Problem-solving for Engineers: Root Cause Analysis Fundamentals (Virtual Classroom)

Marcus Goncalves has more than 14 years of management consulting experience and practices in United States, Central and South America, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

He has more than 30 books published in United States (5 in Brazil and many others translated in several languages, including Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, German, Spanish and Romanian) and is often invited to speak on these subjects worldwide. Marcus specializes on Knowledge, Project Change and Risk Management practices. Marcus is a member of the project Management Institute and a certified project management professional (PMP).

In 1989, Marcus was simultaneously awarded Who’s Who in the US Executives and in the Computer Industry by the Rockefeller and Carnegie Foundation. Marcus holds a master degree in Computer Information Systems, and a BA in Business Administration.

Jim Willey, P.E., is the Director of the 1,600 MW Fayette Power Project for the Lower Colorado River Authority in La Grange, Texas.  His previous position was Plant Manager and President of the 2,000 MW Paiton Power Plant in Indonesia.  For 13 years, he was the Director of Pearl Energy Philippines and the Facility Manager of Quezon Power, a 500 MW coal fired Power Plant.  In his previous positions as COO Asia for Covanta Energy, and VP for Constellation Energy in the USA, he was responsible for managing a number of biomass, coal fired, geothermal, and waste to energy plants.  Jim earned his BSME from the University of Texas at El Paso, is a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas, and is a Life member of ASME. 
 
Eric Minkwitz has been an innovator in the fields of entrepreneurship, employee training & development, and operations for the last 20 years.  Mr. Minkwitz began his career as an analyst and consultant to the pharmaceuticals industry, as well as to start-up manufacturers.
 
Mr. Minkwitz founded a sports performance training organization, which offers services to competitive athletes and executives.  More recently, he has expanded his client base to include rapid growth businesses; and he now delivers productivity, performance, and team-building workshops to sales teams.
 
Mr. Minkwitz also created a product and surgeon technical training curriculum for shoulder and knee fixation products, as the Director of Operations for a Sports Medicine Device Company.  There, he managed a staff of 12 sales representatives, and oversaw the launch of two new product lines.
 
Mr. Minkwitz holds a BA in Biology, with an Environmental Science minor, from Williams College, and an MBA from Nichols College. He teaches undergraduate courses in Business Management, as well as delivers performance and team-building workshops to small businesses.

Day One

• Overview of Root Cause Analysis Concepts and Practices
  • Introduction to Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
  • The need and the practice

• Practical Problem Solving
  • Defining a Problem
  • Strategies to Solve Problems
  • Understanding Causes and Its Levels
  • Finding Root Causes
  • Eliminating Root Causes
  • Proactive Problem Solving

• Case Studies & Hands-on Activity

• Root Cause Analysis
  • Defining Root Cause Analysis
  • Conducting Root Cause Analysis

• Case Study & Group Activity

• Tools for Problem Understanding
  • Problem Understanding
  • The Purpose and Applications of Flowcharts
  • Using Flowcharts
  • Checklists
  • Using Critical Incidents
  • Using Performance Matrices

Day Two

• Tools for Problem Cause Brainstorming
  • Problem Cause Brainstorming
  • The Purpose and Application of Brainstorming
  • Brainstorming Recording Templates

• Tools for Problem Cause Data Collection
  • Problem Cause Data Collection
  • Taking Advantage of Samplings
  • Steps in Using Samplings
  • Taking Advantage of SurveysUsing Check Sheets
  • Problem Cause Data Collection Checklist

• Case Studies & Hands-on Activity

• Tools for Problem Cause Data Analysis
  • Understanding Problem Cause Data Analysis
  • The Purpose and Application of Histograms
  • Using and Interpreting Histograms
  • Using Relations Diagram
• Case Study & Hands-on Activity

• Tools for Root Cause Identification
  • Fundamentals of Root Cause Identification
  • Using Cause-and-Effect Diagrams
  • Using the Five Whys Method
  • Using the Fault Tree Analysis Technique

Day Three

• Tools for Root Cause Elimination
  • An Overview of Root Cause Elimination
  • Using DeBono’s Six Hats

• Tools for Solution Implementation
  • Overview of Solution Implementation
  • Organizing the Implementation
  • Developing an Implementation Plan
  • Using Tree Diagrams
  • Creating Change Acceptance
  • The Purpose and Application of Force-Field Analysis

• Case Study & Hands-on Activity

• Selecting the Right Tool
  • What to Watch for When Using Tools and Techniques
  • Selecting the Right Tool  

• Case Study & Hands-on Activity

• Example Cases and Practice