Respond to two Colleagues Granth D1W5

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Titanic 1

Week 5 Discussion 1:

Why the Titanic Sank

LECTURE:

The White Star Line, in the early 1900s, did not intend to be the passenger line known for the largest steamship disaster in the world. They set out to have the largest, most luxurious, and fastest steamships in the world. In 1912, they realized their goal with the Titanic and two sister ships; Olympic and Britannic that they had constructed. The story is history and material for other stories both imagined and in the real for the last 100 years (with many more years of discussion to come from this massive error in planning and preparation). White Star set objectives to attain their goals for being the best passenger line in the world. The journey for this title came at a high-price. Many would say too high of a price. Unfortunately, we do not hear of the success of the sister ships or many of the other accomplishments of the White Star Line due to the disaster of the Titanic and the impact it had on the company (and industry) overall. History has taught us about the Titanic and the errors of the company. Hindsight is 20/20. How many organizations follow suit making decisions that are catastrophes? One does not have to look far into business history to find material on company failure. Some end disastrously, while others are fodder for innovation. Part of being an effective consultant is understanding the client’s objectives. Invest in the client. As a consultant you're not providing what you think needs to be done, but what the client hired you for. If you're not clear on their objectives for their project there has been a communication breakdown. What did the client sign the contract for? What services are the consultants providing? Understand where these objectives fit into the organizational structure. What are the results they seek? The Titanic had enough lifeboats for half the capacity of the passengers on the ship. We're told this is due to the desire of wider walkways. The ship was thought to be unsinkable as it was built as a dual hulled ship. Lifeboats were a formality really, as the unsinkable became unthinkable. A massive ship with a small rudder does not turn easily or quickly. The same holds true in business. Many leverage the assets to an unsafe level. The market will only improve and grow. History shows if one market corrects, move assets to a different market. What happens when multiple markets globally adjust at the same time? In recent times, economic events from 2008 until today have occurred resulting in countries in default and major corporations filing bankruptcy (some receiving government buyouts). Understand the objectives. Develop alternatives to different plans. Ask questions of the client to gain a greater understanding of their needs and goals. Invest in the point. Be prepared to flex and accommodate your plan, and always cover your assets.

The Titanic disaster was largest passenger steamship in the world.  In 1912, the ship hit an iceberg and 1,517 lives were lost.  In 1997 this tragic disaster was memorialized in the award winning film, “The Titanic”.

View the video clip on Root Case Analysis (9:07) and follow the process as the consultant goes deeper into the causes of this disaster.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOVeO5_0qD0 . 

Assignment:

Respond to at least (2) two of your peers' postings in one or more of the following ways:

· Share an insight about what you learned from having read your peers’ postings and discuss how and why your peer’s posting resonated with you professionally and personally.

· Offer specific suggestions regarding their posting and different your opinion.

· Offer further assessment or insight that could impact your peer’s perspective.

· 3 – 4 paragraph responses per each colleague

· No plagiarism

· APA citing

· 24 hours

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1st Colleague – Stephen

Stephen Jarman 

Week 5 Discussion - Why The Titanic Sank 

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Hello everyone,

The assignment as given: In your opinion, why would it not be sufficient to be satisfied with the simple cause?  Why was the deeper search as to the cause necessary?  Share your comments and opinions with your classmates.

It would not be sufficient to accept the simple cause - The Ship Hit Iceberg. The deeper search to the cause was necessary because, as the presenter stated, "If you ask different people why the Titanic sank, it is normal to get different answers because people see problems differently." Using the cause mapping methodology, with attention to cause-effect relationships, a richer and more thorough investigation can be realized by doing a proper analysis, documentation, communication, and ultimately solving problems effectively

I've documented this presentation and is attached it to this post. This is a good methodology and I am planning to use it beginning next week in my role as operations excellence manager. I am tasked with coaching and tracking my employer's problem-solving efforts, and I feel there is some value in ThinkReliability's cause mapping method. 

Stephen

References

Galley, M. 2007. Root-Cause Analysis – Titanic. ThinkReliabity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOVeO5_0qD0

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2nd Colleague – Susan Christmas 

Week 5 Discussion 1

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For this thread we were required to watch the Root Cause Analysis-Titanic YouTube video by Mark Galley. Galley uses the sinking of the Titanic to show us how cause mapping works. It is fact that people see problems differently, which results in a wide variety of cause-and-effect relationships to determine how an issue actually occurred. In a detailed cause-and-effect map, Galley shows us the Titanic sank because it did not turn sufficiently to avoid an iceberg; therefore, it hit the iceberg which caused the steel plates on the hull to bend because the steel was not strong enough. The weak steel caused an opening in the hull where water began to fill, thus causing the Titanic to sink. The effect of the titanic sinking was that 1,500+ lives were lost due to hypothermia and drowning because lifeboats did not work effectively, and rescue ships did not arrive soon enough. A cause map allows an organization to come up with different ways a problem can be solved. For Titanic, solutions were: install more life boats; have radio operators 24 hour a day; improve pump design and location and change design of bulkheads to make them water tight; make the steel stronger; establish iceberg surveillance program; and refine the communication process between the lookout at the bridge and the engine room (CauseMapping, 2009).

Simple Cause

In my opinion, it is not sufficient to be satisfied with the simple cause (Titanic sank because it hit an iceberg) because it does not explain why the Titanic hit the iceberg or how the next ship can avoid hitting an iceberg.

Deeper Search for the Cause

There was a need for the deeper search for the cause because we must understand all the various factors that ultimately caused the loss of 1,500+ lives. Lives were not lost “simply” because the Titanic hit an iceberg. In an article written for Professional Safety, the authors explain that there is a higher probability a problem will not recur if the organization has identified multiple root causes (Hughes et al., 2009). Granted, this means the organization must generate solutions for those root causes, but once fixed, the problem should not resurface in the future. That is the biggest and most obvious reason for an organization to do a deeper search for a cause of a problem.

References

CauseMapping. (2009, May 17). Root Cause Analysis - Titanic. [Video]. YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOVeO5_0qD0

Hughes, B., Hall, M., & Rygaard, D. (2009). Using Root-Cause Analysis to Improve Risk Management. Professional Safety, 54(2), 54-55.

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