Programme Objective

Smart organisations and wise leaders recognise the importance of systematically preventing and solving for underlying issues rather than just treating ad hoc symptoms and putting out fires; proactively solving problems early and channelling limited time and resources to where it is most impactful, especially in a challenging economy.

Root cause analysis is increasingly more important for every organisation to achieve this. This approach and process of problem solving helps to eliminate the source of defect permanently so that resources are not spent on short term solutions, thereby reducing cost, increasing profitability, and improving customer experience. Root cause analysis isolates the main root cause of a problem, before trying to solve them, thereby upon removal, would prevent the occurrence of the adverse event.

Within an organisation, problem solving, incident investigation, and root cause analysis are all fundamentally connected by three basic questions:

• What’s the problem?
• Why did it happen?
• What will be done to prevent it from happening again?

Course attendee will be able to understand the common tools and techniques of root cause analysis, know how and when to apply each of them, discuss the pitfalls of root cause analysis and how to practically overcome them.

Programme Outline

• Definition and importance of root cause analysis
• Common tools & techniques of root cause analysis, how and when to use them:
  • Fishbone diagram
  • Five whys
  • Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
  • Fault Tree Analysis
  • Pareto chart
  • Scatter diagram

• Pitfalls of root cause analysis and how to overcome them

Training Methodology
Lecture style with Group discussion / problem solving exercises / case studies in breakout groups

Closing Date for Registration
1 week before programme or until full enrolment.

Intended For

A Foundation to Advanced level programme intended for both Practising and Non-Practising Accountants and Auditors, especially those who are required to solve complex problems