Cause and Effect Chain Analysis

Cause and Effect Chain Analysis

• A cause-and-effect analysis generates hypotheses about the causes and effects of problems.
• A Cause & Effect Chain (CEC) analysis is a structured way to express hypotheses about why something isn't happening as desired.
• It focuses on the process where a problem occurs and allows for constructive use of facts to narrow down to actual causes.
• This method helps identify possible causes but does not definitively determine the root cause.
• Cause-and-effect analysis diagrams show the relationships between events and their cause-and-effect.

How to Use Cause and Effect Chain Analysis

• Step 1: Negate the problem goal and write it. Brainstorm likely causes and categorize them.
• Step 2: Continue brainstorming to generate a list of causes and categorize them.
• Step 3: Keep asking "Why?" and "Why else?" for each cause until a potential root cause is found.
• Step 4: Use the team's collective judgment to choose likely causes and eliminate unlikely ones.
• Step 5: Use the team's collective judgment again to choose more likely causes and eliminate unlikely ones.
• Step 6: Validate the likely root cause and proceed to implement a solution.
• Step 7: If the initial selection is incorrect, go back and choose other causes for testing.
• Analysis steps should continue until the "why" cannot be answered; this is the fundamental law of physics/chemistry/technology that determines the potential actual root cause.

Example of a Cause-and-Effect Chain

• Problem: Headache
• Causes: High blood pressure, excessive salts in the blood, and a wrong diet.
• Key disadvantage: Headache

Example of Cause-and-Effect Chain Analysis Chart

• This analysis method uses a diagram to show the relationships between causes and effects.
• The diagram displays various events, their interrelationships, and their paths to the root cause or limitation.
• The analysis continues to show the cause-and-effect relationships, and the chain of contributing factors until a root cause is identified, or a limit to understanding the cause is reached.
• The last step in the chain is a potential actual root cause.

Case Study from Procter & Gamble

• The coffee bag was invented to replace instant coffee grounds, but early bags were ineffective due to slow extraction.
• The project goal is to reduce the cost of the coffee bag by addressing slow extraction problems, which were exacerbated by ineffective extraction, thus increasing the amount of necessary coffee in the bag.

Key Problems and Solutions (Coffee Bag Case Study)

• Problem: High cost of coffee brewing bags.
• Potential Causes: Excessive amount of coffee, low rate of coffee extraction, insufficient coffee brewing.
• Solution: Adding ionite particles to reduce Ca & Mg ions in the water, improves extraction, and lowers costs.

TRIZ Tool and Cause & Effect Analysis

• TRIZ tools are used with cause-and-effect analysis to structure problem statements and identify the root cause.

Chains of Problems in an Engineering System

• The diagram demonstrates the interrelationships between problems within an engineering system.
• It displays the interconnectedness of problems and shows how issues can affect each other in intricate, dynamic ways.
• This model can be applied to any system (process, product, service) to comprehend influences that affect performance.

This quiz delves into the structured method of Cause and Effect Chain (CEC) analysis. Explore the steps involved in identifying potential causes of problems and learn how to effectively categorize and prioritize them for problem-solving. Test your understanding of this analytical technique.