause Analysis? "Root cause analysis, as any other improvement initiative, should only be done if it brings benefits for the business. I've supported various organizations in deploying root cause analysis, which ..." Root Causes Categories in Financial Services "We operate in a Financial Services environment and would like to know if anyone has a set of basic categories that they group their root causes under." Links between Root Cause Analysis and BPM "Let's get some views on the interaction or link between RCA and business process management\improvement." Follow-up on Root Cause Analysis (RCA) "Once the causes have been identified and recommendations are written, who becomes the owner of the RCA? Who is accountable for the realisation of all the action plans and to make sure everything has b..." What are Common Errors while Performing Root Cause Analysis (RCA)? "I would like to list out the common errors while performing an RCA. I feel this would really help project teams before starting an RCA process." Quotes on Root Cause Analysis "Do you know some deep, famous or funny quotes on Root Cause Analysis? Quotations? Proverbs? Please share them as a reaction to this posting and mention the author. To get started, here's my favorite: ..." Latent, Organizational Causes "Latino and Latino consider in a 1999-paper called 'Root Cause Analysis – Improving Performance for Bottom Line Results' that causes of problems can be divided into three categories: 1. Physical Causes..." Root Cause Analysis (RCA) process with 8 stages "In an article called 'Investigating Accidents Using Root Cause Analysis' (Strategic Risk, September 1st, 2006), Roger Shaw mentions the following 8-stage Root Cause Analysis Process: 1. Preserve the s..." Critical Event Analysis "Another term which is sometimes used for Root Cause Analysis is Critical Event Analysis." The Five Why's of Root Cause Analysis (RCA) "A straightforward individual approach to Root-cause Analysis is known as the "Five Why's": - Starting with the basic question, the answer is used for the next "why-question." - This process ..." Root Cause Analysis Categories "5 schools of RCA could be distinguished depending on their origin: 1. SAFETY-BASED RCA descends from the fields of accident analysis and occupational safety and health. 2. PRODUCTION-BASED R..." Keep in touch with this topic Please log in... New Topic

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Compare with Root Cause Analysis: Theory of Constraints  |  Cause and Effect Diagram  |  8D Problem Solving  |  Dialectical Inquiry  |  Mind Mapping  |  Pyramid Principle  |  Delphi Method  |  Analogical Strategic Reasoning  |  Action Learning  |  Brainstorming  |  Six Thinking Hats  |  Kepner-Tregoe Matrix  |  Crisis Management  |  Scenario Planning  |  Game Theory  |  Real Options  |  Plausibility Theory  |  RACI  |  Hoshin Kanri - Policy Deployment  |  Turnaround Management

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