Root Cause Analysis
Finding the Real Problem
Symptoms vs. root causes - how to dig beneath surface-level issues to identify the underlying dysfunction. Learn frameworks for systematic problem diagnosis.
45 minutes
4 sections
Learning Objectives
- Distinguish symptoms from root causes
- Apply the 5 Whys technique effectively
- Use fishbone diagrams for complex problems
- Validate root causes with data
Chapter Sections
6.1
Symptoms vs. Root Causes
Why treating symptoms perpetuates problems.
6.2
The 5 Whys Technique
Iterative questioning to reach root causes.
6.3
Fishbone Diagrams
Visualizing multiple potential causes across categories.
6.4
Validating with Data
How to prove (or disprove) your hypothesis.
Exercises
5 Whys Practice
Take a current problem at your organization and apply 5 Whys to find the root cause.
Fishbone Diagram
Create a fishbone diagram for a complex revenue problem.
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Revenue Data Architecture