Root Cause Analysis - It's a Process

Those who know me know that I like to simplify any process or mgmt. approach. This is no different with my root cause analysis approach. Its actually pretty simple and straight forward. The important thing is that there is a process defined on the HOW to do it and as well the TOOLS that should be used to do it!

The process I use you can see below: Starts with Containing the Issue - Create Task Force - Assess - Identify - Corrective Action Plan - Standardize - Audit!

The format I use is A3. If you are not familiar with it, you can google, there is a lot of information available online.

The tools I like to use are mentioned in the box below the process. However, there are many other tools that you can use for the same purpose.

Temporary solution: First thing to do is to find a temporary solution so the business can continue to run. This will probably be done by the operators or intervention team on short notice. If a temporary solution cannot be done, then a repair is necessary - Production must continue is has first priority.

Important is that You as the leader, must go and see the issue. There is no way you can do any good decision in a later stage, if you have not fully understood what the problem is. So again, go and see the problem - walk the shop floor. Talk to the peoples who were involved.

Form a team: Once you know what is going on, form a team with the people involved. This is not a brainstorming exercise; this is a problem-solving intervention! So, get the right people on board. The team first goal is to gather information and data about the concerned process or equipment. Historical data, maintenance records, age, PM, PdM, and people's opinions. Get this data organized. Produce a pareto chart and summarize historical issues to understand their weight/impacts. Produce a fault tree analysis - what caused what! As well, work with 5W to deep dive into the root cause identification. You do not need to do it all, just do what is possible and what makes sense. It really depends on the kind of problem and the complexity of the problem on how deep you need go.

Assess data: Now that you have collected the data, start to identify the root cause by asking 5W. You may use the Ishikawa Fishbone diagram to organize and separate causes.

Identify real root cause: Once you have possible causes, deep dive to identify the real root cause that when eliminated will not allow the problem to occur again. As well, during the historical data analysis, you may find other problems. A good thing is to kill several issues within the corrective actions.

Make a plan: Define the permanent action - ensure it is measurable and has a clear plan for implementation. To do this you need to define what needs to be changed, in what time frame it's going to be implemented and tested and how it is going to be validated or adjusted. This needs to be clearly defined. Best for this is to use a Project Management style Time schedule with the actions, dates and dependencies defined. Treat the corrective action implementation just like a Project with a time schedule and deliverables.

Execute plan: At this stage you have implemented and validated the corrective action. Its working and you want to make it a new standard. This is a very important step. If this is not done properly, it will be a matter of time until the crew falls back to old habits, and the problem may revive. So ensure you define the new standard - You implement the new standard in a way that people will follow the new guideline if it's a process and put it on your auditing process. 

Consider that there are corrective actions that need either a change of equipment, parts or processes. Depending on what it is, your standardization process will differ. 

Important: When going after a root cause and eliminating problems, ensure you do not assume the cause without having the data. As well, do dig deep, do not content yourself with the first good sounding root cause. Use facts and data to support findings. And very important, let your team do the assessment. If you do tell them what to do, chances are that the new standard will never really be absorbed by company culture. If you let them figure it out and find the solution themselves, they will be in the boat and proud of their accomplishment. It will be the team's solution - not yours!