Functionality: What does it do?

Root cause analysis (RCA) is a systematic method of problem-solving used to identify the underlying (i.e., root) cause(s) of a problem or incident, alleviate risk, and help ensure that similar problems do not occur in the future. KTL’s RCA Tool walks users through the 5-Why Process, a simple method for conducting an RCA that involves asking the question “Why” enough times (i.e., five times) to get past the symptoms of a problem and down to the underlying root cause of the issue.

Benefits: Why do you need it?

KTL’s RCA Tool ties directly to corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs) to help ensure an RCA is conducted, as needed, for each CAPA. The tool sends a notification to supervisor/management when a CAPA is submitted with a direct link to the CAPA so management can complete the RCA, assigns follow-up actions and sends notifications to the responsible person(s), and keeps records in a central location for audits, regulatory visits, or future data analysis.

Using the RCA Tool offers a simple way to conduct an effective RCA that can help organizations to:

• Reduce the risk of injury and/or death to workers and community members.
• Avoid unnecessary costs resulting from business interruption; emergency response and cleanup; increased regulation, audits, and inspections; and OSHA fines.
• More effectively control hazards, improve process reliability, increase revenues, decrease production costs, lower maintenance costs, and lower insurance premiums.

Technology Used

• SharePoint for data storage
• Power Apps for the user interface
• Power Automate to send notifications