Understanding Root Cause Analysis

Master Root Cause Analysis to effectively resolve recurring organizational problems, perfect for executives, project managers, and analysts seeking systematic and practical problem-solving techniques.

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Essential Skills Gained

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Understand the principles of Root Cause Analysis to systematically analyze problems.

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Learn to gather and analyze data for effective problem investigation.

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Implement techniques to differentiate between symptoms and root causes.

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Design and develop a comprehensive Root Cause Analysis program for your organization.

Format

  • Instructor-led
  • 2 days with lectures and hands-on labs.

Audience

  • Executives
  • Project Managers
  • Business Analysts
  • Quality and Process Engineers

Description

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a structured, team based, analytical approach that when used correctly can alleviate recurring problems within an organization. In this course, participants will learn to apply several practical, systematic methods for analyzing incidents and problems to uncover root causes. Understanding of these techniques will be reinforced by exercises as we explore effective ways of gathering data for root cause analysis and how to determine which problems should be analyzed. We will also discuss how to design, develop, and implement a root cause analysis program for your organization.

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Upcoming Course Dates

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Course Outline

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Section 1: Introduction and Objectives

  1. What is a "Problem?"

  2. Why Problems Persist

  3. What is A Root Cause?

  4. Why Root Causes are important

Section 2: How to Organize for an RCA

  1. RCA Roles and Responsibilities

  2. Assemble your RCA Team

  3. Modes of Communication

  4. How to Resolve Conflict

  5. Case Study Exercise

Section 3: Select the Problem to Analyze

  1. Define the selection criteria

  2. Plan and estimate tasks for the team

  3. Finalize the plan and gain agreement among your stakeholders

  4. Case Study Exercise

Section 4: Define the Problem

  1. What to look for - Problem-as-Given (PAG) vs. Problem-as-Understood (PAU)

  2. Developing your problem statement

  3. Refining the problem specification

  4. Case Study Exercise

Section 5: Identify the Source of the Problem

  1. Discuss when to use the appropriate analysis technique to determine the problem source

  2. Process Diagram

  3. Forms & Checklists

  4. Statistical Sampling

  5. Fishbone Diagram

  6. Surveys

  7. Charts - Line, Scatter, Bar, & Pie

  8. Case Study Exercise

Section 6: Solution Options Analysis and Selecting the “Best Fit”

  1. How to approach different solution options

  2. Brainstorming

  3. Weighted Evaluation

  4. Selecting the appropriate option

  5. Hold a Retrospective on your approach

  6. Planning the proposal

  7. Case Study Exercise

Section 7: Putting RCA into practice

  1. Create a Root Cause Analysis program within your organization

  2. How to develop appropriate recommendations to address root causes at various levels to avoid future incidents

Your Team has Unique Training Needs.

Your team deserves training as unique as they are.

Let us tailor the course to your needs at no extra cost.