Root Cause Analysis Fundamentals

Systems and equipment are becoming more complex, no matter your engineering discipline or sector. When an asset fails, there are three key reasons: physical, human or systemic causes. Root cause analysis (RCA) asks ‘why?’ - in a number of different ways, to identify the root cause of the failure. This helps engineers to prevent future failures, keep people safe and implement efficient quality control. From manufacturing to energy, construction and even robotics, RCA is applicable across disciplines.

In this course, you’ll learn the techniques of Root Cause Analysis, from the basic ‘Five Whys’ approach to the more complex logic tree analysis.

You’ll leave with an understanding of:

• how real-world RCA situations have played out
• when each approach is ideal
• the data you’ll need to gather and analyse
• how to present and apply your results.

Root Cause Analysis is an important tool in any engineer’s toolkit, to add value to a team and harness your logical thinking to save time, money or even lives.

Learning Outcomes:

• Apply Root Cause Analysis to real-life failure situations
• Select and analyse suitable data
• Learn key Root Cause Analysis methods, including:
• 5 Whys
• Cause Mapping
• Fishbone analysis
• Logic Tree analysis
• Understand the benefits of each RCA method
• Work as part of a team to execute RCA