Introducing ReflexRCA

Many companies live with ongoing issues with equipment performance, work quality inconsistency and inefficient work practices. This means accepting lower performance than they could achieve, and higher costs than they should spend.

When they try to do something about it they often charge off down some software illuminated path and end up with efforts that are badly focused, produce sub standard results, and take forever to implement. 

ReflexRCA^TM was specifically built to make problems solving a reflex, not a special event. 

We have worked to develop this method over several decades to make sure it deals with the common flaws in root cause analysis programs. 

Common RCA flaws

Too Dependent on Software

Sure, software is a good thing. And yes, it can sometimes help. But it is far from essential. The essential requirement for successful RCA is the right approach and the right attitude. 

Not a Maintenance First approach

Without a maintenance first approach most defect elimination or RCA programs end up in a long list of redesigns. These cost money, they clog up the change management processes, and they take time to implement. SOmetimes a very long time!

many issues can be resolved through applying a maintenance first approach. Looking to implement maintenance principles instead of always jumping to redesign. 

Focussed on the wrong events

Root cause analysis is almost exclusively pulled out of the cupboard when it really hit the fan. Yet there are far greater benefits to be gained by applying it as a reflex to a wide range of events. Check out this blog post for background. 

No management of human error

Newsflash! Humans are fallible. Not only is it likely we will make mistakes, it is inevitable!

And whenever the RCA process highlights human error it always turns to training or re-education of some sort. Why? Because people are stupid? 

Human error is far more complex than just training. In fact, training alone will often do very little to nothing to prevent human errors from happening again in the future. 

No blame culture

Blame is fine, we are all grown ups here. We need to know who messed up and why if we are ever going to stop this from happening again. 

What we don't need is to cut off people's heads for making a mistake. And mistakes or human error is almost  caused by something outside of the person in any case.

Too focused on root causes!!

The term root cause implies that there is one underlying cause that we can find, and that we are interested in it! This is plainly untrue!

We are only interested in those things that we can control, and above all else we are trying to determine which domino in the sequence we can influence, prevent or eliminate. 

Trying to find root causes often just leads us to waste too much time when we could have the problem solved and have moved on to another one.