Root Cause Analysis

Getting to the root cause of a problem is the first step taken to understand how to fix the problem. After all, if you do not know what is causing the problem, how are you going to fix it?

Ask Why 30 Times

Certified Reliability Engineer Mark Galley takes this methodology one step further. Expanding on the Five Why principle, Galley suggests that asking 20 or 30 why questions can lead to a better understanding of the root problem. In fact, this twist on the Five Why principle can uncover a series of root causes, allowing the team to focus on the most valuable problem.

titanic-cause-map2Process Mapping in Excel

Presenting at the 2016 Mile High Lean Summit, Galley used the Titanic Cause Map analysis from the Think Reliability resource center. Perhaps one of the key takeaways was that Galley did all of his process mapping in Excel. As Galley states, what software does nearly every business manager in the world have on their computer?

Published by Michael J. Shull

Mike began his improvement journey in the late 1990’s using Kanban cards and production boards to reduce waste in the restaurant industry. In 2005 he joined Caterpillar, Inc. where he learned how to integrate process improvement with Six Sigma to increase heavy equipment sales in two Colorado territories. With a passion for education, Mike later began teaching folks how to use these simple principles themselves--first in the private sector (2009), and then later in the public sector (2012). Mike is the Senior Manager of Continuous Improvement at Denver International Airport and he previously served as the executive director for the Colorado Lean Network from 2017 - 2020. Mike loves learning about what drives people to improve processes while teaching them how to think differently. When he is not facilitating process improvements, Mike enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, biking and traveling with his wonderful wife, Melissa.

Leave a Reply