Root Cause Analysis WITH (ACTUAL Example)

In this video I'll answer the question: Can there be more than one root cause with a root cause analysis technique and example!

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[learnkaizen]

Tell me if you feel like there is more than one root cause right here in the comment section. I know there are different thoughts on this topic and I'm curious to know yours! As always, thanks for watching. Consider subscribing and if you know someone who may like to see this video, please share it!

[DavidIacono]

This video has changed my mind about how I think about RCA. I was convinced that a problem can have one or more root causes. However, I think in those scenarios the “multiple root causes” could be separated into different problems. I work with computers and have seen situations where some resource hungry software causes a computer to have a hardware failure. At a high level the problem may have multiple root causes. But to prevent the problem with greater success, the problem could be broken up into 2 or more problems. And each of those problems can have an independent and distinct root cause.

[haroldsimpson]

Being a QE for over a decade, I agree there is only ONE Root Cause. There may be several strong contributing factors, but only one RC.

Moreover, every root cause, non-conformance, must violate some standard, print, company directive, or unwanted desire before it can be called an issue.

A great quality tool for that is the IS/IS NOT diagram, 5- Why, Fisshbone diagram, etc.

Great video.

[sharanyak]

Learnt something new about rca. It can't be multiple. Switching off and switching on..was really an eye opener to know what is ur rca. Bravo!!!

[bharatm]

Simple but right to the concept along with the example.
Understood well.
Thankyou

[VictorGarcia-yvpz]

Nice simplified content. Definitely an easy-to-remember formula to get your brain working on solving a problem.

[jimbo]

This video helped me pass my interview. I am forever thankful. ☺

[gurvir]

so what you are saying is that there is one root cause for each of the multiple contributors? for example the airport one, there are three contributors to the problem at hand like the baggage check or security delay both of which would have the own separate root causes causing the main problem of flight delay?

[Arcenia]

Thank you for sharing the thinking process of RCA

[luciabanjo]

This is super interesting- thank you so much! Can I ask how this works with the fishbone tool which takes into account many causes? Would you advise doing the fishbone tool and then going to the root cause from the causes you have listed on the fishbone?

[yashnigam]

If you look at the Baltimore Bridge collapse, there was the issue of the ship losing power, but there is also the issue of the bridge not having adequate collision dolphins for the size of ships moving through the ports. Would you say that in that case there is still only 1 root cause?

[robertborden]

I was practicing this today on a bottling line. We put dropper tips into bottles and screw on caps lightly by hand, then run those bottles through a machine that torques the caps down. Some caps get scuffed by the torquing wheels. I observed the machine to see how that mechanism operates and what happens to produce a scuffed one. It happened when the bottles tip off to an angle and the wheel hits the cap diagonally. I’m looking for why the bottles can sometimes tip but others don’t. Root cause may land in the process design camp because packaging design isn’t very deep on the performance side (must be filled/closed/clean/defect free) but how we get there isn’t under high scrutiny. CAPA would land in creating or improving the procedure for packaging performance optimization, incorporating major learnings found by watching how this machine butchers our caps every so often.

[anubhavmaurya]

Hello thanks for the explaining the topic. I have one question regarding 5 Why analysis. How do we know that we have figured the Root cause of the problem while performing 5-Why analysis.

[georgecucchi]

Just adding to the conversation. In your fire example clearly the uncontrolled spark (heat) is the root cause. Air which is always present and combustible can exist in perfect harmony with no incident. The counter argument. But I have a stove on and the shopping bag got too close and caught fire. Yes but the shopping bag could have sat on the stove so long as there was no heat. Thus it was the presence of heat that caused the fire. On your second one about the plane departure. My belief is that there is again one root cause. If all three conditions are overlaid my guess is that passenger volume, or employee absences correlate. I get that contributing factors are nearly as important to identify but there usually is only one seed to the problem.

[luigi]

Hello, thanks a lot for the videos. Quick question about this. Is root cause analysis used when process is stable and we simply want to improve our performance, or is it used to solve for special causes?

[abenitez]

Just to add to it, I always like to ask the question WHY...until I find my root cause. For example, if we say the flight delays are due to short staff, then maybe we can ask the question why; it could be because 1) there is counter/office space limit, or 2) not enough computers. If we ask why again, it could be 1) because the office space is not well distributed, or 2) there is a budget limit for computers. It is interesting that we can keep digging many times, but if we do it enough we will find a solid solution. Thanks for the great content!

[MrDixa]

Thank you for the fantastic RCA technique :)

[MegaNatebreezy]

So what are you supposed to do with the ither contributing factors?

[canonthescanner]

Hey! I'm still facing issues with regards to finding the root cause.
In your video (flight delay example), you said that security check delay is not a root cause since it has its own set of root causes.
when I think about it, every cause has its own set of root causes. so, in the example you said that the root cause is "Lack of staff" but that issue has its own set of root causes, maybe for example a failure by the management.
now my question is, how do you know that you have reached the root cause for your problem?

Much appreciated.

[明智吾郎-eb]

I agree with 90% define, 10% solution. The only thing worse than the wrong solution to the right problem is the right solution to the wrong problem.