Root cause analysis training

Project overview

When we have a problem, how do we approach it?

Root cause analysis (RCA) is a widely acknowledged problem-solving methodology used to uncover the root causes of failures and to eliminate the risk of reoccurrence.

As part of a planned maintenance project at Southern Water, we were tasked with providing specialist support and delivery of RCA training to upskill the asset reliability and operational planning and improvement teams. This was a key enabler for Southern Water’s maintenance transformation journey, to reduce reactive incidents and failures through a planned maintenance strategy. Following an initial evaluation and maturity assessment of current RCA practices and tools, we developed a training package providing an introductory-level training course spanning two days, an adaptive and repeatable process for business-wide deployment and an opportunity to apply the key RCA tools. As well as covering the RCA principles and fundamental theory, we developed a tailored case study for the delegates to apply the key tools during activities in an environment with specialist support – this provided a highly engaging, practical and collaborative training experience.

Our role

ur role Binnies led this initiative end to end, from training design to delivery. We collaborated closely with our clients to establish training requirements, assess current practices within the business and set clear objectives to achieve the desired outcomes. Following this, we started to build a training proposal designed around the requirements, previous successes and industry best practice. Once approved, we designed the training plan, objectives, materials, theory and activities across the two days. This included the design and development of a tailored case study that played a vital role during the group activities and provided an opportunity for the delegates to apply the key tools on a fictional problem and follow it through to conclusion. We collaborated closely with our client to ensure the training was appropriate to all levels of experience and promoted inclusivity, teamwork and cross-functional problem solving.

Course benefits

• Multiple teams and skills engaged, upskilled and resourced to apply RCA in their respective business departments
• Improved relationships with regulators, providing assurance and evidence of RCA investigations
• Reduced risk from non-compliance and reactive incidents through effective problem-solving and solution development
• Reduced risk from reactive asset failures and repeat incidents
• Promotion of cross-functional collaboration, consistency in application and knowledge sharing