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Day after day organizations face problems for which they desire effective solutions. An important consideration is how to differentiate between problems for which root cause analysis is justifiable and those for which it is not. Applying resources to such an effort should be made based on considerations such as frequency, impact and risk.

Root cause analysis is the process of first drilling down from the symptoms of a problem to the physical cause, then from physical cause to root cause. Root causes are errors in the design or implementation of formal organizational processes which if corrected will provide a high level of assurance that the same problem will not recur.

So why not do root cause analysis on every problem? Because no organization has unlimited human and financial resources, yet investigations into problems require the allocation of both. Organizations then need a mechanism for helping determine the appropriate depth of analysis for each problem.

Some problems dont even justify an investigation at all. For example, if a company runs out of copy machine paper, going to the local office supply store to get some is likely to suffice. However, it the problem occurs repeatedly, then an assessment of how the paper inventory management process works (or doesnt work, in this case) may be worthy of analysis.

Such logic is often ignored when problems occur across external organizational boundaries. It is not unusual for customers to request that their suppliers perform root cause analysis based on a single failure out of hundreds of thousands of successes. Unless the degree of risk related to the problem is very high, such requests amount to diversions of resources to low value-added tasks.

Unfortunately, organizations often do not understand that root cause analysis is a rigorous mental process. It combines deductive and inductive reasoning to determine the specific cause and effect relationship that creates a particular problem. And it is not a popularity contest, but instead a data/evidence-driven one that can eliminate onerous business problems if used judiciously.

Duke Okes helps organizations implement effective root cause analysis as one component of the business improvement process. He can be reached at http://www.aplomet.com

posted by 55208  # 5:21 PM