What's the Real Problem? - Find the Root Cause

Root cause analysis is used in many quality programs and can be used to solve many management problems. A person without the discipline to find the real problem will often jump to an answer that doesn't uncover the root of the problem. A review of quick assumptions will uncover this problem in an operation.

Quality programs have been the way of life for operations in the aviation manufacturing business since WWII, but it has spilled over into other industries in modern times. Quality companies seeking certification under quality programs such as ISO 9000 will have to learn the discipline of digging for the root cause. For example, an airliner crashes, and on the surface it appears to be pilot error, frequently the first assumption made by the FAA. The crash investigation team knows better. There is much digging to be done.

In the industrial setting, a quality certified operation demands the discipline of root cause analysis. For example, a manufacturer of c! ar seat actuators was challenged by an annual cost reduction challenge, which is common to automotive operations. The cost reduction challenge was passed down to the gear manufacturer, a subcontractor, and the gear manufacturer sought ways to reduce material cost. One common approach is to go offshore with material and/or manufacturing requirements. Since changing the source of material and manufacturing requires prequalifying the new source, samples of the offshore products need to be cycled through the engineering, manufacturing, and quality operations. Testing, similar to the original qualification testing, needs to be repeated. This is the normal course of events when developing alternate sources.

If the new parts perform like the original parts, then the new source can be qualified, and parts can now be sourced from off shore. The other possible outcome is that there are significant shortcomings in the new parts, and the offshore source needs to be sidelined unti! l quality issues are cleared up. Proceeding without prequalify! ing test ing could cause havoc in the field. The following illustrates a hypothetical situation caused by a lack of quality discipline.

The new source of gears is accepted without prequalification testing, and the new parts are built into the product. The seat actuators are shipped worldwide, and they are installed into sedans and vans representing the spectrum of vehicles all the way up to luxury cars. Then there is a rash of part failure across the board ' in some cases with serious injuries resulting. The sales outlet CEO is screaming; the parent organization officers are screaming; the domestic original product manufacturer is embarrassed, and they are eager to help.

Root cause analysis is the implemented. The new products are set aside for qualification testing. The original source production line is reactivated to produce qualified products, and the pipeline is filled with originally qualified products. At the same time, the new assemblies made from unqualified par! ts are cycled through the qualification testing series. Notable differences are found in the performance of new actuators, and the new source is condemned.

The chain of events can be summarized as follows: Seat failure BECAUSE OF actuator failure BECAUSE OF gear failure BECAUSE OF unqualified source BECAUSE OF failure to prequalify: ROOT CAUSE

This case is fairly transparent, but most of the time the root cause of failure is elusive, and it takes detective work to get to the source of the problem. It could require a cycle of analysis / testing / re-analysis, etc. Working as a team to solve a problem is required in most situations. It's worth every effort because the future of the company and jobs is at stake. It is not for the faint hearted.

For anti-leadership from The Crass Captain or more management and leadership articles, visit http://www.CrassCaptain.com. Christine Casey-Coop! er's new book, entitled The Crass Captain's Guide to Organizat! ional Dy sfunction, will be on Amazon soon.