What is Root Cause Analysis about?
Root Cause Analysis, is a structured investigation
that aims to identify the underlying cause of a defect or
problem, and the countermeasures necessary to eliminate it.
Mistakes, errors, faults, waste and rework are diseases that infect every organisation reducing productivity and effectiveness while lowering morale throughout the workforce.
Underneath the 'cause' of a problem, the real cause is hidden.
In every case we must dig up the real cause by asking why, why, why, why, why?
Often called the "hidden factory or office" which costs the organisation dear, management would like to track down the root causes for these problems and eliminate them entirely. Usually, individual members of staff are held to blame for these problems but it is often difficult to obtain good data on the types of error because people are frightened to offer information that they believe may be used against them.
We at PRISM Consultancy International believe that 95% of problems originate in the way the organisational system is constructed. This moves away from blaming people. Our approach to Root Cause Analysis unearths these predominant systemic causes and enables the people in the organisation to design changes that will reduce or even eliminate these systemic problems. The Root Cause Analysis variant of our celebrated course, the PRISM Improvement Experience, is the ideal vehicle for enabling the people in the organisation to engage in the 'Hunt for Root Cause'.
Benefits deriving from using the PRISM Improvement Experience workshop for your Root Cause Analysis initiative are:
- The workshop gives people a clear methodology and tools to use in their Hunt for Root Cause.
- The workshop makes it clear that the opportunities lie in the system rather than with individual blame.
- The workshop makes clear links with other initiatives such as Six-Sigma or Business Process Improvement.
- The workshop generates excitement and enthusiasm for involving everyone in the drive for improvement and effectiveness.