Module 1: Why do we keep firefighting?

Our biology, history and organisational culture — and what it takes to break the pattern.

Module 2: A shared understanding of terms

Distinguishing between symptom, problem and root cause — and why a common focus is essential.

Module 3: Assess the current situation and choose a strategy

We use Statistical Process Control (SPC) to understand variation and choose the right strategy. Two types of problems require different tools:

• The «Carrot» problem: The deviation occurs rarely. It's a special event with a linear cause-and-effect chain. 5 Whys works.
• The «Tree» problem: The problem occurs often and randomly. There isn't one cause. It's the combined effect of several things. The cause-and-effect relationship is more complex, like the roots of a tree. We need to understand the system. Process mapping is the right tool here.

Module 4: Identify possible causes

• 5 Whys and Fishbone: The Fishbone diagram structures possible causes into categories. You then dig into prioritised causes by asking «Why?» repeatedly until you reach a root cause you can actually do something about.
• Process mapping: For complex systemic problems where many variables are at play. The mapping helps you distinguish between variables you control and variables that are noise. Controlling everything is waste. The goal is to control what matters the most.
• Apollo root cause analysis: Best suited for health and safety incidents and situations where people are involved. Apollo distinguishes between actions (what someone actually did) and conditions (circumstances that existed over time and enabled the incident to occur). 
• Fault Tree Analysis (FTA): Similar to Apollo in structure, but more technical and logical in approach. FTA maps combinations of causes using «AND» and «OR» logic — useful when technical and human factors interact and multiple causes must be present simultaneously for an incident to occur.

Module 5: Prove the root causes

Identifying possible causes is one step. Proving them is another. We cover:

• Observation: Describe what you actually see, without assumptions.
• Turn on/off: Remove the cause and see if the problem disappears.
• Histogram: Understand the distribution and variation in your data.
• Pareto: Focus your effort on the most significant causes.
• Run chart and control chart: Reveal patterns over time that give you clues about where to look for causes.
• Box plot: Compare datasets grouped by possible causes. Clear differences between groups give you evidence of cause-and-effect relationships.
• Scatter plot and correlation: Reveal relationships between variables and the strength of those relationships.

Module 6: Select and implement solutions

Good solutions target the proven root causes, not the symptoms. We cover how to generate alternatives, prioritise using a decision matrix and build an action plan with clear ownership and deadlines.

Module 7: Follow up and ensure lasting results

Are we seeing the improvement we expected? Are results holding over time? We use SPC to validate the effect of actions, monitor the process going forward and respond correctly — without overreacting to normal variation.

Test: Multiple choice questions. Unlimited attempts.

Included:

• Course documentation
• Templates
• Course certificate