Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
 

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a popular and often-used technique that
helps people answer the question of why the problem occurred in the
first place. It uses a specific set of steps, with associated tools,
to find the primary cause of the problem, so that you can:
1. Determine what happened.
2. Determine why it happened.
3. Figure out what to do to reduce the likelihood that it will happen again.
You'll usually find three basic types of causes:
1. Physical causes – Tangible, material items failed in some way (for
example, a car's brakes stopped working).

2. Human causes – People did something wrong or did not doing
something that was needed. Human causes typically lead to physical
causes (for example, no one filled the brake fluid, which led to the
brakes failing).

3. Organizational causes – A system, process, or policy that people
use to make decisions or do their work is faulty (for example, no one
person was responsible for vehicle maintenance, and everyone assumed
someone else had filled the brake fluid).


The Root Cause Analysis Process
Root Cause Analysis has five identifiable steps.
Step One: Define the Problem
• What do you see happening?
• What are the specific symptoms?

Step Two: Collect Data
• What proof do you have that the problem exists?
• How long has the problem existed?
• What is the impact of the problem?

Step Three: Identify Possible Causal Factors
• What sequence of events leads to the problem?
• What conditions allow the problem to occur?
• What other problems surround the occurrence of the central problem?

Step Four: Identify the Root Cause(s)
• Why does the causal factor exist?
• What is the real reason the problem occurred?

Step Five: Recommend and Implement Solutions
• What can you do to prevent the problem from happening again?
• How will the solution be implemented?
• Who will be responsible for it?
• What are the risks of implementing the solution?

As an analytical tool, Root Cause Analysis is an essential way to
perform a comprehensive, system-wide review of significant problems as
well as the events and factors leading to them.

The Top 5 Interview Questions That Employers Should Always Ask

The Top 5 Interview Questions That Employers Should Always Ask

Making a decision on whom to hire during the job interview process isn’t an easy task. Finding and hiring the best candidates starts with asking the right interview questions. I never miss to ask the below questions to assess the job applicant whether he is a strong potential hire.

1. We all make mistakes on the job. Share with me 2 mistakes that you have made in your current or past job. How did you resolve these mistake(s) and what did you learn from the mistake?

Reason to ask this question: You can check their ability to acknowledge that they have made mistakes. You can check their ability to problem solve, fix mistakes, make decision under stress and whether the mistake became a learning experience or not. Also we can understand whether he can do better job when faced with a similar situation in the future.

2. If I were to contact your current supervisor/colleague today for a reference, what would he/she say about your work performance and commitment to the job?

Reason to ask this question: You can check his honest and his self-awareness on his work done.

3. What is your long term objective? Share with me 3 activities you do in a day to achieve your goal?

Reason to ask this question: Working without keeping a goal for life is equivalent to missing a heart in human body. This question will help us to understand whether the candidate does a goal in his life and how they in line their daily schedule towards it.

4. How does your past and current work experience that makes you the best fit for this position?

Reason to ask this question: This question requires the job applicant to give real life examples of their specific experience and skills sets and how this experience can be applied to the job that you are hiring for.

5. What is your life’s philosophy?

Reason to ask this question: We can predict his behaviour in the organization based on the philosophy he has adopted in his life.