Follow the Breadcrumbs to Solve Problems at Their Source

It is always a good idea to look beyond the obvious fixes to a problem, advises Steve Gompertz, partner at QRx Partners. An expert in quality systems development, engineering automation, and more, Gompertz advises engineers to take a deeper dive to find and solve the root cause of an issue so that the situation does not happen again. Gompertz will share how to conduct an effective root cause analysis in the upcoming Design & Manufacturing Minneapolis presentation, "Quality Tools: More Effective Root Cause Analysis," on October 17.

“It seems like people really struggle with the concept of root cause,” Gompertz said in a recent interview with Design News. “We get really enamored or distracted by what I call the apparent causes, or what we observe, and we focus on that instead of trying to dive more deeply, to say, ‘Where did this actually begin,’” he explained. “That's the root cause, the trail of breadcrumbs, where the chain of events starts.”

Gompertz said that much of quality systems management comes down to taking the right actions. “Because ultimately, the goal is not just to fight the fire, but to make sure it can’t start up again,” he said.

He gave an example from everyday life of how important it is to seek a solution beyond the apparent fix. One day he noticed that the handheld sprayer in his shower was leaking. “If I was just focusing on the apparent cause would say, ‘Oh, I’ve got to go buy a new sprayer.’ But if I take the whole system into account, there's a valve that determines whether the shower or the sprayer or both of them are on,” he explained. “That's where the problem was, the valve was leaking and allowing water to make it to the head when it's not supposed to.” The solution was not the obvious first fix—to replace the shower head—but to replace the valve instead, he said. 

Related:Get Ready for a Deep Dive Into Medical Plastics at Plastec Minneapolis

Gompertz cautioned that, like in this example, most root causes occur somewhere other than where the problem arises. “It's very common that root causes exist somewhere completely different from where you're observing the problem,” he said.

When asked how he would advise companies to follow the breadcrumbs back to a root cause, Gompertz said there are multiple tools that companies can use to do an effective root cause analysis. He plans to share some of the options available in his presentation. However, it generally takes more than one tool to effectively discover a root cause, Gompertz said. “And that’s the key. You have to learn how to use these tools,” he said. “Having the tools is no good if you don’t know how to use them correctly,” he continued, noting that one also has to have the confidence to use the tools and to be able to use them in combination.

Related:Mayo Clinic & Philips to Keynote Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis

Finding the root cause is not the end of the process either, because once it is discovered, it has to be proved. “The terminology is verification of effectiveness,” Gompertz said. “We often verify completion. We forget to verify effectiveness.”

Anybody in the quality profession and quality engineers in particular—those who are responsible for problem solving—should attend his session, Gompertz said. Also, management-level professionals could benefit from it because although they are not doing this kind of work, they should be asking these kinds of questions, he said. 

Gompertz expects his presentation to be not so much a lecture, but more of an interactive engagement with the audience, so he encourages attendees to bring their questions. 

“That's the intent, to help people get past that bias of what they saw, what they observed, and do a deeper dive into the causes and get down to the one that if I eliminate that thing, this can't happen again,” Gompertz said.  

Gompertz will present “Quality Tools: More Effective Root Cause Analysis,” at D&M Minneapolis, on Thursday, October 17, from 9 to 10 a.m. in Room 103B.

Design & Manufacturing (D&M) Minneapolis is part of Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis, which also includes Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M), Automation Technology Expo (ATX), MinnPack, and Plastec Minneapolis shows. The event will be held October 16-17, 2024, at the Minneapolis Convention Center.