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Simple root cause analysis techniques to find why problems occur

Digging deeper: Finding the real reasons for process issues

When a process isn’t performing as expected, it’s easy to fix the immediate symptom. However, for lasting improvement, you need to dig deeper and uncover the root cause(s) – the fundamental reason(s) why the problem is occurring. Addressing symptoms provides temporary relief, but tackling root causes prevents the problem from recurring.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a collection of techniques to help you do just that. Here are two simple yet powerful methods well-suited for office and service environments.

The 5 Whys: Asking your way to understanding

The 5 Whys technique is a straightforward and surprisingly effective way to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem. The basic idea is to state the problem and then repeatedly ask “Why?” (typically about five times) until you arrive at a fundamental cause.

How to use the 5 Whys:

  1. Define the Problem Clearly: Start with a specific problem statement. For example, “The monthly sales report was submitted two days late.”
  2. Ask “Why?”: Ask why the problem occurred.
    • Problem: The monthly sales report was submitted two days late.
    • Why? Because the data from the CRM system was not available on time.
  3. Ask “Why?” Again: Take the answer from step 2 and ask why that happened.
    • Why was the CRM data not available on time? Because the CRM system had unscheduled downtime on the data extraction day.
  4. Continue Asking “Why?”: Repeat the process for each answer.
    • Why did the CRM have unscheduled downtime? Because an emergency patch was applied without proper testing.
    • Why was the patch applied without proper testing? Because the IT team felt pressured to fix an urgent bug quickly.
    • Why did the IT team feel pressured? Because there isn’t a clear protocol for balancing urgent fixes with testing requirements for critical systems.
  5. Identify the Root Cause(s): By the fifth “Why” (or sometimes earlier or later), you often uncover a deeper systemic issue. In this example, the lack of a clear IT protocol is a significant root cause, rather than just blaming CRM downtime.

Tallyfy Tip for 5 Whys: If a problem is flagged in a Tallyfy task comment, you can use the comment thread itself to conduct a collaborative 5 Whys session with your team. Each “Why” and its answer can be a reply in the thread, keeping the analysis in context.

Fishbone Diagram (Ishikawa or Cause-and-Effect Diagram)

The Fishbone Diagram is a visual tool that helps teams brainstorm and categorize the potential causes of a problem. It’s called a Fishbone because its structure resembles a fish skeleton.

How to create a simple Fishbone Diagram for office processes:

  1. Define the Problem (The “Head”): Write the problem statement at the “head” of the fish, on the right-hand side of your drawing space.
  2. Draw the “Spine”: Draw a horizontal line extending to the left from the problem statement.
  3. Identify Major Cause Categories (The “Bones”): Brainstorm broad categories of potential causes. For office processes, common categories might include:
    • People: Issues related to skills, training, communication, motivation.
    • Process: Problems with the workflow itself, unclear steps, handoffs, policies.
    • Technology: Issues with software, hardware, systems, data.
    • Environment/Policy: External factors, company policies, workspace issues. Draw diagonal lines (the main “bones”) branching off the spine, labeling each with a category.
  4. Brainstorm Potential Causes: For each major category, brainstorm specific potential causes related to the problem and list them as smaller “bones” branching off the main category bones.
    • Example Problem: Low customer satisfaction with support ticket resolution.
    • People: Insufficient training, high agent turnover.
    • Process: Too many handoffs, unclear escalation procedures.
    • Technology: Slow CRM system, knowledge base hard to search.
  5. Analyze and Investigate: Once the diagram is populated, the team can discuss the potential causes, identify the most likely ones, and plan further investigation (perhaps using 5 Whys on the most probable causes or gathering data via Tallyfy Analytics).

Tallyfy Tip for Fishbone Diagrams: While Tallyfy doesn’t have a built-in Fishbone tool, you can create one collaboratively on a whiteboard (physical or virtual) and then attach a photo or summary of the diagram to a relevant Tallyfy task or process template description. The insights gained can then inform improvements to your Tallyfy process.

By using these simple RCA techniques, you can move beyond quick fixes and address the underlying issues that impact your process performance, leading to more effective and sustainable improvements managed through Tallyfy Pro.

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