TapRooT® RCA = Problem Solving
Are you only using TapRooT® RCA for major incidents? If so, there is so much more you should be getting from your TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis Program.
TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis provides all the tools for problem-solving any issue that pops up on your radar. Any problem, no matter the size, can be analyzed and fixed using the TapRooT® methodology and standardized RCA tools. Every TapRooT® investigation, large or small, should lead to continuous improvement.
Root causes are only the absence of best practices or knowledge that is not currently in your systems for whatever reason. Maybe you haven’t ever faced that problem before. But now that you know about it, you can take it through the TapRooT® process to identify root causes and introduce the missing best practice or knowledge that will eliminate your problems by implementing impactful corrective actions. And, guess what/? As you eliminate the root causes of small, annoying, or frustrating problems one or two at a time, your risk for major incidents decreases over time. You are strengthening the systems your people work under. The stronger your systems, the better supported your people are and they simply perform better.
Our most successful clients understand this principle. They’ve also discovered another undeniable fact. When you use TapRooT® for smaller problems, your investigators improve at using the TapRooT® Methodology and RCA tools. Just like anything else in life, the more your practice, the better you get. With the exception of my golf game . . . .
One excuse I’ve heard when organizations say they don’t use TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis for small problems is that the TapRooT® process takes too long. They don’t have the time or resources to do it. When I hear that, I ask “Do you only use TapRooT® RCA for major investigations?” The answer is always yes. Every major investigation takes awhile if you do it well, but most of that time is investigating. Investigating and understanding what happened in a major incident does take time, but once you have all your evidence collected and organized on the SnapCharT®, the rest is easy. You follow the process. If you investigate a smaller problem, your investigation and SnapCharT® are quick and easy because the scope of your investigation is small. You will likely only have one or two Causal Factors to take through the TapRooT® Tree and Dictionary. Problem-solving smaller issues should be much quicker than major incidents.
Start using TapRooT® RCA for the smaller problems and you’ll get better at the TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis process so your major investigations get better, build stronger systems to help your people perform better, build a blame-free culture, and decrease risk through continuous improvement.
TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis has been designed for investigating seemingly simple problems that could have been worse (precursor incidents) by using a simple 5-step process.
TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis can also be used to investigate major accidents by using the complete 7-step process.
- The 2-Day TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis Course teaches the essential techniques for investigating precursor incidents and fixing them to prevent major accidents.
- The Equifactor® Training Course also teaches how to use the TapRooT® techniques and Equifactor® troubleshooting tables to stop equipment problems.
- The 5-Day TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis Team Leader Course teaches the complete 7-step TapRooT® process and techniques to investigate major accidents, serious environmental releases, fatalities, major plant upsets, and serious injuries.
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