The traditional way of solving a problem, and one that many people still use, is to identify a problem and then find what seemed to have caused it, use that as a scape goat and then carry on as usual.

Except the fundamental problem with this is that the root cause has not been identified, so the problem can simply happen over and over again (it usually does).

While the concept of ‘root cause analysis’ is common in lean – it’s a really excellent tool to use in general business, because it is incredibly simple, but highly effective and that is because it looks at finding the ‘root cause’ for a problem and in that way making sure that it does not happen again.

Root cause analysis therefore seeks to get to the heart of the problem and ensure that it is never repeated.

However, it is not the speediest of processes, because it looks at why a situation has occurred over and over again, thereby taking up time and it is for this reason that it is sometimes viewed as being a way of actually bringing about improvement on a continual basis, as opposed to solving individual problems.

Because at first it is reactive in the sense that it looks at why a problem occurred, root cause analysis (sometimes referred to as RCA) has to start only after a problem took place, but with experience, RCA can then be used as a way of trying to predict the likely occurrence of a problem in the future, so it is not always reactive, it can be quite proactive in its application.

Root cause analysis can be used in all sorts of environments – for example:

• Health and Safety, trying to establish the root cause of accidents and ensuring that they do not happen again.
• Production RCA, this is concerned mainly with the process of manufacturing, where products needed to be subjected to rigorous quality control.
• Process RCA is the natural successor to Production RCA since it follows on from production but it also looks at the business processes that influence the business and the manufacturing.
• Failure RCA relates to the failure of systems, procedures etc in the particular fields of maintenance and engineering. So instead of simply blaming personnel or a particular member of staff for maintenance not being done, RCA will try to get to the root cause for why it was not done.
• The final school of RCA is known as Systems RCA which relates broadly to the other schools, but has its roots in risk management, change management as well as systems analysis.
General Themes Relating To Root Cause Analysis
All the different schools of RCA have some themes that they share in common.
The first uniting theme has to be an overwhelming driving force to effect change and exact improvements, through ensuring that problems are treated at the root cause, rather than using traditional problem solving measures that simply result in treating nothing more than the symptoms of an underlying problem.
All RCA approaches require RCA to be performed in a methodical and systematic manner. Conclusions have to be drawn and the conclusions, along with identified root causes, must be supported by documentary evidence.
The third fairly obvious, but unifying them is that there is rarely only one root cause for any specific problem. Usually there are a few root causes, so all potential root causes need to be established. This requires an in depth analysis of all possible causes and once they have been established, then a further analysis is required to establish the relationship between the problem and the causes.
Because RCA requires a different approach and a different mindset, it can take some getting used to, but after that it is simply a tool for dramatically improving performance, through eradicating problems.

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