Real cause Analysis Tools and Techniques
root cause analysis training course
Root Cause analysis (RCA) may be the formal hunt for an individual or number of interacting true causes of a challenge. Hard a part of professional problem-solving is to find out the right tool(s) capable of identifying the actual source(s) of a problem and not just the signs and symptoms. It's quite common to find not just one real cause to a problem, so keep clear in the event you just choose one root cause to the problem. RCA could be pointed at any simple and complex problem however the designated problem solver has to understand what technique to use for several forms of problems. For instance, let's consider two different issues needing solutions:
1. Junk food drive-through window customers complain that their orders take too much time to acquire filled.
2. You can't produce high quality plastic parts created from your machine that has 25 knobs about it for your control settings.
You'd hopefully apply different strategies to find out the root causes for each of the above problems but often, running a business, that's not the situation. Too often, exactly the same tool is used to fix every problem. In the worst of all scenario, the popular "GOFAAT" Problem Solving Method (Guessing One Factor at A Time) is used to attempt resolution for both problems.
Using the GOFAAT strategy to solve problem #1 would look like this: District manager would run around after each client complaint and scold employee Joe one day, then employee Mary or Larry the very next day and then scream at the slow cooking french fry machine the day after that. GOFAAT problem-solving is a very common but ineffective approach to attempt solving problems however this fact doesn't dampen its popularity. That is definitely not called GOFAAT by of their fans but it needs to be called such to reveal some organizations for their shortcomings within their problem solving efforts.
Using the GOFAAT strategy to solve problem #2 would appear to be this: mold machine operator Terry would spin dial number 7 (lucky 7) just a little right when things go wrong with the hope this is likely to make the quality problem go away. Mold machine operator Jerry would spin dial number 13 a bit on the left when things go wrong, longing for a miracle. The Clever mold machine Operator Tito would spin dial number 3 and 5 far to the right when things fail in hopes of solving the issue. Incidentally, Terry, Jerry and Tito never talk to one another because they work on different shifts and management doesn't allow this group the time to discuss their issues. Unfortunately, this can be a common situation that lots of professional problem solvers encounter when they investigate certain serious problems in business.
You will find roughly 18 different categories of Source Analysis Techniques used today. They're the following. The low numbers generally depict simpler and much more unsophisticated techniques as well as the higher numbers generally require more training and experience to use those methods correctly. There are 3 groups of problem solving techniques: Groups A, B and C. Group A techniques can be used by a small team of would-be problem solvers with little training. Group B and C techniques require more training and even software to solve the problems.
Group An issue Solving Techniques include Methods #1-5, such as:
1. GOFAAT method (Guessing One factor At the same time)
2. "Whack-A-Mole" Problem Solving method
3. Total Quality Management (TQM) > other Basic Brainstorming Techniques
4. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) > Disciplined Gap Analysis > Closure
5. Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) continuous improvement techniques
Problem Solving Technique #1 in the above list may be the earlier mentioned GOFAAT method (Guessing One factor At any given time). This process requires no training to use and is employed by a person or perhaps a small team to aim resolution of the problem. Using it as the primary way of solving problems could be at the bottom from the scale of sophistication if this relates to competency in problem solving. It might be reliant on luck in the event the GOFAAT solving problems method actually solved any problem anywhere.
The second most undesirable Problem-solving Way is what I call the "Whack-A-Mole" method. It is extremely popular amongst professionals and managers but it is unproductive and it generates a lot of wasteful and useless action. Here's how the Whack-A-Mole method works: A certain manager runs a sizable factory with 550 those who sew and glue items of material together to make purses. The manager of this factory lives an elaborate life with several disasters erupting in his/her business every day or two; sometimes a few disasters erupt every day. With all the Whack-A-Mole method, this purse factory manager moves his/her best individuals to fight a problem in one corner in the business in which the big troubles are creating chaos. The rest in the factory gets a much lower priority even though this "Whacking" continues on. A couple of days later, the Manager moves these problem fighters to fight another disaster that erupted in another corner with the purse factory. The manager doesn't have time and energy to worry when the last fire was fully create, he/she only cares it had become tamed down and from his/her radar screen with the top 3 issues.
Whack-A-Mole efforts often address the outward symptoms of your problem and not the actual root causes. It is used by frantic, stressed-out, untrained and unenlightened pros who think that any intense group of activities will invariably yield achievement. Unfortunately, only logical, effective and efficient actions get results. Professionals need to learn how to work smarter and never harder.
The GOFAAT and Whack-A-Mole methods can result in chaos and unresolved issues running a business.
All of those other Group A Problem Solving Techniques listed will be more professional kinds of solving problems techniques that folks or ad-hoc teams may use following a specific amount of specialty training. The basis causes for low complexity problems might be identified with methods #3-5 by using friendly debate, team consensus and the democratic procedure for team voting. Hard statistics information verification of root causes are generally not used for this group or problem-solving techniques. These techniques could be effectively utilized on simpler problems. They won't always understand it properly but many of times their efforts pays off, if these techniques are utilized correctly inside a disciplined way.
Group B Problem Solving Techniques #6-11 include:
6. Lean Manufacturing > Lean Office
7. Time > Motion Studies / Spaghetti Charting
8. Seven Basic Tools of Quality
9. Lean Kaizen Events
10. Process mapping with 10 layers of research
11. Six Sigma and/or Lean > TRIZ
These types of techniques require very accurate information and/or data to be successful. This equipment could be utilized to address the Not-So-Fast drive-through window customer complaint problem mentioned at the start of this short article. A Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, Lean Master or another very skilled professional has the ability to solve these kind of problems using the right tools on the right time. Specialized training must correctly execute these techniques. These Group B problem-solving techniques use a higher probability of identifying the correct root causes in comparison to Group A techniques. Group B techniques should be used for damage that is more difficult to solve. These techniques needs to be applied when simple team brainstorming won't yield the true root causes.
Group C Solving problems Techniques #12-18 include:
12. 3D > Multi-stratification-level graphing
13. Statistical Hypothesis Testing
14. Simple Regression Analysis
15. Multiple Variable Regression
16. Neural Networks > DOEs
17. Off-The-Chart DOE Optimization
18. Artificial Intelligence
root cause analysis training course
These methods need a certain amount of accurate data concerning the problem that will be analyzed with specific software to enable the issue solving way to become successful. These power tools could possibly be employed to address the bad quality plastic parts story mentioned at the outset of this article. The abilities necessary to start using these problem solving techniques would be possessed by Lean Six Sigma Black Belts, Master Black Belts as well as other highly skilled and trained professionals. These methods are usually applied when other efforts have failed to get to the root cause and solve the situation.
Root Cause analysis (RCA) may be the formal hunt for an individual or number of interacting true causes of a challenge. Hard a part of professional problem-solving is to find out the right tool(s) capable of identifying the actual source(s) of a problem and not just the signs and symptoms. It's quite common to find not just one real cause to a problem, so keep clear in the event you just choose one root cause to the problem. RCA could be pointed at any simple and complex problem however the designated problem solver has to understand what technique to use for several forms of problems. For instance, let's consider two different issues needing solutions:
1. Junk food drive-through window customers complain that their orders take too much time to acquire filled.
2. You can't produce high quality plastic parts created from your machine that has 25 knobs about it for your control settings.
You'd hopefully apply different strategies to find out the root causes for each of the above problems but often, running a business, that's not the situation. Too often, exactly the same tool is used to fix every problem. In the worst of all scenario, the popular "GOFAAT" Problem Solving Method (Guessing One Factor at A Time) is used to attempt resolution for both problems.
Using the GOFAAT strategy to solve problem #1 would look like this: District manager would run around after each client complaint and scold employee Joe one day, then employee Mary or Larry the very next day and then scream at the slow cooking french fry machine the day after that. GOFAAT problem-solving is a very common but ineffective approach to attempt solving problems however this fact doesn't dampen its popularity. That is definitely not called GOFAAT by of their fans but it needs to be called such to reveal some organizations for their shortcomings within their problem solving efforts.
Using the GOFAAT strategy to solve problem #2 would appear to be this: mold machine operator Terry would spin dial number 7 (lucky 7) just a little right when things go wrong with the hope this is likely to make the quality problem go away. Mold machine operator Jerry would spin dial number 13 a bit on the left when things go wrong, longing for a miracle. The Clever mold machine Operator Tito would spin dial number 3 and 5 far to the right when things fail in hopes of solving the issue. Incidentally, Terry, Jerry and Tito never talk to one another because they work on different shifts and management doesn't allow this group the time to discuss their issues. Unfortunately, this can be a common situation that lots of professional problem solvers encounter when they investigate certain serious problems in business.
You will find roughly 18 different categories of Source Analysis Techniques used today. They're the following. The low numbers generally depict simpler and much more unsophisticated techniques as well as the higher numbers generally require more training and experience to use those methods correctly. There are 3 groups of problem solving techniques: Groups A, B and C. Group A techniques can be used by a small team of would-be problem solvers with little training. Group B and C techniques require more training and even software to solve the problems.
Group An issue Solving Techniques include Methods #1-5, such as:
1. GOFAAT method (Guessing One factor At the same time)
2. "Whack-A-Mole" Problem Solving method
3. Total Quality Management (TQM) > other Basic Brainstorming Techniques
4. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) > Disciplined Gap Analysis > Closure
5. Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) continuous improvement techniques
Problem Solving Technique #1 in the above list may be the earlier mentioned GOFAAT method (Guessing One factor At any given time). This process requires no training to use and is employed by a person or perhaps a small team to aim resolution of the problem. Using it as the primary way of solving problems could be at the bottom from the scale of sophistication if this relates to competency in problem solving. It might be reliant on luck in the event the GOFAAT solving problems method actually solved any problem anywhere.
The second most undesirable Problem-solving Way is what I call the "Whack-A-Mole" method. It is extremely popular amongst professionals and managers but it is unproductive and it generates a lot of wasteful and useless action. Here's how the Whack-A-Mole method works: A certain manager runs a sizable factory with 550 those who sew and glue items of material together to make purses. The manager of this factory lives an elaborate life with several disasters erupting in his/her business every day or two; sometimes a few disasters erupt every day. With all the Whack-A-Mole method, this purse factory manager moves his/her best individuals to fight a problem in one corner in the business in which the big troubles are creating chaos. The rest in the factory gets a much lower priority even though this "Whacking" continues on. A couple of days later, the Manager moves these problem fighters to fight another disaster that erupted in another corner with the purse factory. The manager doesn't have time and energy to worry when the last fire was fully create, he/she only cares it had become tamed down and from his/her radar screen with the top 3 issues.
Whack-A-Mole efforts often address the outward symptoms of your problem and not the actual root causes. It is used by frantic, stressed-out, untrained and unenlightened pros who think that any intense group of activities will invariably yield achievement. Unfortunately, only logical, effective and efficient actions get results. Professionals need to learn how to work smarter and never harder.
The GOFAAT and Whack-A-Mole methods can result in chaos and unresolved issues running a business.
All of those other Group A Problem Solving Techniques listed will be more professional kinds of solving problems techniques that folks or ad-hoc teams may use following a specific amount of specialty training. The basis causes for low complexity problems might be identified with methods #3-5 by using friendly debate, team consensus and the democratic procedure for team voting. Hard statistics information verification of root causes are generally not used for this group or problem-solving techniques. These techniques could be effectively utilized on simpler problems. They won't always understand it properly but many of times their efforts pays off, if these techniques are utilized correctly inside a disciplined way.
Group B Problem Solving Techniques #6-11 include:
6. Lean Manufacturing > Lean Office
7. Time > Motion Studies / Spaghetti Charting
8. Seven Basic Tools of Quality
9. Lean Kaizen Events
10. Process mapping with 10 layers of research
11. Six Sigma and/or Lean > TRIZ
These types of techniques require very accurate information and/or data to be successful. This equipment could be utilized to address the Not-So-Fast drive-through window customer complaint problem mentioned at the start of this short article. A Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, Lean Master or another very skilled professional has the ability to solve these kind of problems using the right tools on the right time. Specialized training must correctly execute these techniques. These Group B problem-solving techniques use a higher probability of identifying the correct root causes in comparison to Group A techniques. Group B techniques should be used for damage that is more difficult to solve. These techniques needs to be applied when simple team brainstorming won't yield the true root causes.
Group C Solving problems Techniques #12-18 include:
12. 3D > Multi-stratification-level graphing
13. Statistical Hypothesis Testing
14. Simple Regression Analysis
15. Multiple Variable Regression
16. Neural Networks > DOEs
17. Off-The-Chart DOE Optimization
18. Artificial Intelligence
root cause analysis training course
These methods need a certain amount of accurate data concerning the problem that will be analyzed with specific software to enable the issue solving way to become successful. These power tools could possibly be employed to address the bad quality plastic parts story mentioned at the outset of this article. The abilities necessary to start using these problem solving techniques would be possessed by Lean Six Sigma Black Belts, Master Black Belts as well as other highly skilled and trained professionals. These methods are usually applied when other efforts have failed to get to the root cause and solve the situation.