The Root Cause Analysis Handbook

Are you trying to improve performance, but find that the same problems keep getting in the way? Safety, health, environmental quality, reliability, production, and security are at stake. You need the long-term planning that will keep the same issues from recurring. Root Cause Analysis Handbook: A Guide to Effective Incident Investigation is a powerful tool that gives you a detailed step-by-step process for learning from experience. Reach for this handbook any time you need field-tested advice for investigating, categorizing, reporting and trending, and ultimately eliminating the root causes of incidents. It includes step-by-step instructions, checklists, and forms for performing an analysis and enables users to effectively incorporate the methodology and apply it to a variety of situations. Using the structured techniques in the Root Cause Analysis Handbook, you will: Understand why root causes are important. Identify and define inherent problems. Collect data for problem-solving. Analyze data for root causes. Generate practical recommendations. The third edition of this global classic is the most comprehensive, all-in-one package of book, downloadable resources, color-coded RCA map, and licensed access to online resources currently available for Root Cause Analysis (RCA). Called by users "the best resource on the subject" and "in a league of its own." Based on globally successful, proprietary methodology developed by ABS Consulting, an international firm with 50 years' experience in 35 countries. Root Cause Analysis Handbook is widely used in corporate training programs and college courses all over the world. If you are responsible for quality, reliability, safety, and/or risk management, you'll want this comprehensive and practical resource at your fingertips. The book has also been selected by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and the Risk and Insurance Society (RIMS) as a "must have" for their members.

The answer is root cause analysis, a process that allows you to find the cause of single events/problems in the workplace. The Root Cause Analysis Handbook presents a walkthrough example that illustrates the method and shows how to implement it. Because poor initial problem definition can (and often does) undermine the problem-solving process, Ammerman places special emphasis on this area to build a solid foundation for effective analysis. He also provides guidance on preparing the final report. The need for clear documentation on dealing with problems makes this book especially valuable for quality managers, engineers, safety managers, and teams implementing the ISO or QS standards. Written in a simple, user-friendly style, you will grasp the core concepts quickly and begin applying them to your work.

This best-seller can help anyone whose role is to try to find specific causes for failures. It provides detailed steps for solving problems, focusing more heavily on the analytical process involved in finding the actual causes of problems. It does this using figures, diagrams, and tools useful for helping to make our thinking visible. This increases our ability to see what is truly significant and to better identify errors in our thinking. In the sections on finding root causes, this second edition now includes: more examples on the use of multi-vari charts; how thought experiments can help guide data interpretation; how to enhance the value of the data collection process; cautions for analyzing data; and what to do if one can’t find the causes. In its guidance on solution identification, biomimicry and TRIZ have been added as potential solution identification techniques. In addition, the appendices have been revised to include: an expanded breakdown of the 7 M’s, which includes more than 50 specific possible causes; forms for tracking causes and solutions, which can help maintain alignment of actions; techniques for how to enhance the interview process; and example responses to problem situations that the reader can analyze for appropriateness.

This book presents a proven system designed for investigating, categorizing, and ultimately eliminating root causes of incidents with safety, health, environmental, quality, reliability, and production-process impacts. Defined as a tool to help investigators describe what happened, to determine how it happened, and to understand why it happened, the Root Cause Analysis System enables businesses to generate specific, concrete recommendations for preventing incident recurrences.

Although there are many books on root cause analysis (RCA), most concentrate on team actions such as brainstorming and using quality tools to discuss the failure under investigation. These may be necessary steps during RCA, but authors often fail to mention the most important member of an RCA team the failed part.Root Cause Analysis: A Step-By-Step

This book comprehensively outlines what a holistic and effective Root Cause Analysis (RCA) system looks like. From the designing of the support infrastructure to the measuring of effectiveness on the bottom-line, this book provides the blueprint for making it happen. While traditionally RCA is viewed as a reactive tool, the authors will show how it can be applied proactively to prevent failures from occurring in the first place. RCA is a key element of any successful Reliability Engineering initiative. Such initiatives are comprised of equipment, process and human reliability foundations. Human reliability is critical to the success of a true RCA approach. This book explores the anatomy of a failure (undesirable outcome) as well as a potential failure (high risks). Virtually all failures are triggered by errors of omission or commission by human beings. The methodologies described in this book are applicable to any industry because the focus is on the human being's ability to think through why things go wrong, not on the industry or the nature of the failure. This book correlates reliability to safety as well as human performance improvement efforts. The author has provided a healthy balance between theory and practical application, wrapping up with case studies demonstrating bottom-line results. Features Outlines in detail every aspect of an effective RCA ‘system’ Displays appreciation for the role of understanding the physics of a failure as well as the human and system’s contribution Demonstrates the role of RCA in a comprehensive Asset Performance Management (APM) system Explores the correlation between Reliability Engineering and Safety Integrates the concepts of Human Performance Improvement, Learning Teams, and Human Error Reduction approaches into RCA

This updated and expanded edition discusses many different tools for root cause analysis and presents them in an easy-to-follow structure: a general description of the tool, its purpose and typical applications, the procedure when using it, an example of its use, a checklist to help you make sure if is applied properly, and different forms and templates (that can also be found on an accompanying CD-ROM). The examples used are general enough to apply to any industry or market. The layout of the book has been designed to help speed your learning. Throughout, the authors have split the pages into two halves: the top half presents key concepts using brief language—almost keywords—and the bottom half uses examples to help explain those concepts. A roadmap in the margin of every page simplifies navigating the book and searching for specific topics. The book is suited for employees and managers at any organizational level in any type of industry, including service, manufacturing, and the public sector.

Root Cause Analysis Handbook: A Guide to Effective Incident Investigation presents a proven system designed for investigating, categorizing, and ultimately eliminating, rootcauses of incidents with safety, health, environmental, quality, reliability, and production-process impacts.Defined as a tool to help investigators describe what happened, to determine how it happened, and to understand why it happened, the Root Cause Analysis System enables businesses to generate specific, concrete recommendations for preventing incident recurrences.Using the factual data of the incident, the system also allows quality, safety, and risk and reliability managers an opportunity to implement more reliable and more cost-effective policies that result in major, long-term opportunities for improvement.Such process improvements increase a business' ability to recover from and prevent disasters with both financial and health-and-safety implications.Special features include a 17 inch by 22 inch pull-out Root Cause Map, a powerful tool for identifying and coding root causes.The book helps readers to understand why root causes are important, to identify and define inherent problems, to collect data for problem solving, to analyze data for root causes, and to generate practical recommendations.- - - - - - This edition is a reprinting of the 199 edition.- - - - - -ORGANIZATION OF THE ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS HANDBOOKThe focus of this handbook is on the application of the Root Cause Map to the root cause analysis process. The Root Cause Map is used in one of the later steps of the root cause analysis process to identify the underlying management systems that caused the event to occur or made the consequences of the event more severe. The first five chapters of this handbook are an overview of the root cause analysis process. These provide the context for use of the Root Cause Map. Chapter 6 provides references.Chapter 1, "Introduction to Root Cause Analysis," presents a basic overview of the SOURCE (Seeking Out the Underlying Root Causes of Events) root cause analysis process.Chapter 2, "Collecting and Preserving Data for Analysis," outlines the types of data and data sources that are available. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 describe the three major steps in the rootcause analysis process.?Chapter 3, "Data Analysis Using Causal Factor Charting," provides a step-by-step description of causal factor charting techniques. Chapter 4, "Root Cause Identification," explains the organization and use of the Root Cause Map. Chapter 5, "Recommendation Generation and Implementation," provides guidance on developing and implementing corrective actions. The references section, Chapter 6, provides additional information for those interested in learning more about specific items contained in the handbook.Appendix A, "Root Cause Map Node Descriptions," describes each segment of the Root Cause Map and presents detailed descriptions of the individual nodes on the map. AppendixB is the Root Cause Map itself.