This free online course teaches the tools and methods required to conduct root cause analysis within processes.

Before you can solve a problem, you must first identify its root cause. Have you ever tried to solve a problem only to have it resurface again and again? This issue can occur if you treat a problem at a superficial level, creating a need for you to consider whether there's a critical cause that you must resolve immediately before fixing the problem permanently. Root cause analysis (RCA) is a widely-used methodology that seeks to answer why a problem arises in the first place. It is a technique that aims to determine where a problem originated. You can carry it out using specified steps and toolkits to determine the underlying cause. This course teaches you the fundamental concepts of RCA and how to find out the root cause of a problem.

We begin by introducing you to the RCA methodology and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) concepts. We'll show you the benefits of utilising the LSS methodology in improving the performance of a process and the scenarios in which you should consider using it. You'll learn about the tools used alongside LSS and how they enable you to understand the cause of a problem. An Ishikawa diagram is a cause-and-effect discovery tool that aids in determining the reason(s) of defects, variations or failures in a process. You'll study the Ishikawa diagram and the instances of when to use it. Next, we will introduce you to the ‘5 Whys’ diagram tool, its purpose and when and how to use it.

A system's problems might occasionally have multiple root causes and these causes can impact the system. How can the degree of these impacts be assessed? The Pareto chart seeks to determine the effect of specific causes of a system's problems. You'll study the purpose of the Pareto chart tool and when and how to utilise it. Upon that, we explore how to use the ‘cause and effect’ matrix tool to conduct a root cause analysis. Finally, you'll explore the critical traits of root cause analysis, its importance and how to deploy RCA effectively. You don't need any prior knowledge to take this course. It is designed for all learners and is essential in many industries, including science, engineering, telecommunications, medicine, healthcare and more. Enrol now and learn for free if you want to incorporate the root cause analysis technique into your operations!