Process Improvement Responses

LA 4-1:  If cross-functional problems occur in a vital, value-added process, which approach from the readings might work best to get to the cause(s): RCA or Cause & Effect?  Be sure to explain your reasoning.

Response 1:

RCA – a way to uncover the what and how an event occurred as well as why it happened.

The thought process is if you can discover why something occurred, you become more effective at making recommendations for change.

Consists of four steps:

1. Data collection

2. Causal factor charting

3. Root cause identification

4. Recommendation generation and implementation

Cause & Effect – method used to capture individual ideas on what is causing a certain problem (or effect) to occur. Puts all the factors on the table – team can dissect from there.

Both are very similar in nature – RCA seems like a good way to go for a vital, value-added process because of its comprehensive approach. It offers steps and structure which can help uncover details more effectively than simply listing the causes and effects. 

Response 2:

I would prefer the root cause analysis. "Root cause analysis is a process designed for use in investigating and categorizing the root causes of events with safety, health, environmental, quality, reliability, and production impacts" (Rooney & Vanden Heuvel, n.d., p. 45). This analysis determines what and how an event occur, and also why it occurred (Rooney & Vanden Heuvel, n.d., p. 45). This is most beneficial because once you determine why something failed it also helps you create corrective measures to prevent this from happening in the future (Rooney & Vanden Heuvel, n.d., p. 45). If you're simply trying to figure out what happened and why it happened, you are failing because you are not finding out the reasons why it happened (Rooney & Vanden Heuvel, n.d., p. 45).

The cause and effect analysis is simply a trial and error is defining the why factor of the scenario and then brainstorming. I think this cause is less effective because it can become very opinionated. I think the root cause analysis is simply stating facts. The cause and effect trial can have someone thinking that a failure happened off their personal opinion, but that might not be the case. The scenario will continue to happen over and over again until it's based off facts.