The Rootisserie
eLearning, Root Cause Analysis, Flim-Flam and Jibber-Jabber
Causes and Causal Factors can usually be characterized as having two distinct but related qualities, termed Necessary and Sufficient. Necessary: If x is required for y to occur, then y cannot occur unless x is present; x is a necessary cause of y. If evidence that y occurred is found, then x must have […]
Root cause analysis is one of the best ways to solve difficult or significant problems, but sometimes, root cause analysis efforts fail because the corrective actions weren’t effective. If the original problem happens again, or the needed improvements haven’t materialized, or a new problem arises because of the corrective actions, you need to figure out what happened […]
The quality of a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and its Corrective Action Plan (CAP) should be evaluated many times over its lifecycle (i.e., from initial problem or event, through to final verified and sustainable improved state). Reviews occurring earlier in the lifecycle can really consider only the apparent quality of the investigation/analysis effort itself; these early reviews […]
Recent changes to this Root Cause Analysis wiki are logged below. 2014-10-04 :: topic pages Barrier and Root Cause created 2014-10-02 :: topic pages Event and Problem created 2014-10-01 :: topic pages Causal Factor and Necessary and Sufficient created
This page is the root for the new Root Cause Analysis wiki. Only the topic pages listed below have been completed. As more pages are created, some kind of directory will be added. The latest changes will be logged to Recent Changes. Barrier Causal Factor Event Necessary and Sufficient Problem Root Cause
Description Causal factor tree analysis is a Root Cause Analysis technique used to record and display, in a logical, tree-structured hierarchy, all the actions and conditions (or Causal Factors) that were Necessary and Sufficient for a given consequence to have occurred. Pros and Cons Pros Provides structure for the recording of evidence and display of […]
Search around on the web for Root Cause Analysis, and you’re likely going to find article after article discussing the Five Whys (or 5 Whys, or 5Y) technique. This method is especially popular in manufacturing, where the main concern is often productivity — maximizing production rate and minimizing rejects. I’ve heard many Six Sigma and […]
Models are representations of reality. They can be detailed or abstract, complex or simple, accurate or misleading. Whether we realize it or not, everything we perceive is processed using models. Therefore, it is important for us to understand how models can help us to understand reality, yet may also mislead us if not used with […]
A previous article discussed the definition of the word root as it applies to the concept of Root Cause. However, that article did not provide a definition for the word cause. While the meaning of cause may seem obvious to the casual observer, this article will develop a very precise definition that is useful for […]
The fields of incident investigation and root cause analysis are over-abundantly supplied with acronyms, like E&CF, ETBA, MORT, MES, etc. After much investigation, I’ve determined that to become really famous in this business, you’ve got to have at least one acronym attributed to you. Therefore, I hereby unleash the BOGUS test upon the world at […]