From the course: Improve Communication Using Lean Thinking

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Root cause analysis in miscommunication

Root cause analysis in miscommunication

- In order to solve a problem so it doesn't repeat, we have to find its root cause or causes. In my many years in operations, I've often found problems that were created because of a misunderstanding or lack of communication. There are many tools you can use to do a root cause analysis and pinpoint the cause or causes of a problem. I'll illustrate two that are traditionally used in lean, a fishbone diagram and a five why process, as they pertain to communication issues. A transmission manufacturer for agricultural equipment initiated a root cause analysis after it rejected a shipment from one of its machine parts suppliers. While the initial assumption was that the supplier did something wrong, Julie, the quality engineer, knew the supplier's process and did not think they were at fault. She drew a fishbone with a problem, non-conforming parts received, written at the head of the fish. Beside other categories of potential…

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