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Later on one Friday morning, John Hunter was finishing a coffee at a local restaurant. When he got into his car and tried to start it nothing happened. He sure wasnt happy about it because it was going to make him late for an important meeting.
All too often we address problems based solely on experience and react to symptoms in the same was as they have been addressed in the past. As a result we get to not solve them again and again. Without effectively addressing root causes, problems repeat themselves. Addressing only one root cause is only slightly better.
In industry, particularly the automotive industry, managers often throw around terms like identifying and resolving the root cause of something that has gone wrong. This often involves a customer voicing some kind of concern that they want the manufacturer to address. What managers need to realize first and foremost, is that there are actually three root causes that must be addressed.
The Symptoms
This is the first actual issue or occurrence that is found to be a problem. We must be sure that we are in fact, identifying the problem and not a result of the issue. Going back to our opening example, the symptom for John was that his car wouldnt start. This is not actually the problem, it is the symptom. Obviously the actual problem is something with the car.
Root Cause #1
The first root cause is the one that has caused the symptom in the first place. What went wrong to make a customer think that there was a problem? In Johns case, the problem was actually that the battery cable was not connecting properly, and the car therefore wouldnt start. .
Second Root Cause
The second root cause is the cause of the problem. In Waynes situation it was determined that the second root cause was that the cable had been left loose during maintenance at Waynes local garage.
Third Root Cause
The third root cause is the system root cause. This is the failure in processes or procedures which allowed the problem to happen or did not catch the problem before it was seen. In Waynes case the third root cause was that the service checklist at the garage, which is completed once all service is done, did not include a check of the battery cables.
There could probably be a long discussion about whether all or any of these is The Root Cause and in fact it probably doesnt matter. What is important is that, if we want to address problems in such a way as to make them permanently go away, we must ensure that all three root cause listed above are fully understood and that corrective actions fully address all three.
All too often we address problems based solely on experience and react to symptoms in the same was as they have been addressed in the past. As a result we get to not solve them again and again. Without effectively addressing root causes, problems repeat themselves. Addressing only one root cause is only slightly better.
In industry, particularly the automotive industry, managers often throw around terms like identifying and resolving the root cause of something that has gone wrong. This often involves a customer voicing some kind of concern that they want the manufacturer to address. What managers need to realize first and foremost, is that there are actually three root causes that must be addressed.
The Symptoms
This is the first actual issue or occurrence that is found to be a problem. We must be sure that we are in fact, identifying the problem and not a result of the issue. Going back to our opening example, the symptom for John was that his car wouldnt start. This is not actually the problem, it is the symptom. Obviously the actual problem is something with the car.
Root Cause #1
The first root cause is the one that has caused the symptom in the first place. What went wrong to make a customer think that there was a problem? In Johns case, the problem was actually that the battery cable was not connecting properly, and the car therefore wouldnt start. .
Second Root Cause
The second root cause is the cause of the problem. In Waynes situation it was determined that the second root cause was that the cable had been left loose during maintenance at Waynes local garage.
Third Root Cause
The third root cause is the system root cause. This is the failure in processes or procedures which allowed the problem to happen or did not catch the problem before it was seen. In Waynes case the third root cause was that the service checklist at the garage, which is completed once all service is done, did not include a check of the battery cables.
There could probably be a long discussion about whether all or any of these is The Root Cause and in fact it probably doesnt matter. What is important is that, if we want to address problems in such a way as to make them permanently go away, we must ensure that all three root cause listed above are fully understood and that corrective actions fully address all three.
About the Author:
Patrick Ambrose has been a Business Management Consultant for over 30 years. Check out his site on Processes Management. Also, find out howRoot Cause analysis can help your business run better!
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