Root-Cause Analysis - Beginner Intro and More

Root-Cause analysis should play an important part in a good asset manage program. Asset management program is based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDCA) concepts that grew from Deming's work in the 50's - 80's in manufacturing, so a key feedback part of the program must include questioning why the results observed don't align with the results anticipated. Root-cause analysis is an excellent tool for structuring the review of why a failure occurred, and should be a tool in the asset management toolbox.

There are many approaches to Root-Cause Analysis or Root-Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA), including the 5 Why's, Ishikawa diagram or fishbone diagrams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishbone_diagram), Cause-Mapping, and others. Earlier in August 2008, I wrote a short note to my scrapbook blog on a free root-cause tool that you could use as a guideline for doing your root-cause analysis: http://ydesign72705.blogspot.com/2008/08/root-cause-using-cause-mapping.html

Recently, I got another email from the thinkreliability.com, who is the provider of this free root-cause tool, announcing a link to a new short video that provides some definitions to the word "cause" and also a "root-cause".

You can find the video here: http://www.thinkreliability.com/video/RCCF-Gv6/RCCF-Gv6.html .

Identification of a root-cause is a difficult task and it requires some careful thinking about terminology and a real effort to not "leap" to a solution. I don't completely agree with the thinkreliability.com and my guess is because they are intending this as an introduction to the topic they didn't get into the more detailed points. For the purpose of introduction, it is certainly worth watching and giving it some thought. Pay special attention to the analysis about the root-cause of a fire. Do you agree? Leave comments below.