Prepare for your Root Cause Analysis interview with these questions covering methods, tools, and practical applications. Click on questions to view detailed answers.
A symptom is the visible sign or effect of a problem. It's what you see on the surface. If you only treat symptoms, the problem will likely come back.
A root cause is the underlying, fundamental reason why the symptom occurred. It's the deepest point in the chain of events where a different action could have prevented the problem.
This is a behavioral question, so you should prepare a real-life example. Here's a template for how to answer:
Problem: (Describe a specific, complex problem you faced, e.g., "We had a recurring issue with product defects on our assembly line.")
Approach:
Outcome: "After implementing these changes, the defect rate dropped by X% (e.g., 70%) within two months, and the problem has not recurred. This not only saved us money but also improved team morale as they felt empowered to solve the issue."
Remember to be specific with your example and focus on your role in the process.
Ensuring you've found the true root cause is critical. Here's how to do it:
Conducting an RCA can have several challenges:
Measuring the effectiveness of an RCA is crucial to ensure that the effort was worthwhile and the problem is truly solved. Here's how:
Human factors refer to how people interact with systems, tools, and their environment. In RCA, human factors are often involved, but it's important to look beyond just "human error" to understand the deeper reasons for those errors.
Role of Human Factors in RCA:
How Human Factors are Addressed: