Fix the root cause, not the symptom.
5-Why analysis, Pareto charts, and corrective action tracking. Solve problems permanently. Stop the same issues from coming back.
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The same problems kept returning
You fixed it last month. And the month before that. The corrective action was "retrain the operator" and everyone moved on. But the problem came back, because nobody dug deep enough to find the real cause.
Now problems stay solved
5-Why, fishbone and Pareto in TeamGuru take teams past the first answer to the cause they can actually fix. Each root cause gets corrective and preventive actions with an owner and a due date. A follow-up with its own due date checks that the fix held.
A root cause analysis in TeamGuru
The same reel of film, from a PPM spike to a fix that held
The quality alert stopped the damage: lots blocked, stock sorted at Norvik. But 500 wrong parts pushed customer PPM at Torrance far over plan, and a blocked lot does not stop the next wrong reel. That is the job of the RCCA. Here is how the plant finds the cause in TeamGuru, fixes it and comes back two months later to check it held.
- 1
Start from the alert and the number it hit
Initiate RCCA on the quality alert opens the analysis with the title carried over and the two documents linked. The team links the KPI the problem hit, and its chart sits in the problem statement: customer PPM at Torrance, September far over plan.
Initiated from quality alertQA-0015 · PE film instead of PP on Line 4RCCA- Doc No.
- RCCA-0042
- Title
- PE film instead of PP on Line 4
- Problem Type
- Wrong material
- Severity
- High
- Responsible
- S. Mitchell
- Relates to
- Customer PPM / Torrance
Customer PPM / Torrance Actual Plan 5038 Apr42 May35 Jun41 Jul37 Aug212 Sep - 2
Look in six directions before you blame the operator
The fishbone takes the team through man, method, material, machine, measurement and environment. The strongest branch goes into a 5-Why until the answer is something you can change. The root cause summary says it in one sentence.
Fishbone analysisPE film on Line 4ManTook the reel that looked rightMethodNo film check at changeoverMaterialPE and PP reels look alikeMeasurementNo inline film testMachineRuns either filmEnvironmentReels stored side by sideManTook the reel that looked rightMethodNo film check at changeoverMaterialPE and PP reels look alikePE film on Line 4MeasurementNo inline film testMachineRuns either filmEnvironmentReels stored side by side5 Why analysis- Why? 1 PE film went on Line 4 instead of PP.
- Why? 2 The operator took the reel that looked right.
- Why? 3 PE and PP reels look the same.
- Why? 4 Only a small label tells them apart.
- Why? 5 Nothing checks the film at changeover.
Root cause summary: No check of the film type at changeover, and reels that differ only by the label. - 3
Pareto shows how big it really is
A Pareto of the quarter's customer PPM sits in the same analysis. Wrong material is the tallest bar, ahead of damage and labels. So the fix goes to every line that changes film, not just Line 4.
Customer PPM by reject type, Q358191163Wrong material Damage Label Dimension SurfaceWrong material: 60 % of the quarter's customer PPM. - 4
Every fix has a name and a date
Containment already ran in the alert. Here go the corrective and preventive actions, each with an owner, a due date and a percent done. The Gantt shows them side by side, and a missed due date turns red.
Immediate actionsDone in QA-0015: lots blocked, stock sorted at Norvik.
Corrective / Preventive ActionsAction Due Done SepOctNov- Barcode scan of the film at changeover, Line 4 Responsible: J. Chen 9/22 100 %
- Add the film check to the changeover standard Responsible: M. Turner 9/29 100 %
- Color-coded PE and PP reels from the supplier Responsible: K. Adams 10/6 60 %
- Barcode scan on all six lines Responsible: J. Chen 11/3 30 %
- 5
Two months later, someone checks it held
Verification and follow-up has its own due date. The team puts the same PPM chart next to the fix: October and November back under plan. Lessons learned records where else the fix applies.
Verification and Follow Up Due 11/30Customer PPM / Torrance Plan 5041 Jul37 Aug212 Sep44 Oct31 Nov- Verification
- Under plan for two months since the scan went live. No wrong film at changeover.
- Lessons learned
- Barcode scan now on all six lines. Label reels get the same check at changeover.
What you get
Structured 5-Why analysis
Ask "why" step by step until you reach a cause you can fix. For problems with many possible causes, the fishbone sits right next to it.
Pareto prioritization
Pareto charts show which problem categories contribute most to quality issues, so your team puts its limited time where it matters.
Corrective and preventive actions
For each root cause you set corrective actions (fix this instance) and preventive actions (prevent recurrence), each with an owner and a due date. Both are tracked to completion.
Verification and follow-up
Every RCCA has a verification and follow-up section with its own due date. Someone comes back to check the fix worked, instead of closing the problem and moving on.
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Common questions
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