Root-cause investigation training: curriculum and assessment

Audience and preparation

This course is for process owners and improvement teams investigating recurring nonconformities. Before enrolment, define the problem's accepted criterion and provide an anonymised event chronology. Learners need access to the process evidence, not merely a manager's preferred explanation. Plan modules on problem definition, causal hypotheses, corroboration and effectiveness checks; statistical depth should match the actual records and participant knowledge.

Learning sequence and expected records

Define the deviation precisely before selecting a cause-analysis tool: what happened, where, when and which requirement or accepted result was missed? Practise an evidence timeline, competing causal hypotheses and a cause–action–effectiveness link. Inputs include the nonconformity, relevant revisions, process records and previous actions. Separate immediate correction of affected output from action against recurrence. A five-whys diagram is an investigation aid, not proof that its final answer is the cause.

Planning exercise

Worked exercise: incorrect batch labels recur a month after operator retraining. “Human error” is written on the action form, yet the production log points to an old approved label file being loaded automatically. Compare the version history, upload permissions and inspection record before choosing the cause. Plan control of the master file and test later production, while addressing affected batches separately. Assessment rejects an unsupported accusation and a signed training sheet as closure; it requires evidence supporting the causal explanation and a meaningful recurrence check.

Assessment and role limits

Assessment requires a comparison of at least two plausible explanations, the evidence that supports or weakens each, and a proposed test of the selected action. State what affected output needs correction separately. QRS can deliver the agreed training and exercises within its stated training role. One investigation tool does not guarantee proof of every cause. An unsupported accusation, a decorative diagram or a completed action form without a recurrence check does not demonstrate learning.

Official references

• ISO 9001