Logical Troubleshooting &

Root Cause Analysis …

Chaotic troubleshooting at the first sign of symptoms can cost your organization opportunity, time, and money.

A working model using mission-driven measures in a team approach enables focus on effective solutions

Course Goals •  Identify Key Symptoms •  Select Team •  Capture Information •  Generate Problem Definition – What, Who, When, Where •  Develop Causal Factor Diagram •  Identify Root Cause(s) – Why, How •  Generate Preventive Measure Recommendations – Metrics •  Present Findings to Stakeholder

Target Audience Who should take this course? •  Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) •  Product Owners and Sponsors •  Business Process Managers •  Business Process Users •  Product, Project, and Program Managers •  Business Analysts & Architects •  Quality Assurance •  System & Software Developers

Course Prerequisites •  Some technical experience •  Ability to collaborate and listen •  Capability to capture and define business and

technical requirements •  Interest in business analysis and information

architecture •  Ability to collect and organize tasks, activities and

resources into diagrams and graphical models

Troubleshooting & RCA Why Are Logical Troubleshooting and Root Cause Analysis

Needed? Section 1 Goal … Understand the difference between Logical Troubleshooting

and Root Cause Analysis and why each is used.

Welcome •  … to my Udemy Training course

•  Hello, I'm Chuck Morrison

•  My specialties are: Business Process Engineering, Software Systems Development, Cross-Functional Program and Change Management.

•  My significant skills and accomplishments include ...

•  My significant accomplishments also include ...

Logical Troubleshooting and RCA Differences

•  Logical Troubleshooting is designed to ensure effective and efficient corrective action(s) of symptoms

•  Root Cause Analysis (RCA) design to ensure prevention of recurring events.

•  Company’s production & Logistics Delivery

•  Team Support Product & Services for Customers

•  Undocumented Processes & Procedure

•  What to Do … Next Steps …

Imagine …

Related Quotes •  The problem with troubleshooting is that trouble shoots back. ~Author Unknown

•  Continuous improvement is not about the things you do well — that’s work. Continuous improvement is about removing the things that get in the way of your work. The headaches, the things that slow you down, that’s what continuous improvement is all about. ~Bruce Hamilton

•  Amateurs work until they get it right. Professionals work until they can’t get it wrong. ~Author Unknown

•  The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency. ~Bill Gates

•  What gets measured, gets managed. ~Peter Drucker

Need for LT & RCA •  Logical Troubleshooting is used in many key fields •  Structured Problem Solving and Analysis Used to

Identify System Failure and Root Causes •  Diagnosis Determines System Failures & Measurable

Response(s) •  Troubleshooting Result in Correct Action & PM •  Root Cause Discovers Corrective and Preventive

Causes

What’s This Course About? •  Logical troubleshooting is a systematic and well-

structured methodology for Resolving System Failures

•  Discovery of root cause then returning systems to proper functional operation.

•  Affected stakeholders including sponsors, SMEs, and other resources responsible for returning systems to functional operation

What you get from this course? •  Identify Key Symptoms •  Select Team •  Capture Information •  Generate Problem Definition – What, Who, When, Where •  Develop Causal Factor Diagram •  Identify Root Cause(s) – Why, How •  Generate Preventive Measure Recommendations – Metrics •  Present Findings to Stakeholder

What are course requirements? •  Some technical experience desired. •  Ability to collaborate and listen for business wants and

needs •  Capability to capture and define business and technical

requirements •  Interest in the fields of business analysis and information

architecture •  Ability to collect and organize tasks, activities and resources

into diagrams and graphical models

Target Audience Who should take this course? •  Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) •  Product Owners and Sponsors •  Business Process Managers •  Business Process Users •  Product, Project, and Program Managers •  Business Analysts & Architects •  Quality Assurance •  System & Software Developers

Reducing Chaos … LT & RCA Reducing Chaos Using Logical Troubleshooting & Root Cause

Analysis Section 2 Goal … Capture information to determine what's known about and

related to the problem(s) and issue(s) step by step.

What’s Logical Troubleshooting? Logical Troubleshooting can generally be structured into these basic steps: •  Determining symptoms •  Capture problem related information •  Analyze information •  Generate possible solution(s) •  Select the best solution(s) •  Plan implementation and testing •  Implement plan then measure results •  Follow-up to ensure the root cause is corrected then determine

possible process improvement(s).

What's Root Cause Analysis? •  Gather preliminary data •  Select Core Team •  Define Problem •  Specify Symptom(s) and Cause(s) •  Identify specific Root Cause(s) within Context •  Document Root Causes & Corrective/Preventive

Action(s) with Metrics •  Implement Corrective Action •  Recommend Preventive Measures •  Congratulate Team & Advise Stakeholders

Problem Perceptions

Problem Solving Process

Logical Troubleshooting Strategy

Guideline Steps •  Symptom Recognition •  Symptom Elaboration •  List Probable Faulty Functions •  Localize Faulty Function or Component •  Failure Analysis & Corrective action •  Retest Requirements

Logical Troubleshooting Problem

Logical Troubleshooting Flow

Logical Troubleshooting Log Item Description Symptom(s) Cause(s)

Corrective Action Notes: (reference related problems)

Using Flowcharts & Schematics •  Talk with the Operator(s) •  Verify Symptoms •  Attempt Quick Fixes •  Review Troubleshooting Aid(s) •  Perform Step-by-Step Search •  Clear Failure(s) •  Perform Preventive Maintenance •  Complete Final Checks •  Do Paperwork •  Advise Stakeholder(s) & Instruct Operator

Using Flowcharts & Schematics

Cause & Effect Diagrams

Test & Measure Information Basic Metric Information Types … Also: Run Charts, Scattergrams, Histograms

Qualitative Quantitative Exploratory Limited Theory Hypothesis Holistic Isolated / Specific Interpretive Statistical Text / Verbal Numeric Non-Structured Structured Unique (Important) Unique (Outliers)

Test & Measure Control Chart

Decision Making - Kepner Tregoe Getting to Results … •  Situation (Context) Appraisal •  Problem (Failure) Analysis •  Decision (Risk) Analysis •  Potential Problem (Impact) Analysis •  Opportunity (Leverage) Analysis

When To Use LT & RCA Methods

Section 3 – When Do We Use Logical Troubleshooting & RCA Methods?

When Do We Start? •  Logical Troubleshooting is an approach used to

discover resolution to a reported system failure

•  Root cause analysis is used to get past the symptoms of a failure event by identifying underlying cause(s)

When Do We Stop? •  Stop troubleshooting when your corrective action

solution has resolved the right problem and returned your system to functional operation.

•  When you cause is discovered and your recommendations are accepted by the responsible stakeholders.

Activity Diagrams Capture and clarify Business Rules and External Constraints that mandate limits to the delivered solution. •  Initial Node(s) •  Activities (Tasks) •  Decisions/Merge (Loopbacks) – Forks/Joins •  Swimlanes (Domain/Context/Scope) •  Flow Final •  Business Rules

Activity Diagram

Conclusion …

Section 4 – Conclusion …

Conclusion You’ve Completed the Course Goals … •  Identify key symptoms •  Capture information related system failures •  Generate problem definition •  Develop a causal factor chart or sequence diagram •  Identify root cause(s) Advise responsible stakeholders on

Team Recommendations •  Know difference between Logical Troubleshooting and RCA •  Generate preventive action(s) recommendations

Glossary For definitions of terms used in this course, please see

below … glossary.pdf

For Further Reading … OO UML developed by “The 3 Amigos” Grady Booch, Ivar Jacobson and James Rumbaugh at Rational Software during 1994–95 with further development led by them through 1996 … Rational Software transferred to IBM … OO UML accepted by OMG & ISO Please see other References (attached) ...