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A structured process or procedure to determine the most underlying or fundamental factor or reason for a failure.RCA is used to gather the necessary information to identify suitable short-term and long-term solutions to avoid similar failures in the future.

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Using Statistical Process Control in Environmental Root Cause Analysis

Using Statistical Process Control in Environmental Root Cause Analysis

We often jump to the wrong conclusions when non-compliance occurs. Non-compliance occurs when the standards and regulations designed to protect public health and the environment are unmet. Obviously, we must reduce immediate risks. However, these measures often address the symptoms and not the root causes. This leads to further delays or doubling down on the wrong things as we move through mitigation that misses the mark. Using statistical process control in environmental root cause analysis is one way to make sure you’re getting it right!

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8D in RCA

8D in RCA

The 8D (Eight Disciplines) method is a problem-solving methodology designed to find the root cause of a problem, devise a short-term fix, and implement a long-term solution to prevent recurring problems. It was first introduced in Ford’s 1987 Team-Oriented Problem Solving manual and has since become a widely used problem-solving method, also known as Global 8D. The 8D process consists of eight disciplines, each focusing on specific aspects of problem-solving

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Student Questions from My Root Cause Analysis Class, Part 3

Student Questions from My Root Cause Analysis Class, Part 3

In this third and final installment in this series showcasing the most thought-provoking questions I’ve received from students of my online Root Cause Analysis class over the past five years, you will see a question each about the cause-and-effect diagram, capability analysis, and team building. This diverse set of questions, like the questions presented in the first two installments of this series, point plainly to the diversity of skills needed to become an effective quality or reliability professional.

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Student Questions from My Root Cause Analysis Class, Part 2

Student Questions from My Root Cause Analysis Class, Part 2

In part two of this three-part article series, I am continuing to showcase some of the best questions I’ve received over the past 5 years from students of my online Root Cause Analysis class, along with my answer to them. 

And as Indira Gandhi once said, “The power to question is the basis of all human progress.” And so, it is my hope that by sharing these questions and answers, others may all learn and progress as well.

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Student Questions from My Root Cause Analysis Class, Part 1

Student Questions from My Root Cause Analysis Class, Part 1

Since launching my Root Cause Analysis class just over 5 years ago, I count myself remarkably fortunate to have been a part of the learning journeys of the 14,000+ students who have taken it. And a welcomed part of teaching courses online is fielding questions that come from students. In addition to clarifying for them various technical points of the course, I also get a “behind the curtains” look at the general training gaps in the quality profession. Afterall, that one student’s question may be in lingering in the minds of countless other quality professionals as well.

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So, You Are a Reliability Engineer Forced into Being a Facilitator

So, You Are a Reliability Engineer Forced into Being a Facilitator

Technical professionals are often asked to “lead” teams through the application of assessment tools such as failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), Root Cause Analysis (RCM), and Reliability Block Diagrams. In some cases, you may be a department manager. In other cases, you are the subject matter expert. Sometimes senior management simply knows you are willing to do it.

The issue is not whether you are smart enough or the most personable engineer in the group. The problem is that you may have all the hard skills required to do the assessment, but you lack formal training in the soft skills. Most of us do the best we can. 

This article provides some insights for doing better rather than just being adequate.

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The Root Cause of a Failure is Always a Decision

The Root Cause of a Failure is Always a Decision

We often get sucked into drawn-out conversations (or heated debates) about the ‘true’ meaning of words. Especially when it comes to sports. Was James Harden (a basketball player) in the ‘act of shooting’ when he was fouled? It matters – because if the answer is ‘yes’ he gets up to three free throws. So what does the ‘act of shooting’ mean and who decides it? There will be endless debate over beers about what this means. Perhaps largely dependent on which team you support.

At the end of the day, it usually doesn’t matter. You can debate it as much as you want, but the referees have already decided what happened on the court. It is done. It is over. You can disagree with them. But nothing changes the score. [Read more…]

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How To Use CMMS To Supplement Root Cause Analysis

How To Use CMMS To Supplement Root Cause Analysis

According to the American Society of Quality (ASQ), a root cause is defined as “A factor that caused a nonconformance and should be permanently eliminated through process improvement. The root cause is the core issue—the highest-level cause—that sets in motion the entire cause-and-effect reaction that ultimately leads to the problem(s).”

As most of you already know, Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a systematic process for identifying the origins, or root cause, of problems and determining an approach to minimize or eliminate their risk of recurrence. It focuses on preventing problems at the source rather than resorting to a firefighting approach and being reactive every time. RCA tries to be more scientific about asset failures, going one step beyond troubleshooting. [Read more…]

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Learning from A Failure

Learning from A Failure

Why Failing Can Be Good and What You Can Take Away from It.

Regardless of how good a maintenance & reliability program is set up and managed, there will be failures.  This is partly due to the maintenance program itself, where the focus is on the consequences of the failures, not the failures itself.   This approach allows most organizations to manage large facilities will a minimum of staff and cost.

But what should happen when something does fail?  Should we just carry on as usual since we avoided the consequences?  Absolutely not.  When a failure occurs, we need to learn from it and improve the maintenance & reliability program.  Yet, many organizations address failures by implementing a PM routine.  This is not the right approach.  Remember only 11% of failures are age-related.  Adding these PM routines to the program will cause a collapse of the program from too much work, not to mention the maintenance induced failures that result from it.

So what should happen?  The failure should be analyzed and actions implemented to reduce the chance of the failure occurring again.
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Root Cause Analysis Framework

Root Cause Analysis Framework

Guest Post by Jignesh Padia (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

Albert Einstein once said that … “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If you find yourself doing a root cause analysis on the same problem repeatedly, it may be time to revisit the root cause analysis from a framework point of view rather than as a tool.  In this article, I will review an example of root cause analysis as a risk management framework. This is different than examining one of the tools or processes you use for troubleshooting a problem.

There are several root cause analysis frameworks that you may come across. In my research, the top five root cause analysis frameworks related to healthcare are from the:

  • Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI)
  • Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
  • National Health Service (NHS), the Joint Commission
  • World Health Organization (WHO). [Read more…]

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Characteristic 3 of an RCA Program

Characteristic 3 of an RCA Program

Establish a Clear Trigger Mechanism

Foundation

After the sponsorship and training are in place and resourcing is defined, there is still no guarantee that any investigations will get done. (See the end of the article for links to the blogs about these needs) This is where the definition of insanity applies – “doing the same thing over and over – and expecting different results” – so something must change. If there is no reason to perform an investigation, then things will continue to happen as they always have. [Read more…]

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Root Cause Analysis: The Key To Breaking The Reactive Cycle

Root Cause Analysis: The Key To Breaking The Reactive Cycle

Addressing The Root Cause Of Failures Will Unlock The Potential Of The Business

You walk into the plant on Monday morning.  You are immediately confront by the production manager stating “Press 201 is down.  The mechanics are saying it is the clutch again.”  You feel an overwhelming sense disbelief.  You ran overtime last weekend and replaced clutch at a cost of $30,000.   How is it the clutch is failing again?

This scenario may sound familiar.  It happens all the time, across many different industries and plants.  So what exactly happened?  The root cause was not properly diagnosed, and the clutch was replaced.   Based on the short life of the new clutch, the root cause was likely something else that is affecting the clutch. [Read more…]

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Characteristic 2 of an RCA Program

Characteristic 2 of an RCA Program

A Plan to Provide Program Resources

Who

Sometimes we get so used to managing without things that it becomes the way things are done. An astronaut giving a presentation at a conference I attended referred to this as “normalization of deviance.” In other words, we get so used to the way things are, that either right or wrong, they become the norm! Unfortunately, the obvious is many times ignored – because it is obvious. If you intend to have a sustainable Root Cause Analysis program, then there are things that must be done. People must be trained, reports must be written, analyses must be performed, and progress must be tracked and reported. Until a program becomes self-sustainable, it must continue to be driven. [Read more…]