By Dave Patrishkoff
December 11, 2011
Root Cause analysis (RCA) is the formal search for an individual or group of true causes of a problem and not just the symptoms. It is normal to find more than just one root cause to a problem which interacts with each other. RCA can be pointed at any problem, both simple and complex. For example, let’s look at two different problems:
1. Fast food drive-through window customers complain that their order takes too long to get filled.
2. You cannot get good quality for plastic parts made from your new machine that has 55 knobs on it for the control settings.
You would hopefully use different techniques to find out the root causes for each of the above problems but often, in business, that is not the case. Too often, the ever popular GOFAAT method (Guessing One Factor at A Time) is used to attempt resolution for both problems.
Using the GOFAAT method to solve problem #1 would look like this: The restaurant manager would run around after each customer complaint and scold Joe one day, then Mary or Larry the next day and then scream at the slow cooking french fry machine the day after that.
Using the GOFAAT method to solve problem #2 would look like this: mold machine operator Terry would spin dial number 7 (lucky 7) a little to the right when things go wrong. Mold machine operator Jerry would spin dial number 13 a little to the left when things go wrong. Clever mold machine Operator Tito would spin dial number 3 and 5 far to the right when things go wrong. By the way, Terry, Jerry and Tito never talk to each other because they work on different shifts and management does not give them the time to discuss their issues with each other.
The graph on the right shows some of the most common Root Cause Analysis Techniques used today. Problem Solving Technique #1 listed on the bottom of the graph is the previously mentioned GOFAAT method. This method requires no training to apply and can be used by an individual or a small team to solve a problem. The use of this tool as the primary way of solving problems would be at the bottom of scale of sophistication when it relates to competency in problem solving.
The second Technique on the graph is the Whack-A-Mole Problem Solving method. It is very popular amongst professionals and managers but it is unproductive and it generates a lot of wasteful and useless action. Let’s say a certain manager runs a large factory with 550 people who sew and glue pieces of material together to make purses. The manager of this factory lives a complicated life with several disaster erupting in his/her business every few days, sometimes a few disasters erupt each day. Here is how Whack-A-Mole works: This purse factory manager moves his/her best people to fight a problem in one corner in the business where the big problems are creating chaos. Everything else in the factory gets a much lower priority while this “Whacking” goes on. A few days later the Manager moves these problem fighters to fight another disaster that erupted in another corner of the business. The manager does not have time to worry if the last fire was fully put out, he/she only cares that it was tamed down and off of his/her radar screen or top 3 issues.
Whack-A-Mole efforts often addresses the symptoms of a problem and not the true root causes. It is used by frantic, untrained and unenlightened professionals who believe that action equals results. In the real world, only efficient and effective actions get results. Professionals need to learn how to work smarter and not harder.
The rest of the Group A Problem Solving Techniques on the chart are Methods #3-5. They are more professional types of problem solving techniques that individuals or ad-hoc teams can use with limited amounts of specialty training. The root causes for low complexity problems could be identified with methods #3-5 with friendly debate, team consensus and the democratic process of team voting. They might not always get it right but most of the time their efforts will pay off.
Group B Problem Solving Techniques #6-11 on the above chart require accurate information and some data to allow these techniques to be successful. All of these tools could be used to address the Not-So-Fast drive-through window customer complaint problem mentioned at the start of this article. A Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt or Lean Master has the ability to crack these types of problems by using the right tools at the right time.
Group C Problem Solving Techniques #12-18 on the above chart require a lot of accurate data about the problem to enable the problem solving technique to be successful. These tools could be used to address the bad quality plastic parts story mentioned at the start of this article. The skills required to use these problem solving techniques would be possessed by Lean Six Sigma Black Belts, Master Black Belts and other highly skilled and trained professionals.
So how does one know when to use what type of problem solving technique? The professionals who could answer such questions would be those who were trained and experienced in all of the techniques 3-18 listed on the above graph. Different subsets of tools listed should be used to solve different types of problems. Varying levels of problem complexity require different types of problem solving techniques. Only an experienced Lean Sigma Black Belt, Master Black Belt or other expert would be able to match the best problem solving techniques with the problems attempting to be solved.
You cannot use a hammer to fix everything that can go wrong in a house or a chain saw as the only tool to beautify your backyard. None of these mentioned techniques compete with each other, they supplement each other by finding their niche and by being applied at the right time on the right kind of problem.
About the Author: David Patrishkoff is President of E3 Extreme Enterprise Efficiency® LLC. He has trained over 3,000 professionals from companies in over 55 different industries and enjoys teaching people how to improve their efficiency levels and solve their “Mission Impossible” issues. Visit his website and learn more about the training opportunities and consulting services: http://www.eeefficiency.com/.
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