Discussing ‘Root Cause’ Analysis Advice
Source: Life Hack
Problem solving efforts don’t always go looking for the origins of the difficulty and determine that the starting point. A LinkedIn post addressed it in a way that could create important, valuable breakthroughs for readers.
“People often come to me with solutions they want to implement,” the poster said, going on to list the pointed, thought-provoking questions he asks people:
1. What is the root of what you are trying to solve?
2. How does this solution resolve the root?
3. Is that really the best solution for that problem?
4. Is the solution you’re implementing a long term or short term fix?
5. How long will this solution hold?
6. Is it just a band-aid?
Today, Communication Intelligence magazine examines this root cause analysis approach to learning in a smarter, better way to increase the probability of solving the right issues and the problem in totality.
Albert Einstein
“If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it,” noted problem solver and labeled genius Albert Einstein said.
Two leaders the magazine talked to had quick, initial impressions of the root cause analysis method.
“Determining the underlying source of an issue is essential to creating durable, practical remedies,” says George Yang, founder of Yanre Fitness and OxygenArk. “This idea is fundamental to my strategic approach, where we place a high value on in-depth analysis to guarantee long-term results.”
“Instead of addressing surface-level symptoms, it encourages people to dig deeper and identify the root cause to find the most effective solution,” says Eric Eng, a college admission specialist and the founder and CEO of AdmissionSight.
Jason Mudd
A third leader in this discussion laments the patience, willingness and focus to do what is necessary to create clarity and understanding with problems.
“Most people seem too busy, preoccupied or reactionary that they don’t spend much time thinking nor in deep thought and when they do think, they don’t think for very long, hard or introspectively enough to really know oftentimes ‘what is the root cause,’” says Jason Mudd, the CEO and managing partner at Axia Public Relations.
“Smart consultants, advisors and counselors know that you must ask ‘why’ questions multiple times. A series of ‘why’ questions will ultimately get you to the real answer.”
He elaborates on the duty and frequency of asking this question, listening and continuing to investigate and the benefits of doing so.
“Sometimes you only have to ask the ‘why’ question three times. Other times you’ve got to ask as many as 10 or more times to really get to the root cause, beyond the superficial and subtle thoughts of what (really) is the root cause,” Mudd says.
“A lot of it can be mindset,” he adds. “A lot of it can be communication issues. It can also be just dependent on other individuals or other team members.”
Eric Eng
Determining the core issue that you are trying to solve may or may not easily discernible and can be tediously challenging to discover yet it’s vitally, sometimes critically important.
“Often, we get caught up in the symptoms of a problem and fail to see the bigger picture,” Eng says. “By identifying the root issue, we can approach problem-solving in a more targeted and efficient manner.”
While understandable that immediate relief is desired and possibly mandatory, that can’t be the entirety of a response.
“Some people may focus on other aspects of a problem because they need to catch up in finding quick fixes or temporary solutions,” Eng adds. “It's important to remember that addressing the root cause may take more time and effort, but it ultimately leads to a more sustainable and long-term resolution.”
Source: Nautilus Shipping
“Finding the fundamental reason is essential to fixing problems,” Yang says. “Instead of focusing on band-aid repairs, it’s important to delve deeper to identify the underlying problems, which leads to more significant and long-lasting solutions. This strategy makes sure that the underlying issue is being solved rather than merely the symptoms being managed.”
The root of a problem seems like the logical approach and path to the ideal, best solution. It isn’t however the direction some people or organizations move. That error has reasons behind it.
“Some problem-solving focuses elsewhere because not everyone is self-aware enough to know the root cause or the root of the problem on their own. The closer you are to a problem, the harder it is to see and that’s the value of working with an outside consultant or advisor,” Mudd says.
That delegation or collaboration can get people to the root.
“They can look at things from a clear and objective perspective, offering a unique point of view that candidly, often, is a much clearer perspective,” Mudd suggests.
“Often, the answer seems almost obvious to an outsider but not as obvious to an insider. A fish tank looks a lot different from the outside than it does the inside and so if you're the goldfish inside the fish tank, you think you’ve got the world kind of figured out and whatnot. But when you look at it outside the goldfish fish tank, the world looks quite a bit different.”
That analogy might seem overly simplistic and a disconnect from reality yet it isn’t, he asserts.
“Our companies do not look the same outside as they do inside,” Mudd says. “The root of the problem is not always as clear and obvious to others.”
Time pressure and stress regularly drives decision making and actions. There are priorities to be first addressed. They should be followed with more thorough responses.
“When fixing problems, people frequently gravitate toward fast answers due to variables including pressing requirements, limited resources or a cursory comprehension of the problem,” Yang has learned.
“These fixes, however, would only provide short-term respite and might even cause ongoing issues. Striking a balance between the urgent need for action and the pursuit of a thorough, root-cause remedy is crucial.”
Whether or not a proposed solution will solve the root cause is a stress test for the person or group proposing it. The how (method) is important to fully understand. And whether or not it is the best solution is important too, because that too often isn’t the one that earns approval and implementation.
“An important first step is to determine whether a remedy actually fixes the underlying problem. It (also) entails examining the obvious effects to determine whether the remedy is long-term and whether it actually solves the underlying issue,” Yang opines. “This assessment directs the creation of long-term helpful solutions in addition to those that are short-term successful.”
Mudd speaks in passionate dissent to the use of wording in the questions. In other words, he doesn’t recommend using a certain word or phrase, especially when it is used multiple times in the process of conversation.
“The word root might not be clear to all audiences. The term ‘root cause,’ or just the word ‘root’ in general, doesn’t seem very personal. It seems a little bit transactional or maybe scientific or impersonal in a way that might not really appeal to and provide empathy to the audience,” Mudd says.
There is better communication, he contends.
“I’m always looking at improving the terms that I use,” Mudd declares. “I’m always identifying that audience-focused, empathetic messages are stronger messages in the marketplace and build trust with the audience that you’re talking to. So to that end, I’m not a fan of using the word ‘root,’ and I would come up with something that’s just a little bit more conversational, a little bit more personable and that builds trust and consideration with your audience.”
“If I’m interacting with an AI bot or AI in general, then yeah, I might use a more scientific term such as root, but in this case, talking to a human that’s looking for you to be a helpful expert and trusted advisor, I might know that that’s really what I'm asking them and I might tell them I’m trying to get to the root cause, but I probably wouldn’t use that term again in that same conversation.”
Source: MIA
