What Is Causal Factor Charting?

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Peel back the layers of a problem and get to its cause.

We've all experienced an unfortunate situation at work that we'd rather not repeat. Maybe a new IT system rollout was full of unexpected bugs, or a recent roadshow performed well in some cities but poorly in others.

Sometimes, results fall short of our expectations, regardless of how much careful planning we put in. The reasons can often be frustratingly unclear – or we might make a wrong assumption about the cause, and miss the opportunity to deal with it.

Causal factor charting* is an effective way to work out how a problem developed, and to find ways to avoid it in future. In this article, we'll explore how and when to use this technique.

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