Common Root Cause Investigation Problems and Solutions

The following are typical reasons why most root cause incident investigation programs fail to live up to the organization’s expectations, from the book Root Cause Analysis Handbook: A Guide to Efficient and Effective Incident Investigation.

There Is No Business Driver to Change

If the organization is performing acceptably with its current practices, then there is no significant driver to get personnel to change from their current behavior. The organization and the individuals in the organization need a reason to change, as most people do not like change. Investigating and learning from mistakes usually requires a change in the organization’s mind-set or behavior, and a powerful reason is needed to drive such change. This driver must be clearly tied into the rollout of the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) program.