October 2023

Why is Root Cause Analysis SO Hard??

Actually, it’s not that the actual process of Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is so hard.  In fact, it’s fairly straightforward.  The biggest problem is the number of people whose critical thinking skills are critically deficient:

Let’s say that something has gone wrong in your organization.  You are assigned to lead a team to find the root cause and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Coach in the Clubhouse: Why?

In 2012 the Detroit Tigers paid $26 million to a once-great player, whose best years were behind him.  I could not figure out the rationale for the hire.  The Tigers were getting much fewer hits per buck with Hunter than any other reasonable option.  Was General Manager Dave Dombrowski crazy?  Why would the Tigers do that?