Module 9:

Root Cause analysis

Overview

This module is focused on root cause analysis and identifying the underlying cause(s) of the problems we face in our communities.

Why do we start here? When treating an illness, if we just look at and treat the symptoms - rather than diagnosing the cause of the symptoms - then we can never truly heal. Root cause analysis helps us identify why issues occur, who creates those issues, and what power structures to target to solve the issue.

Learning outcomes: We'll know the methods to understand root cause analysis, recognize the importance of finding those roots, and how to develop strategies to address not the symptoms, but the root of the disease.

What we will do: Watch videos and learn different strategies to do a root cause analysis.

What is root cause analysis?

Root Cause Analysis is a problem-solving tool that allows us to identify the underlying causes of a problem

We begin by asking "why?" As long as we can continue to ask why, we keep diving deeper.

Performing a root cause analysis.

Major Steps

Define the problem
- Narrow down the focus to the problem at hand
Identify and invite people who are most impacted to the discussion
- Make sure the folks most impacted by [problem] of interest are at the table to identify what's at the root of it
Collect or look through existing information
- Through online research, community engagement, or other methods we've learned about look through information about the probelm
Identify what causes [problem] to increase
Identify what causes [problem] to decrease
Identify root causes of [problem]
Develop an action plan (module 10) and implement solutions

Tools and techniques

There are many specific tools and techniques used to conduct a root cause analysis. Here are some example approaches to doing this.

5 Whys Technique

Courtesy of: https://reliability.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/image-1024x640-1.png

5 Whys Technique

Using iterative questions to interrogate the causes and effects of a problem. We can ask more than 5 questions, but generally, five is enough to get to the root cause we're looking for.

Example problem: my car won't start (true story, my car actually won't start right now)

- - Why? - The battery is dead.
  - Why? - The car's alternator isn't functioning properly.
  - Why? - The alternator belt is broken.
  - Why? - The alternator belt was worn beyond its usable life and not replaced.
  - Why? - The car was not maintained according to service schedule (our root cause)

Strengths of the Five Whys Technique

- - Ease of the process
  - Helps to quickly identify a root cause of an issue

Weaknesses of the Five Whys Technique

- - For many complex issues, five questions isn't enough to get to a root
  - Only accounts for one root cause, rather than multiple
  - Originally designed for manufacturing rather than social issues

Fishbone Diagram

By FabianLange at de.wikipedia - Translated from en:File:Ursache_Wirkung_Diagramm_allgemein.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6444290

Fishbone Diagram

Uses a branching visual diagram to brainstorm as many causes of a problem as possible. Causes are grouped by major categories. For each cause, groups ask "why does this happen," and write the response in a new branch. Groups continue to ask why and create deeper levels of causes.

Strengths of the Fishbone Technique

- - Can identify multiple aspects of the root causes of a problem
  - Categorizes partial causes and effects

Weaknesses of the Fishbone Technique

- - Like the five whys, Fishbone Diagrams were developed in a manufacturing or industrial setting
  - Can be easy to confuse a symptom and that which causes that symptom

Fault Tree Analysis

Courtesy of: https://www.thepowerscompany.com/resources/fault-tree-analysis/

Fault Tree Analysis

Is a top-down approach to root cause analysis. It recognizes that any issue or problem is made up of multiple part (many symptoms, many causes), and needs to broken into its components. This process can help determine which parts are impacting the problem, and in what ways.

Strengths of the Fault Tree Technique

- - Branching nature means we can follow threads to find root causes
  - Since we can follow branches and thoughts, we can identify multiple root causes
  - Allows us to identify the overlap of causes

Weaknesses of the Fault Tree Technique

- - Complicated way of identifying causes
  - Designed to identify ways to predict failures in manufacturing, rather than identify and solve the root causes of a social issue

Identifying Causes

We should think of the causes of our problem at four levels:

Individual-level factors
- Things that may impact a single person, such as mental health
Interpersonal factors
- Things that happen between people, such as relationships within families or between peers
Community factors
- Things that happen to a whole group, such as places and parts of the community such as schools, work places, or healthcare
Societal factors
- High-level things from outside a community such as poverty, or systemic oppression, etc.

Discord Discussion

Think about what the why is for you. What issues in your community could we identify? How deep would we need to dive to identify the root causes? What action plans could you enact in your own community? Consider starting with a less complex issue to practice this form of analysis; RCA can be really difficult and time consuming!

The Takeaway: While thinking through what impacts our problem, we also need to be asking why these factors impact our issue. Identifying the what and why opens the door for us to fully identify the root causes of our problem.

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