Boiler Code Week 2025 - Problem-solving for Engineers: Root Cause Analysis Fundamentals Course

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Description of Course:

Root cause analysis (RCA) describes a wide range of approaches, tools, and techniques used to uncover causes of problems. For engineers, this could be applied to failure analysis in engineering and maintenance, quality control problems, safety performance, and computer systems or software analysis. The goal of RCA is to identify the origin of a problem using a systematic approach and determine:

1. What happened

2. Why it happened

3. How to reduce the likelihood that it happens again

4. How to launch a solution implementation plan

This course provides a collaborative and dynamic learning environment that affords the participant the ability to perform RCA on real-world problems and overlay solutions to the problems. Each RCA tool is presented in an easy-to-follow structure: a general description of the tool, its purpose and typical applications, the procedure when using it, an example of its use, a checklist to help you make sure it is applied properly, and different forms and templates.

The examples used can be tailored to many different industries and markets, including manufacturing, robotics, bioengineering, energy, and pressure technology. The layout of this course has been designed to help speed participants’ learning through short videos depicting well-known scenarios for analysis in class.

You Learned To:

• Explain the concept of root cause analysis

• Describe how to use tools for problem cause brainstorming

• Ask the right questions; establish triggers that drive you to the RCA process

• Develop strategies for problem cause data collection and analysis

• Deploy tools for root cause identification and elimination

• Perform a cost-benefit analysis

• Practice ways of implementation solutions