Root Cause Analysis
Overview:
Root Cause Analysis seeks to identify the origin of a problem.
It uses a specific set of steps, with associated tools, to find the primary cause of the problem.
- Determine what happened.
- Determine why it happened.
- Figure out what to do to reduce the likelihood that it will happen again.
RCA assumes that systems and events are interrelated. An action in one area triggers an action in another, and another, and so on. By tracing back these actions, you can discover where the problem started and how it grew into the symptom you're now facing.
Why should you attend: When you have a non-conformance in the laboratory, how do you approach it? Do you jump in and start treating the symptoms? Or do you stop to consider whether there's actually a deeper problem that needs your attention?
If you only fix the symptoms – what you see on the surface – the problem will almost certainly happen again... which will lead you to fix it, again, and again, and again.
If, instead, you look deeper to figure out why the non-conformance is occurring, you can fix the underlying systems and processes that caused it.
Areas Covered in the Session:
- Defining the Problem
- Examining the Data
- Identifying Possible Causal Factors
- Identifying the Root Cause(s)
- Taking Corrective Action
- Verifying the effectiveness of the corrective action
Who Will Benefit:
- Microbiological bench Analysts
- QA Managers
- Laboratory Managers/Supervisors
- Those responsible for QC and resolving non-conformances