RCA, LEAN and 6SIGMA. Friends or Foes?

In the search for reliability, efficiency and growth there is an ongoing debate about which systems are best to implement. The two foremost methods we encounter as Root Cause Analysis specialists fall broadly under two headings: Six Sigma and Lean.  Although there are significant differences, both focus on ways to streamline business processes and eliminate waste in all its forms. In certain respects you could say that they are root cause analysis tools in the field of efficiency.  Perhaps, therefore, it’s no surprise that Lean and Six Sigma are sometimes seen as substitutes for Root Cause Analysis itself.  However, although they are certainly not substitutes or even competing theories they do overlap in several key areas.  In fact, in a number of critical areas they significantly boost each other, working in concert to turbo-charge the hunt for ineffective behaviours, wasteful processes and vulnerable systems.
 
Lean, in essence, provides a set of skills and tools that assist in the steady elimination of waste and improving the flow or “smoothness" of work.  The aim is to make it increasingly obvious what adds value by steadily reducing anything suspected of reducing effectiveness, restricting flow or creating unevenness.  The likelihood of achieving this goal without catastrophe is greatly improved by introducing a strong culture RCA in the organisation   In fact, the great weakness of Lean and it’s consequential offspring 'Just in Time' and ‘Outsourcing’ is the inherent vulnerability introduced to any production flow.  Safety, reliability and risk-control are in danger of compromise when Lean becomes the dominant methodology, sometimes with devastating effects.  None of us struggle to recall experiences or stories of when the search for efficiency, left unchecked, has resulted in enormous and expensive failures. However, used in concert with Lean, or better still, wrapped around Lean, RCA provides an environment that allows such strident efficiency methods to flourish without taking organisations to breaking point or beyond. And should problems occur, RCA will accelerate the implementation of effective and robust solutions that allow the organisation to progress without fear of recurrence.
 
Practitioners of Lean Leadership, especially The Toyota Way (TPS) will be at ease with many of the central tenets of RCA Culture.  TPS promoted what they called Genchi Genbutsu or Going to the Source to see the facts for oneself and make the right decisions, create consensus, and make sure goals are attained at the best possible speed. In Root Cause Analysis this 'Data Gathering’ stage forms the foundation of the process and leads to the creation of a universally adopted ‘Problem Statement’.  This is the route map that RCA teams use to progress along their challenge.  In RCA, the absolute focus on cause and effect, rather then the end result(s) slows down thinking and reins in what psychologist Daniel Kahneman (Thinking, Fast and Slow) describes as the brain’s System 1. System 1 is intuitive and is fuelled by emotion, it jumps to conclusions and promotes feel over fact. RCA gives System 2 breathing space.  System 2 is rational, analytical and powered by reason.
 
Suzanne Crouch, Sologic’s Director of Training is one of the industry’s leading experts on RCA. "What I would genuinely say is that we have taught 1000’s of people who are trained and experienced in both Lean and Six Sigma - and we have never had feedback that the methods we teach are known already, contradict or are not of use.  Whilst at the beginning of our courses people trained in these areas sometimes appear a little sceptical, they are soon thoroughly engaged and excited about the areas where RCA can have a huge positive impact on their existing thinking”.
 
The reality is that the broader your toolkit, the better prepared you are to tackle the complex problems that businesses face in today's competitive marketplace.  In particular RCA has proven to be especially powerful when working in concert with certain aspects of Lean and Six Sigma.  If you are looking to enhance your problem solving ability and institutional learning, be it in areas of reliability, safety, customer support, management or service delivery then Root Cause Analysis remains the most powerful method available.