Digging Deep to Uncover Root Causes
Welcome back to davelitten.com and our Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Masterclass!
If you’ve followed Part 1, you’ve defined a clear problem, gathered data, and brainstormed potential causes. Now, we’ll take those insights and pinpoint the true root cause using structured tools, then verify and prioritize for maximum impact.
Here is a quick reminder that Root Cause Analysis is normally carried out as part of a process or system improvement project:
This beginner-friendly guide covers Steps 4 and 5 of RCA: applying analytical tools and confirming the root cause.
You’ll learn what each step entails, why it’s essential, how to execute it, and when to apply it, with real-world examples from my experience in engineering and management.
By the end, you’ll have the skills to uncover the real culprits behind your project headaches, saving your organization time and money, boosting team efficiency, and delivering reliable results to customers (internal or external).
Let’s keep building your problem-solving superpowers!
Step 4: Apply RCA Tools to Identify the Root Cause
What Is It?
Use structured analytical tools to trace your problem’s potential causes (from Step 3) to the deepest, most fundamental source. This ensures you’re not just treating symptoms but fixing the core issue.
Why It Matters
Tools like the 5 Whys or Fishbone Diagram organize your thinking, preventing you from stopping at surface fixes (e.g., blaming a “lazy team” when the issue is a broken process).
This saves your organization from costly recurring problems, reduces team frustration, and builds customer trust with lasting solutions. For you, it’s a chance to shine as a strategic thinker.
How to Do It
Choose tools based on your problem’s complexity. Below are two beginner-friendly options, perfect for engineering projects and management workflows.
Tool 1: The 5 Whys
What: A simple questioning technique that asks “Why?” five times to drill down to the root cause.
How: Write your problem statement, then ask why it occurs, answering each question to dig deeper. Document each step for clarity. Involve your team to validate answers.
Example: In a software engineering project, we defined: “Weekly releases are delayed by 3 days, costing $25,000 in overtime and delaying client rollouts.” The 5 Whys revealed:
- Why are releases late? Bugs found in testing.
- Why? Tests fail frequently.
- Why? Code has preventable errors.
- Why? No peer reviews before testing.
- Why? No review process in the workflow.
- Root Cause: Lack of a peer review process. This led to a solution (mandatory reviews) that cut bugs by 60%, saving costs and speeding up client deliveries.
When: Use for simple-to-moderate issues, in a 20-30 minute team huddle after brainstorming.
Practical Tips:
Keep questions focused on processes, not people, to avoid blame.
Stop at five whys or when you hit a systemic issue you can fix.
Cross-check answers with data from Step 2 (e.g., bug logs).
Benefits: Quick and actionable, this tool saves time, aligns your team, and ensures customers get reliable deliverables.
Tool 2: Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagram
What: A visual chart that groups causes into categories (e.g., People, Process, Tools, Materials, Methods, Environment) to identify the root cause.
How: Draw a “fish” with the problem as the head and categories as bones. List brainstormed causes under each category, using data to refine. Review with your team to confirm. Use a whiteboard or tools like Miro for remote teams.
Example: For recurring defects in an auto parts engineering project, our problem was: “10% of parts fail quality checks, costing $40,000 in rework monthly.” Our Fishbone showed:
Materials: Faulty supplier batches.
Methods: Rushed inspections.
People: Inconsistent training.
Process: Weak quality control steps. Data confirmed most failures tied to supplier batches.
Root Cause: Inadequate supplier quality checks. Solution: Stricter vendor audits reduced defects by 50%, saving costs and ensuring client satisfaction.
When: Use for complex problems with multiple factors, in a 1-hour team workshop post-brainstorming.
Practical Tips:
Use the “6Ms” (Man, Machine, Materials, Methods, Measurement, Environment) for engineering projects.
For management workflows, adapt categories (e.g., People, Process, Tools, Communication).
Involve cross-functional team members to catch blind spots.
Refine the diagram by cross-referencing with data (e.g., defect logs).
Benefits: Visual clarity aligns teams, saves time by organizing causes, and delivers quality outcomes to customers.
When to Apply Tools
Apply after brainstorming (Step 3), when you have a list of potential causes.
Start with 5 Whys for quick insights; use Fishbone for complex issues or when multiple causes overlap. Combining both (e.g., 5 Whys per Fishbone category) can deepen analysis for tricky problems.
Benefits
Structured tools ensure thorough analysis, preventing your organization from wasting resources on quick fixes.
Your team gains clarity, and customers benefit from reliable, long-term solutions. You’ll stand out as a leader who tackles problems systematically.
Step 5: Verify and Prioritize Root Causes
What Is It?
Test your suspected root causes to confirm they’re correct, then prioritize them based on impact and effort required to fix.
Why It Matters
Verification ensures you’re addressing the true issue, not a red herring, saving your organization from costly missteps.
Prioritization focuses your efforts on high-impact, low-effort fixes, maximizing ROI for your team and delivering reliable results to customers. This showcases your strategic decision-making.
How to Do It
Verify:
Run small tests (e.g., pilot a process change for one team or sprint).
Check data correlations (e.g., do defects drop when training improves?).
Revisit Step 2 data to confirm patterns (e.g., failure logs vs. suspected cause).
Prioritize:
Use an impact/effort matrix: Plot causes on a 2×2 matrix (High/Low Impact vs. High/Low Effort). Focus on High-Impact, Low-Effort first.
Score fixes based on cost savings, time reduction, or customer impact (e.g., faster deliveries).
When to Do It
After identifying potential root causes via tools, before building solutions. Spend 1-3 days testing, depending on complexity. For simple issues, a quick data check may suffice.
Example
In the bridge construction project from Part 1, we suspected training gaps caused weld failures ($50K in rework). We piloted enhanced training for one crew, reducing defects by 70% in two weeks, confirming the cause.
Using an impact/effort grid, we prioritized training (high impact: saved $50K; low effort: 2-day program) over equipment upgrades (high effort, uncertain impact). This saved costs and ensured safer bridges for public customers.
Practical Tips
- Test one variable at a time to isolate the root cause (e.g., training vs. materials).
- Use simple metrics (e.g., defect counts pre/post-test) to validate.
- Involve stakeholders (e.g., via a quick meeting) to agree on priorities.
- Document tests in a shared log (e.g., Google Docs) for transparency.
Benefits
Verified causes ensure efficient solutions, boosting your credibility as a leader. Your team avoids wasted effort, your organization saves resources, and customers trust your reliable fixes.
What’s Next?
You’ve now pinpointed and verified the root cause of your problem, ready to tackle it with confidence.
In Part 3, we’ll cover Steps 6 and 7 – developing and implementing solutions, then monitoring for long-term success, plus real-world examples to inspire your RCA journey.
These final steps will turn your insights into action, delivering lasting results.
Do join me in Part 3 to complete your RCA mastery. Let’s keep digging and solving problems together!