A better solution then, is to conduct a study such as Root Cause Analysis (RCA). Below we explain what this tool is, what its purpose is as well as what positive results its application can bring to an organization.
Root cause analysis is a widely employed tool that works not only in a variety of fields (from engineering to healthcare, medicine and business to manufacturing or quality management), but sometimes can also come in handy in our daily lives. Root cause analysis is an approach that through its systematic process leads to identifying the basis of problems, incidents and failures that have both already occurred and are potential.
Making use of it comes as the consequence of thinking that actions focused on this aspect – that is, the real essence of the difficulty – is usually because it is more effective than simply reacting to symptoms that may reappear some time later.
The main benefit associated with root cause analysis is the prevention of recurrence, which becomes possible precisely by removing the reasons why issues and failures happen. This improves the quality of the products, services or processes offered, reduces the costs incurred and ensures more optimal use of resources. However, this is not the only positive result of adopting this technique – among additional benefits we can mention:
It might seem that the overriding goal of root cause analysis is to understand the actual reason behind the issue or failure that occurred, which stands in opposition to focusing only on the immediate symptoms and taking corrective action. However, we should stress that such action is only a manifestation of the use of the tool described. This is because RCA aims – through specific steps – to identify areas for improvements, leading to an increase in efficiency, quality of undertaken steps as well and speed of occurring processes.
Thus, adopting Root cause analysis supports the continuous improvement of products, services or processes, which is expected to bring a positive result for all stakeholders (employees, customers, business partners, etc.).
How should the RCA process be carried out to make sure it produces the expected results? The best way is to follow these steps:
If you are not sure what’s truly the source of the difficulty, you can ask your employees for their opinion. A project and team management system, Firmbee, will help you maintain open communication. With the check-ins feature, you can send an automatic message to all (or selected) members of your team asking them to respond to a given topic. You can also set these as regular notifications (e.g., on certain days and times). In this way, you will gain a broader perspective on a given problem and learn about the potential reasons behind it from other people’s perspectives.
If you are looking for a way to improve quality, efficiency, safety or customer satisfaction within the products or services you offer, root cause analysis should suit you fine. However, you must humbly accept that RCA is not a magical medicine that makes all problems vanish. Nonetheless, applying the principles of the Root cause analysis to find out the basis of certain issue significantly increases the chances that you will succeed and achieve your business goals. What’s more, don’t forget that RCA ensures the troubling matters to occur less frequently (or be eliminated), which always comes as good news to all involved parties.
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Author: Klaudia Kowalczyk
A graphic & UX Designer which conveys into design what cannot be conveyed in words. For him, every used color, line or font has a meaning. Passionate in graphic and web design.
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