How To Perform A Successful Root Cause Analysis

This guest post was written by Sherri of Serene Journey.

A couple of weeks ago James wrote an article about the importance of identifying the root cause of a problem and not just addressing the symptoms. Having done root cause analysis for companies on a number of issues, I’ve seen first hand the benefits of taking this approach to problem solving. It’s not always easy to just sit down and do it. It does take time, practice and patience and it also helps to have a guide on how to do it.

Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years on how to perform a successful root cause analysis. Keep in mind this can be applied to any problem or source of resistance in your life, whether it’s at work or at home.

Identify the problem
The first step is to identify the problem, put a name to it and list out the specific symptoms. Without a clear understanding of what the problem is, it will be almost impossible to fix it. Don’t rely on your memory too much here, I’ve always found it more effective to write (or type) it out.

Do an analysis
Take a look at the problem you’ve just described. Ask yourself a few questions to help you flesh it out. What are the consequences of the problem and how severe are they? How long has this been going on for? It’s great if you can include as many people in this step as you can. Seek out people that are familiar with the situation, have faced similar problems in the past and are directly affected by this problem. You’ll be more successful at truly solving the problem if you can see it from as many different perspectives as possible.

Ask why
This is my favorite technique for identifying the root cause of an issue. You don’t ask yourself why just once and move on, you ask yourself why at least five times! This 5 Whys technique was popularized by the Toyota Motor Corporation and is a simple yet powerful way to get to the bottom of things. We go beyond asking why just once or twice, since the first thing that comes to mind typically isn’t the real reason for the problem. The first and most obvious response tends to be superficial. But with further prodding it can set off a chain of reasons as to why a problem exists. Take this example below of why I’m always late for work in the mornings.

• Why? I run around gathering all my stuff to get out the door
• Why? I sleep in
• Why? I’m still very tired when my alarm goes off
• Why? I go to bed late
• Why? I enjoy watching late night TV

You can see from this simple example that the reason I’m late for work isn’t just because I’m unorganized and spend much of my time each morning running around trying to get out the door. The real reason is because I stay up late watching TV… that is what really needs to be addressed. You can even take it one step further and repeat the 5 Whys exercise for each of the five responses above, you can get pretty detailed and gain a lot of insight by exploring each one further.

Decisions and implementation
Go over your list of whys again and brainstorm possible solutions for each one. When deciding on which solutions to implement be sure they meet the following criteria. Solutions to problems must:

• Be realistic
• Work for everyone involved
• Directly help in achieving your goals
• Most importantly, not introduce new problems

Following this simple guide will certainly help you to perform a successful root cause analysis and identify solutions to real problems. Often times, implementing a single solution will not be enough to prevent the problem from coming up again. It is important to check in from time to time and make sure your solution is still valid and still working as it was intended. Continuous improvement, re-evaluation and re-implementation of new solutions is the best way to proactively keep your problems under control.

Do give it a try and let me know how it worked for you. Do you have any other tips that you could add here? Please share them in the comments!