Root Cause Analysis Tools
Root cause analysis is so important, we want to discuss it further.
As we mentioned earlier, root cause analysis is a process by which you first analyze the surface causes of noncomformities to identify and analyze the underlying EMS root causes. For instance, if repeated spills commonly occur in your raw material transfer area, it's a clue root causes exist for the repeated nonconformity. To arrive at the root causes for the nonconformity, two tools can be quite helpful:
Root Cause (Fishbone) Diagram
The root cause diagram (also called a fishbone diagram) shown to the right is a good tool to help you organize your thoughts when conducting the analysis.
- Each diagonal line represents a main component of the production process.
- Each horizontal line stemming from the diagonal represents an important element contributing to each of the main components.
Five-Why Analysis
Another tool to help you identify root causes is called the 5-Why Analysis. This is a simple process of identifying the surface cause (write it as a problem statement) and then asking "why" five times to arrive at the root cause. To get the idea how this works, just think about a child who keeps asking why when you try to explain something.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
6-6. What would you do if a spill occurs several times in your raw material transfer area?
You forgot to answer the question!