#Root cause diagram driver

Once the root cause is identified and the problem addressed, the company can go back to operating in a timely manner.

If on-time delivery or other time-related metrics are not being met, there must be an underlying reason. When financial metrics are not being achieved, identifying the root cause allows a team to address the true reasons for the failure and stop spending unnecessary money as quickly as possible. Some benefits of attending to root cause Reduce total cost It’s critical during the investigation of a problem to reach all the way down to the root cause and not stop the investigation with one of the symptoms. These can improve the miles-per-gallon efficiency somewhat, but at the cost of employee comfort and delivery speeds - and they do nothing to address the true root cause, which is incorrect tire pressure.

#Root cause diagram driver

In this example, the driver can improve the miles-per-gallon efficiency by making changes with driving habits, such as no longer warming up the car prior to driving in the winter or driving at slower speeds. The danger lies in when the symptom, instead of the root cause, is addressed. Having the correct air pressure will lead to a noticeable improvement in efficiency. To fix the actual problem, one must address the root cause, which in the above case is to fill the tires up to specification levels. This is the root cause, as the incorrect tire pressure is leading to the change in gas efficiency. With more investigation, you find that the tire pressure is not set to specifications and is too low. The change in efficiency is a symptom, and not the cause of the problem. Upon investigation, you notice that the miles per gallon metric has changed from 25 mpg to 17 mpg. A symptom is a signal or indicating factor that may exist because of the root cause, but by itself is not the cause.įor example, you notice that more visits to the gas station have been required for a car, even though travel usage has not changed.

It’s common for a symptom to be confused with a root cause. When a root cause is properly addressed with process improvement techniques, the results return a situation or metric back to the desired conforming results. …or does it? What is the root cause of this problem? An overview: What is a root cause?Ī root cause is the factor that causes a particular situation, such as a non-conformance. That explains why fill-ups are happening more often. You look at the dashboard and read that the miles per gallon metric has changed from 25 mpg to 17 mpg. You find this strange, as your driving frequency and routes have not changed. Over the last two months, you’ve noticed that you’re filling up the delivery trunk gas tank more often.