The 5 Whys may not always be the best way to arrive at Root Cause

By Adriaan du Plessis on Nov 6, 2014 5:44:01 PM

When people skills are discussed in respect of Root Cause Analysis, the remark is often heard that it should be easy to use and also that it should be quick.  From this perspective, often the choice is to use the “5 Whys” method, since it is ‘easy’ and ‘quick’.  This approach to selecting a problem solving tool clearly demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding in respect of not only root cause analysis, but problem solving in general.

When deciding about root cause analysis and problem solving skills, we need to start with the issues we need solve and not people.  Not all problems are the same, it is common that problems differ vastly and that some are more difficult to solve than others.  Keeping the foregoing in mind, the nature and level of difficulty of a problem must therefore dictate the selection of the problem solving tool, rather than the fact that the tool may fit the desire of being simplistic and easy to use.

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How good is your IT Incident Investigation?

By John Hudson on Jan 29, 2013 3:33:00 PM

Using the same old key to unlock IMPROVEMENTS in the IT performance? Want a new key?

How good is your IT incident investigation? CIO’s may answer this question by having this thing in mind: “We seem to fight fires all the time and never have enough time or resources to resolve critical MIS issues permanently.”

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The three secrets to supercharging your MIM

By John Hudson on Jan 22, 2013 3:51:00 PM

Nothing beats a well-trained skilled team with specific roles and good leadership.

We see teams like these all the time in various sporting events. The skilled team using a specific model with a resolution process, including the appropriate tools and techniques, will beat a chaotic situation every time.

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IT Incident Investigation – Are your staff really good at this?

By Mat-thys Fourie on Jan 9, 2013 4:01:00 PM

Lessons from a client

Does your staff have the right tools to Investigate and eliminate unwanted IT costs? The most challenging question for CIO’s and CTO’s to address.

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