The Root Cause Analysis

Sunday, 06 June 2021 11:28

The Root Cause Analysis ^Featured

Written by Jefferson O Imgbi

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The fact that you are alive and living means you have some kind of problems. I am not saying it is a problem to be alive.

Life is not void of problems and challenges. You cannot be promised that the next step towards achieving your goal would be easy. Everything will not always go the way you want but, one thing is assured; for every challenge you overcome, you get sharpened, shaped, and more substantial.

The issue is not the problems because there will always be problems and challenges. The problem is the fact you don’t know how to handle your issues in life. Most people will tell you three solutions to a problem: Accept it, Change it, Leave it. If you can’t accept it, change it. If you can’t change it, leave it. I don’t know about you, but I will create more problems if I deal with problems this way. Therefore, I refuse to accept, change, or leave it when I have not determined the reason for the issues to learn the lessons associated with the problem.

I want to dissect the problem and post-mortem the problem. Post-mortem analysis is a process in which you summarise what went wrong and should be fixed and what went well and should be repeated. Post-Morten Analysis is a project application technique. I have said several times that my life is a process life cycle; it is a project. I need to know why things are not working how they should. Once I understand why it becomes easy to look for specific solutions. I don’t want to gamble. I want to be in charge of my life because I am the master of my destiny. I am not afraid to fail. I am not afraid of problems. As a matter of fact, the way I carried out an autopsy on the situation makes problems scared of me.

In my way of dissecting the problem, I will have to determine the root causes and the effects the root cause is having. This brings me to the root cause analysis. In science and engineering, root cause analysis is a problem-solving method used for identifying the root causes of faults or problems. It is widely used in IT operations, telecommunications, industrial process control, accident analysis, medicine, the healthcare industry, etc. In this instance, we are talking about the science and engineering of our lives. Therefore, I want to find out the root causes of faults or problems I encounter.

A broken wrist will hurt you, and sometimes the pain can be unbearable, but the painkiller is there to only take away the pain. The pain killer will not cure the broken wrist. You will require a different treatment to help the bones to heal correctly. You will need detailed analysis, probably through an x-ray, to determine how the bone is broken and how it can be fixed. That detailed analysis is determining the root cause. The problem is a broken wrist, the symptom is the pain, and the root cause of the pain is a broken bone. The root cause analysis is the x-ray that reveals areas where the bone is broken and determines how it can be fixed. You will cure the root of the pain, which is the broken bone in your wrist.

In most marriage counselling, the conflict couples bring in front of me assumed reasons for their conflict, but in most cases, it is not the root cause. The couples fight over the outcome of the root cause, thinking it is the root cause. As a matter of fact, most times, they are not aware of the root cause. They quarrel and fight over the effects but not the reason. They want a divorce because they cannot deal with the impact. They are unable to deal with the consequences because they have not identified the root cause. Every solution they throw on their marital problem is not working because it does not address the root cause. It is like weed.

You cannot eradicate a weed if you don’t use a weed killer to kill the weed’s roots. Selective weedkillers work by encouraging growth in the weed that cannot be sustained. In effect, the weed essentially ‘grows itself to death. They take some time to work - possibly up to 4 to 6 weeks - slower when it is cold, and quicker in good growing conditions, warm, moist soil and when weeds are growing actively. So you need to be patient.

Root Cause Analysis is a valuable process for understanding and solving a problem. First, figure out what adverse events are occurring. Then, look at the complicated systems around those problems, and identify critical points of failure. Finally, establish solutions to address those key points or root causes. First, you need to identify the problem, then you define the problem. Finally, you need to determine or ascertain the reasons why the problem exists. When doing this analysis, you need to be patient. However, you don’t have to be in a hurry.

You want to dissect and analyse every detail until you discover the root cause. When you find out the root cause, you might not look for the solution because the root cause is resolved. The root cause informs you how to deal with the problem. You are not going to gamble; the solution or solutions is in front of you. Now it is down to you to apply the solution.

Patience is a virtue, and there’s a reason – it’s a challenging skill to master. Don’t let frustration get the better of you. Impatience can increase stress and escalate a difficult situation even if you have the solution. Patience is the ability to stay calm while waiting for an outcome that you need or want. The first thing is to realise that patience, like other traits you have, is simply the combination of your underlying beliefs resulting from your upbringing or past confrontations. This means that you’re not impatient because “that is just how you are” or “that’s what you were born with.” Instead, you are impatient because of certain beliefs you have about yourself and the world.

Addressing impatience using outward approaches like enforcing a patient persona, affirmations, and controlling breathing can be helpful, but only to a restricted extent since they do not tackle the root cause. Therefore, you must understand the root cause of your impatience and attack it from the inside out, which would create a permanent change in your behaviour.

When you encounter any difficulty in life, the only real change you can make is to first identify and deal with the root cause rather than dealing with the effects. By addressing the root causes, you have succeeded in bringing about the most significant and most sustainable change in the long run. Awareness of the root cause is central to resolving your issues. Removing the root cause addresses the effects accordingly. Working on the effects of your problem might produce some limited results. However, the one and only solution that will eradicate the problem is dealing with the root cause of the problem. Ignorance is the root cause of all difficulties.