Myths and Strategies of Defect Causal Analysis
David N. Card · 2006
Systems and Software. He is a Senior Member of the American Society for Quality. The popular process improvement approaches (e.g., Six Sigma, CMMI, and Lean) all incorporate causal analysis activities. While the techniques used in causal analysis are well known, the concept of causality itself often is misunderstood and misapplied. The article explores the common misunderstandings and suggests some strategies for applying causal analysis more effectively. It does not provide a tutorial on any specific causal analysis technique. Many different processes, tools, and techniques (e.g., Failure Mode Effects Analysis, Ishikawa diagrams, Pareto charts) have been developed for defect causal analysis. All of them have proven to be successful in some situations. Organizations often invest large amounts in the software and training needed to deploy them. While application of these techniques helps gain insight into the sources of problems, a checklist implementation of the techniques alone is not sufficient to ensure accurate identification and effective resolution of “deep ” problems. Gaining a true understanding of concepts underlying causality and developing a strategy for applying causal analysis help to maximize the benefit of an organization’s investment in the tools and techniques of causal analysis.