Root Cause Analysis

The Fifth 'Why' & More: A Deeper Dig into Workplace Woes

Course Overview

How often have you gone in to work muttering, 'Not this issue again!' just to spend it dousing today the same fire you fought in other days last week? What if I told you that most work issues are like weeds – you can trim them at ground level, but until you yank the roots, they'll just keep popping back up, stronger than before?

I'm David Smith and from my years coaching leadership teams throughout Australia, I've seen many a manager wear themselves out by playing workplace whack a mole. From a Brisbane factory where the same safety accident continually repeated itself after being "fixed", to a Perth retailer seeing his customers desert him for the same reason, month after month – it's a pattern which never varies. We're wonderful at treating symptoms, awful at finding causes.

Here is the thing: most of us never learnt to do a proper investigation. We snap to solutions that we can see on the surface, enact quick fixes, then scratch our heads when nothing seems to actually change. This course will change your whole approach to anything you face in your workplace.

Root cause analysis is not about finger pointing or placing blame – it's about honing the detective work that sets head and shoulders above firefighting in the land of leadership greatness. When you get the hang of these tactics, you'll stop reacting and start planning. You will be saving your Company time, money and pride (as well as massively lowering your own stress levels).

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, attendees will:

Use structured root cause analysis approaches to workplace issues

Separate symptoms and underlying causes by using empirically supported techniques

Lead problem solving meetings that get the team involved, but don't make them defensive

Deliver current findings and proposals which hold management support and resources

Create sustainable remedies to avoid future problem and break it down if problem keep bugging you

Within their own teams, to create a habit of constant improvement

What You Will Learn

Module 1: The Root Cause Mindset You'll learn the reasons your brain is hardwired to make snap judgements and how to overcome that. We'll delve into the fact behind surface level fixes and provide a base as to what to do, and how, to solve problems in a meaningful way.

Module 2: The 5 Whys Technique Mastermind Find out when to apply this powerful tool (hint: sometimes it rocks and sometimes not so much!). Work with real workplace examples from customer complaints to equipment failures, and learn how to ask the right "why" questions without getting stuck.

Module 3: Fishbone Diagrams That Actually Work Ditch the theoretical fishbone diagrams for real cause and effect mapping. You'll discover how to structure difficult problems visually, solicit the analytical abilities of everyone across your team, and uncover as many contributing factors as possible.

Module 4: Collection of Data + Evidence Learn how to collect important insights without drowning in data. Discover how to perform interviews that will uncover the insights behind behaviour, determine which metrics to focus on, and decide when you will have enough data to draw a reliable conclusion.

Module 5: Advanced Analysis Techniques Discover failure mode analysis, timeline reconstruction, and pattern recognition techniques. These tools enable us to attack sophisticated, multi layer problems that simple approaches can never solve.

Module 6: Developing and Implementing Solutions Discover how to create solutions that target the causes of problem, not just the symptoms. Learn how to Choose which factors should be addressed in what order, Implement in a way that everyone remember to do it and make it hard not to Continiously build preventive work into the everyday work.

Module 7: Presenting Your Findings Learn how to communicate your analysis to different groups. Learn to communicate evidence effectively, to build strong business cases around your proposals, and to address objections or scepticism professionally.

M8: Cultivating a Culture of Problem Solving Learn to integrate root cause thinking into your team's daily work. Learn to coach others in these practices and develop systems that snag those issues before they grow.

Summary

When was the last time you solved a problem that stayed solved? If you are like most leaders I work with, these genuinely permanent solutions remain frustratingly scarce. This course changes that to provide you with well tested methodologies employed by those most trustworthy organisations around the world.

You'll walk away with practical and concrete tools you can use today to tackle those repeating customer problems, ongoing quality woes, or character conflicts. And, most importantly, you will learn the mindset that turns good managers into great problemsolvers.

The investment of learning how to do a good root cause analysis, is worth it from the get go. Teams that I've taught have seen 60 80% reductions in recurring issues within three months. Picture all that extra time and energy devoted to workplace organisation rather than to fighting the same fights.

This isn't intellectual theory — this is practical problem solving experience that gets results in the real world of Australian Business.

5 Locations in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide & Online