What is Effective Cause & Effect Analysis?
Cause and Effect Analysis is a technique designed to find the root cause of problems, the
reasons behind and subsequent effects of the problems.
There are many benefits to using this method. It provides a format with a strong structure and
helps you to ensure no details are forgotten about.
It focuses on identifying contributing factors to the problem, assuring that all causes are identified and the problem is less likely to recur.
It also allows visual identification of possible causes, which means that once you see
your causes laid out in front of you, more thoughts are likely to be triggered and gaps are identified.
To be effective at Cause and Effect Analysis, you must be aware of all supporting information.
There can’t be any gaps when you gather the information at the start of the process.
If there is, this will render any analysis you reach as flawed.
Traditional Approach
Traditional methods of information gathering use notepads, flipcharts and whiteboards to list causes and effects.
People still come up with great ideas but often these ideas are forgotten about in the jumble of information gathered.
There is often too much information with no clear structure and it is impossible to see any links between effects let alone causal ones.
As a result, many Cause & Effect Analyses don’t work as well as they could. Often there is little action as a result of there being no clear path to follow in the gathered information, and hence no route from plan to action.
This problem, as we will show, is overcome with Mind Mapping.
(you can download a FREE Evaluation from Essential Mind Mapping the leading provider in Mind Mapping Software: http://www.EssentialMindMapping.com )
Cause & Effect Analysis with Mind Mapping:
Undertaking a Cause & Effect Analysis with Mind Mapping is simple and straightforward.
As with most activities, there is an underlying process, or sequence of activities that it’s best to follow for a successful outcome.
The general process associated with Cause & Effect Analysis is shown below:
1. Agree effect (problem) and approach to be used to address it - it is important that
everyone who is involved in the process understands, and is in agreement with the problem that is being addressed.
2. Identify major causes - initially explore what might be major causes of the effect.
3. Break down causes - for each of the major inputs identified above, break them down systematically to identify as many secondary inputs as possible. Add new major causes as and when they are identified.
4. Evaluate causes - analyse causes to prioritise or estimate likelihood/impact of occurrence.
5. Investigate further - having identified which of the inputs are more likely to occur or areas of uncertainty, investigate further.
6. Identify root causes - based on evaluation and any further investigations carried out, identify root causes and confirm.
1. Agree effect (problem) and approach to be used to address it.
Okay, ready to go? Firstly you need to decide what the problem or effect is. This is vital.
This can then be noted as the title in of your Mind Map.
For ease it is probably best to choose a good Mind Mapping Software that has many templates available to use, check out Essential Mind Mapping they provide the leading Mind Mapping software on the market today. http://www.EssentialMindMapping.com
2 Identify major causes
Using the map you can start to brainstorm the major causes of the effect. The templates give you major cause groupings that you should explore but you may need to add your own too.
3 Break down causes
Your map may become complex, but don’t worry, as you can navigate your way around your map easily using the Map Explorer feature. You can drill up, down and sideways and you can focus in on specific areas of your map. This is ideal because this means you can see the big picture but focus in on the detail too. You can home in on one branch and brainstorm all the sub-causes without being distracted by the other causes. This helps you to focus in on each major cause in turn. You can brainstorm and identify all causes and contributing factors.
4. Evaluate causes
With Mind Mapping you can re-arrange your causes using simple drag-and-drop mouse actions. This is useful as you may realize there is a more logical order as you continue through the process. If you think causes are linked but don’t belong together on the map you can use a Mental Connection to link them. This means you can see at a glance that the ideas have some elements in common.
5. Investigate further
You should now have gathered enough information to identify areas that could be root causes to your problems. You now need to pay them more attention to find out if they are indeed the main reason behind your problems. You can now gather information relating to and then seek to understand the factors that caused this and identify any potential root causes.
6. Identify Root Causes
Now is your chance to identify the real root causes. This can be done through further brainstorming and breaking down of the causes and/ or interviewing other members of staff and attaching supporting documents to branches using the attachments icon. You can use categories to identify areas that are the same, for example all the issues where staff incompetence was a contributing factor or where tight turnaround times led to problems.
New maps can be quickly generated to give a different perspective by automatically Creating Category map. You can also visually differentiate branches within the map by using color and shape.
So when we go through this process we can see just how effective Mind Mapping can be. A Mind Map will provide you with clarity of thinking and greater productivity.
Why not start using Mind Maps in your everyday life, at Essential Mind Mapping we provide the worlds leading Mind Mapping solutions, check out our site today for a free evaluation of one of our leading Mind Mapping softwares: http://www.EssentialMindMapping.com
Paul Urban, CEO
Essential MindMapping
Web: www.EssentialMindMapping.com
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