Explore the advantages of Root Cause Analysis (RCA) in your business and the systematic approach to solving complex problems effectively.
What is a Root Cause Analysis?
The quality management procedure known as root cause analysis (RCA) is used by an organisation to identify the underlying cause of an issue, problem, or incident after it has happened.
Even under ideal conditions, problems and accidents are unavoidable in any organisation. Although it would be tempting to just deal with the problem’s symptoms as they appear, doing so is essentially reactive and almost ensures a reoccurring and frequently worsening sequence of issues.
Both reactive and ethical, well-run businesses will face challenges, but since they place a higher priority on root cause analysis, the former will have fewer issues and bounce back more quickly.
Organisations can use root cause analysis to determine the problem’s underlying cause, choose the best course of action for fixing it, and create a strategy to stop such incidents in the future. It seeks to apply fixes for the fundamental issue in order to make operations more effective all around.
When should you perform a Root Cause Analysis?
When an issue or incident happens, organisations conduct root cause analyses (RCAs), although there are many problems that require one. There are three main types of triggers for a root cause analysis.
Physical causes
When actual materials or equipment malfunction (e.g., a desktop computer malfunctions or a third-party vendor component performs below expectations).
Human causes (or human error)
When individuals commit errors or neglect to do necessary activities (for instance, when a worker neglects to perform routine maintenance on a piece of equipment, resulting in its breakdown).
Organizational causes
A failure in a policy, procedure, or system that individuals use to make decisions (for instance, a firm makes itself vulnerable to cyberattacks by failing to train team members on cybersecurity protocols).
How to conduct a Root Cause Analysis?
Root cause studies can be performed by organisations for a variety of reasons, ranging from routine email service outages to major equipment malfunctions. The same basic procedures should be followed while conducting root cause analysis, regardless of the type or extent of the problem.
Identify the problem
Your department or organisation is probably dealing with a serious problem, or at the at least, trying to make significant changes to a specific procedure, if you have chosen to perform a root cause analysis. Therefore, defining and identifying the issue that you wish to solve should be the first step in the root cause analysis approach. It is impossible to accurately determine the underlying reasons of an issue if it is not well defined.
Once the department has a firm understanding of the issue, it is time to create a problem statement that explains the situation to all those involved in the RCA.
Assemble the RCA team
Leadership should draft a project charter that will bring together a team to finish the study after the problem has been recognised and made apparent to all parties involved. In addition to any team members who have professional or personal understanding of the systems, procedures, and occurrences you will be looking at, the team should have a facilitator to guide the group through the analysis.
Collect the relevant data
The process of solving problems is built on the collecting of data. Finding every bit of information that will assist you in determining contributing elements and, eventually, the underlying reasons of the problem is crucial at this point. Interviewing impacted parties, gathering incident reports and photos, and examining current policies and processes are a few examples of how to do this.
Identify possible root causes
In the RCA process, this is the most crucial phase. The group has now gathered all the material required and is beginning to identify potential causes. Every member of the RCA team should approach the brainstorming phase with an open mind since successful root cause analyses necessitate being receptive to all possible underlying causes of a problem. Avoid attempting to identify the root cause until all potential causes have been considered and verified; beginning the incident investigation process with preconceived assumptions may skew the findings and make it more challenging to identify the true cause.
Determine the root causes
It’s time to identify the issue’s underlying causes after the RCA team has a comprehensive list of potential causes and contributing elements. Determine which potential causes are the most problematic, which ones share similarities, and which ones can be completely ruled out by analysing each one and evaluating its actual impact. Be ready for the possibility that the problem has more than one underlying cause.
Once the group has reduced the number of probable causes, order the remaining root causes according to their significance and probability of being the cause of the issue. To identify the true root causes, leadership will look at and evaluate every possibility and work with the RCA team.
Find and implement the solution
The team must begin generating ideas for solutions after determining the underlying reasons and outlining every aspect of the problem. In addition to taking into account the logistics of implementing the solution and any potential roadblocks the team may face, the solution should directly address the underlying causes. These components will make up the action plan that will assist the team in resolving the current issue and avoiding future ones.
Root Cause Analysis methodology
There are numerous root cause analysis techniques that can assist an organisation in gathering data successfully and efficiently, even though all RCAs will involve the same fundamental processes. Usually, a business will choose a technique and finish the process using root cause analysis tools, like software and analytical templates.
Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
One of the most thorough methods of root cause analysis is a failure mode and consequences analysis. FMEA assesses every potential system/process failure scenario and looks at the possible consequences of each one, just like a risk analysis does. After that, the company takes care of all the underlying issues that could lead to failure.
Pareto chart
To determine the frequency of the most prevalent root causes inside an organisation, Pareto charts integrate the elements of line and bar charts. The most frequent and likely root causes are shown first in the chart, which shows them in decreasing order of frequency. The group then tackles the underlying issue whose resolution will have the biggest positive impact on the company.
Impact analysis
An organisation can evaluate the potential benefits and drawbacks of each suspected root cause by conducting an impact analysis.
Change analysis
When the performance of a system or process has altered dramatically, change studies can be useful. The department examines how the situation surrounding the problem or incident has evolved over time while performing this kind of RCA. The organisation can determine which causes led to the performance shift by looking at changes in infrastructure, data, information, and personal characteristics, among other things.
Event analysis
To determine the source of a significant, one-time issue, such as an oil leak or building collapse, an event analysis is frequently employed. In order to reconstruct the series of events that preceded the occurrence, event analyses rely on rapid (yet comprehensive) evidence-gathering procedures. Establishing the timeline makes it easier for the organisation to pinpoint the contributing and causative elements.
Causal factor tree analysis
A causal factor tree analysis, sometimes referred to as a causative factor analysis, enables an organisation to document and graphically illustrate through a causal factor tree each choice, incident, or action that resulted in a specific issue.
Ishikawa diagram
A cause-and-effect diagram that illustrates the conditions around an issue is called an Ishikawa diagram, also known as a Fishbone diagram. With a lengthy list of causes organised into similar subcategories, the diagram resembles the skeleton of a fish.
DMAIC
The Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, and Control method is referred to as DMAIC. This data-driven approach to process improvement is a component of Six Sigma techniques in an organisation.
Kepner-Tregoe’s root cause analysis
This RCA technique suggests using a four-step problem-solving process to identify the underlying cause of an issue. Situation analysis is the first step in the process, which then moves on to problem and solution analysis and, finally, to potential problem analysis.
Fault tree analysis (FTA)
Using boolean logic, an FTA enables an organisation to visually map possible causal links and pinpoint the underlying reasons.
Barrier analysis
The foundation of barrier analysis is the notion that appropriate barriers can avert issues and incidents. This kind of root cause analysis (RCA), which is frequently employed in risk management, looks at how the lack of suitable barriers caused a problem and offers recommendations for putting in place barriers that stop the problem from happening again.
Advantages of Root Cause Analysis
Businesses that employ the RCA approach aim to stop “firefighting” and addressing a problem’s symptoms. Rather, they aim to improve customer satisfaction, lower risk, and streamline business operations. An organisation can gain the following are the advantages of root cause analysis method, which offers a foundation for improved decision-making overall:
Continuous improvement
Beginning with the underlying cause, root cause analysis is an iterative process that aims to enhance the system as a whole over time in addition to addressing immediate problems. Root cause analysis’s iterative nature enables businesses to give continual process improvement top priority.
Increased productivity
Employees can focus on other important duties by saving time by preventing downtime, delays, staff turnover, and other production concerns within an organisation.
Reduced costs
Businesses lose money and employees become irate when software flaws or equipment malfunctions. By reducing the expense of continuously resolving a reoccurring problem, root cause analysis makes a business more financially efficient overall.
Better defect detection
Businesses risk unintentionally lowering the quality of their final product when they neglect to address underlying problems. By taking care of ongoing issues before they become more serious, the company can avoid future income and reputational losses linked to product flaws.
Reduced risks
Enhancing business procedures and systems helps employees stay safe at work and keeps equipment operating safely.
