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Root Cause Analysis Video

Video Transcript

Learn how to use Root Cause Analysis to fix problems more easily.

Think about the last major problem you had at work.

Did you take the time to discover the actual underlying cause of the problem? Or, did you implement a quick fix, and only deal with the symptoms?

Root Cause Analysis is a popular process for finding the underlying cause of a problem. This technique is useful because, when you deal with the root cause, you also fix many other issues associated with it.

There are five steps in Root Cause Analysis.

You first need to define the problem. What is happening and what are the symptoms of it?

Step two is to collect data about the situation. How long has the problem existed? What is its impact? What can you learn about it?

Step three is to identify possible causes. What events led to this problem? What conditions allow this problem to occur?

Next it's time to identify the root cause. What is responsible for the problems you identified in the last step?

Once you've identified the root cause, the last step is to implement a solution to fix it.

Now, read the article that accompanies this video to find out more about Root Cause Analysis, and learn about the tools and techniques you can use in each step of the process.

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Comments (2)
  • Over a month ago Michele wrote
    Hi DHcandoit,

    Great to hear that the article on Root Cause Analysis is helping you to resolve a problem you are working through. My experience is that many people will jump to solutions rather than spend the time to explore what's causing an issue. When people skip RCA, you often spend time, effort and resources creating a solution to the wrong problem!

    Michele
    Mind Tools Team
  • Over a month ago DHcandoit wrote
    A timely introduction for me as I'm wrestling with a problem and the RCA is a huge help. Thank You.