Root Cause Analysis

...as a result, are the deeper investigation into the reason for the occurrence in the first place. The root cause or causes might be much deeper than outward symptoms reveal, and several layers may have to be pushed aside to reach the "root" cause..

The best action plan of any accident is to find the appropriate solution to stop the same accident happen again in the future. This s preventive action will be most effective if this is being applied to the real cause of accident. To find out the real cause, the root cause analysis must be applied. Root Cause Analysis is structured step by step technique that focuses on finding the real cause of a problem and dealing with rather than merely dealing with its symptoms. It is a process to help stakeholders to understand causes of a problem well enough to achieve permanent resolution of that problem.

The goal of a root Cause Analysis s 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 behaviour, behaviour of systems, or processes). Several root causes will usually be found.

THE BENEFIT OF ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS USAGE

Implementation of root cause analysis will help your company

•The benefits of Root Cause Analysis, as a result, are the deeper investigation into the reason for the occurrence in the first place. The root cause or causes might be much deeper than outward symptoms reveal, and several layers may have to be pushed aside to reach the "root" cause.
•identify barriers and the causes of problems, so that permanent solutions can be found.
•develop a logical approach to problem solving, using data that already exists in most operations.
•identify current and future needs for organizational improvement.
•establish repeatable, step-by-step processes, in which one process can confirm the results of another.

THE DISADVANTAGES OF LIMITATIONS OF ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS.

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

General principles of root cause analysis

1.Focus on the basic cause of problem.
2.It must be performed systematically, with conclusions and causes backed up by documented evidence.
3.There may some root cause for any given problem.
4.To be effective the analysis must establish all known causal relationships between the root cause(s) and the defined problem.

General process for performing and documenting an RCA-based Corrective Action
Notice that RCA (in steps 3, 4 and 5) forms the most critical part of successful corrective action, because it directs the corrective action at the root of the problem. That is to say, it is effective solutions we seek, not root causes. Root causes are secondary to the goal of prevention, and are only revealed after we decide which solutions to implement.

1.Define the problem.
2.Gather data/evidence.
3.Ask why and identify the causal relationships associated with the defined problem.
4.Identify which causes if removed or changed will prevent recurrence.
5.Identify effective solutions that prevent recurrence, are within your control, meet your goals and objectives and do not cause other problems.
6.Implement the recommendations.
7.Observe the recommended solutions to ensure effectiveness.

Root cause analysis techniques
1. 5 Whys
2. Failure mode and effects analysis
3. Pareto analysis
4. Fault tree analysis
5. Bayesian inference
6. Ishikawa diagram, / fishbone diagram / cause and effect diagram
7. Cause Mapping
8. Barrier analysis -.
9. Change analysis –
10.Causal factor tree analysis .
11.TapRooT .
12.ARCA; Apollo Root Cause Analysis .
13.RPR Problem Diagnosis –

Reference :
1.Wikipedia.com
2.12manage.com
3.envisionsoftware.com

PS: Picture Taken from pinterest