Root Cause Analysis, paired with data analysis, reduces system and user downtime and improves return on investment.
What is Root Cause Analysis?
Root cause analysis is a method of problem-solving used for identifying the root causes of faults or problems. This process takes many forms based on the industry and the issues encountered, but a general framework can be understood with the 5 Whys.
By asking why something happened, you uncover the underlying cause-and-effect relationships and determine the root of the issue. Identifying the root cause and resolving it, saves your team time and your business money.
For example: A conference room is not being used.
- Why? – The display does not work for users.
- Why? – They can’t get their computers to connect to the display.
- Why? – The HMDI cord needs to be replaced.
- Why? – It is damaged.
- Why? – The jacket is weak and gets pinched in the cabinet when it is closed damaging the cord.
Now that we have identified that the issue is with the jacket of the HDMI cord, and not the display, a cost-effective solution can be implemented to alleviate this common, recurring issue.
This method of problem-solving reduces costs and provides a greater return on your investment. As issues are identified and fixed, utilization will increase.
Identify & Solve Problems Quickly
The larger your operations, the more valuable it is to recognize and solve recurring problems early. Larger sites with multiple rooms need more thorough monitoring. Without tracking and understanding the root cause of problems, the same issue can surface time and time again, costing time and money.
To continue the example above, if a part, like the HDMI cord, is consistently wearing out or stops functioning, without root cause analysis, you may be applying the wrong fix to the problem.
The initial thought may be to replace the part or refresh the equipment when there may be an environmental factor within the room causing the issue. As a result, new equipment may suffer the same fate and require replacing sooner than later.
Root Cause Analysis Case Study
One of our AV Managed Service clients had to repeatedly replace cables in a specific meeting room.
Utilizing root cause analysis, the Mechdyne team identified that the cables were being destroyed because of how they were being stored. They opted to provide snakeskin protection to the cords and changed the storage cabinet. We reduced the number of dispatches and lowered replacement costs.
While cables may seem like a low-cost item, a closer look tells a different story. End-users were frustrated and unable to work efficiently. The cost of the cable was just a fraction of the overall cost of this ongoing problem.
Damaged and missing cords led to a lower utilization rate for the room, reducing available resources and lowering the return on investment in their technology. Root cause analysis can uncover the full story and allow you to implement the right solution quickly and efficiently.