Current Quality Blog » Root Cause Analysis http://currentquality.com/blog Advancing Your Quality Assurance Knowledge Tue, 24 May 2011 12:04:52 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Wow Your Audience With Mind Mapping http://currentquality.com/blog/wow-your-audience-with-mind-mapping/ http://currentquality.com/blog/wow-your-audience-with-mind-mapping/#comments Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:36:16 +0000 Sandra Gauvin http://currentquality.com/blog/?p=1245

If you use brainstorming as a tool and would like to communicate the results creatively, then you should learn how to Mind Map.  The concept was created by Tony Buzan as a way to communicate information visually through pictures and word associations so you remember the information more easily….a majority of us think visually, plus it’s a fun way to jazz up a list.  But don’t think this tool is limited to just brainstorming….you can also use it to solve business problems, find root cause, etc.

First you start out with a central idea, and draw main branches that represent words related to it, followed by smaller branches….don’t forget to add pictures!  Although you can purchase mind mapping software, I think hand drawn maps have more ‘personality’.  Check out the map by Paul Foreman, an experienced mapper and talented artist….most of his maps focus on inspiration.

Since hand-drawn maps aren’t a practical solution in the business world, I’ve been spending time evaluating mind mapping software that’s easy-to-use….stay tuned for my final evaluation.

]]> http://currentquality.com/blog/wow-your-audience-with-mind-mapping/feed/ 0 Leading A Root Cause Analysis http://currentquality.com/blog/leading-a-root-cause-analysis/ http://currentquality.com/blog/leading-a-root-cause-analysis/#comments Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:37:04 +0000 Sandra Gauvin http://currentquality.com/blog/?p=4

When leading a root cause analysis, you want to make sure that you consider everything that may have contributed to the problem, otherwise you may find yourself dealing with the same problem more than once….you’ll feel like you’re in the movie Groundhog Day.

The easiest way to lead a root cause analysis is to identify what process the problem occurred in, then create a high-level process map that consists of approximately 4-6 process steps.  For each process step, you need to write down the inputs (Manpower, Method, Machine, Material, Mother Nature….known as the 5 M’s).

Then gather a few people that are knowledgeable on the process and let them know that you would like them to participate in a root cause analysis.  Review with them each input to determine if it may have contributed in any way to the problem.   This can be done quickly if you create a numerical rating system (i.e. 0 = Didn’t contribute, 3 = May have contributed, 5 = Definitely Contributed).  Then quickly go through each input and get a rating from the participants….document the average rating for each input and rank them in order from highest to lowest.  The input(s) that get the highest ratings should be addressed immediately.

Once you’ve implemented your solutions, you should monitor the process for a reasonable amount of time to make sure that you truly got to root cause….meaning the problem shouldn’t have occurred again during that time period.

Always make sure that you document your root cause analysis for two reasons:  You can verify to an auditor that a root cause analysis was completed, and if you find that the problem still exists you can revisit your work and look at the next likely root cause without having to start from the beginning.

Let me know if you’ve found this article helpful….I’d really like to know.

Take care,
Sandra

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