New Forum added - Problem Solving, Root Cause and Failure Analysis

As most of you 'regular' folks have probably noticed, I have added a new forum: Probelm Solving, Root Cause and Failure Analysis.

I have added this forum because I am a strong proponent of finding the true root cause of a 'problem'.

At the same time, I also recognize that finding a 'true root cause' is often a venture into the The_Twilight_Zone where it becomes apparent that there is rarely a single root cause for a failure mode (problem occurrence). I also fully understand that often a root cause can be identified but there is not the 'political will' within management to do what is necessary to correct the root cause...

The bottom line is I was sitting here thinking about the aspect of "employee (aka 'human') error" and the part it plays, as well as my experiences over the years, both working on the floor and as a consultant. I feel that Root Cause discussions deserve a niche here.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Marc

Re: New Forum added - Root Cause and Failure Analysis

Agreed, Marc. Thanks for taking the initiative.

Re: New Forum added - Root Cause and Failure Analysis

ADDED Note: Because there were 2 existing forums which address related aspects, I have put in Links in FAQ Posts in each forum to try to help people in knowing where to look and where to post what.

And.... I realize sometimes there is no single category of the three where a thread will fit. Many times thread topics can simply not be unambiguously put in a specific category (forum title/topic). Taxonomy is always a problem.

None the less, I hope this will help. I may even add 'Problem Solving' to the forum title, now that I think about it.

Thats great

This will be definitely "emerging" forum going forward

Thanks Marc,

I find all the 'ideas' a bit confusing as AIAG people have morphed their own meanings. Has anyone worked with or know of a company that uses APOLLO RCA (apollorca.com) in their companies?

I'd like to know their opinion of that process as it is quite different from anything else I've seen.

Boeing is a fan of Apollo RCA. I've used it on a few very difficult, complex situations for which it seems best-suited. But most of the time I find 5-whys does nicely.

Mike S. said:

Boeing is a fan of Apollo RCA. I've used it on a few very difficult, complex situations for which it seems best-suited.

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Could I beg you to provide a brief explanation on what sets Apollo RCA apart?

I’m probably really not qualified to comment too much on Apollo RCA. I certainly don’t want anyone to think me an expert on it, cuz I’m, not. But here are a few of my opinions:

Apollo RCA is a more philosophical and cerebral approach to RCA and it is IMO overkill for many situations. It is visual as well as verbal so it can help in understanding complex things quickly. Several people I know were taught it, but none of those folks (aside from me) has ever used it. I have never received an Apollo RCA response from a supplier, either. The book tries to sell you a program to use it and without that you have to make do with hand-drawn symbols or custom computer-generated symbols similar to flowcharting symbols.

A basic tenant is that every effect has at least 2 causes and is caused by a coming together of both a condition and an action. Sometimes this realization is helpful and sometimes it is not.

Ex: Fire is caused by conditions of O2 present, fuel present, and match present and the action of striking a match. Eliminate any one and you eliminate the effect (fire).

Ex: An unhappy customer is caused by an action of “computer failed” and the condition of “customer exists”.

In this latter case, realizing the customer exists, for me, doesn’t shed any helpful light on the route to CA, lest we consider eliminating customers a possible CA! (Hmmmm.....)

In the 3-4 relatively complex cases where I used Apollo RCA it helped me organize my thoughts and present a pretty clear view of the situation where a words-only approach might not have been as effective. But that is 3-4 times I have used it vs. probably 100+ cases where I felt it was not the best RCA tool for the job.

JMO – I’d like to hear other views from real-world users – not academics or salesmen.

Re: New Forum added - Root Cause and Failure Analysis

nicoledc109 said:

Hi, I am a new member of forum. Would a newcomer be warmly welcome here? Good day you guys!!!

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Welcome nicoledc

You are most welcome to post questions in the relevant forum or provide answers to the questions that you can. Hoping for your active participation.

Well Marc this was very much needed, though no one spelt it out (including myself). This is a very important field, needed by one and all, every now and then. It is very thouughtful of you to start this new forum.

Umang