Root cause analysis

quality improvementoperationsengineeringcustomer supportrisk management

What Is Root cause analysis?

Trace a recurring problem beyond its visible symptom to identify the underlying conditions that allow it to happen.

Why Does Root cause analysis Matter?

Root cause analysis matters because fixing the visible error without addressing the cause often allows the same problem to return.

What Does It Look Like?

Someone applying root cause analysis may:

  • distinguishes the event from the conditions that produced it
  • asks why a failure occurred more than once rather than stopping at the first explanation
  • uses evidence to support the proposed cause
  • identifies a corrective action that changes the cause rather than only the symptom

How to Develop Root cause analysis

You can develop it by:

  • take a recurring issue and perform a five-whys analysis
  • draw a cause-and-effect tree and mark which causes have evidence
  • after implementing a corrective action, check whether the problem actually recurs less often

Where Can Root cause analysis Be Useful?

Root cause analysis can be useful in areas such as:

quality improvementoperationsengineeringcustomer supportrisk management

Careers Where This Skill Can Be Useful

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