The Rootisserie
eLearning, Root Cause Analysis, Flim-Flam and Jibber-Jabber
Description Barrier analysis is a root cause analysis method that considers the pathways through which a hazard can affect a target in order to characterize the performance of actual or potential barriers/controls interposed to protect the target. Pros and Cons Pros Conceptually simple, easy to grasp. Easy to use and apply, requires minimal resources. Works well in combination with […]
Listed below are some of the better Root Cause Analysis articles from my weblog. I’ll start the list with what is probably the most popular article on my whole site… the one that’s been linked to by many blogs and websites (some run by government agencies), cited by others in several journal articles, presentations, and […]
Are you looking for a guided tour through the topic of Root Cause Analysis, something like a short book or training manual? If so, start off with the RCA Article Guide. Do you need to solve a difficult problem? … investigate an accident or safety incident? … eliminate waste and maximize value? … figure out why equipment keeps failing? […]
Root cause analysis can be characterized in many ways. Some refer to it as a tool for continuous improvement. Others call it a method for finding performance problems. Those at the receiving end, however, often view root cause analysis as just a repackaged version of “the blame game”. Who can blame them when operator error […]
Most problems and accidents involve human activity at some point or other. Often, this activity is right at the point of occurrence, and people at the sharp end are usually operating under difficult or confusing circumstances. They make decisions and take actions that, in hindsight, prove to be “wrong” in some way. Then, after something […]
Problems come in all shapes and sizes. I’ve been involved in all kinds of investigations, from those dealing with something as mundane a chronic lack of hot water in a shower facility, to something as critical as a software error that caused non-conservative miscalculations of reactor operating limits. I’ve even been involved in a fairly […]
Problems happen all the time. How we choose to respond is a major factor in determining how badly we will be affected by any given problem. I would argue that a systematic response is best, and furthermore, I propose a 9-stage sequence (including root cause analysis) as discussed in this article.
Wired News has a nice article on what they consider to be the 10 worst software bugs of all time (so far). I knew about a few of these, notably the Therac-25 fatalities and the Ariane-5 self-destruction. However, at least three of them were new to me.
I’ve been trying to find out more about Business Process Management lately. What I’ve seen over a few years of doing root cause analysis is that many important root causes are related to how we design, manage, and operate key processes. I’m not just talking about typical business processes, either. The processes I’ve been looking […]
I confess to being a list-maker. I’ve published a few root cause analysis related lists in this weblog since it’s inception 18 months ago in May 2004. I’ve also posted a couple in the wiki (old wiki gone, new wiki still sparse). I thought it might be interesting to wrap them all up into a […]