31247 Chap.2 Root Causes, Research Methods and PRISMA
Root Causes, Research Methods and PRISMA
From symptom to cause
A fishbone diagram places the problem in a head at the end of a spine and sorts possible causes onto bones by category.
Asking why again on each cause narrows a broad category to something specific enough to act on.
Evidence the report can trust
The same week sets out the difference between qualitative and quantitative research and introduces PRISMA, the reporting standard that makes a literature search repeatable.
The group report later asks for a review covering no fewer than four papers.
Using both tools in Assignment 1
The Week 1 tutorial says both the fishbone and the PRISMA steps can be used in the first assignment. A fishbone shows the reader that causes were considered systematically, and a recorded search shows that the evidence behind the problem was gathered fairly.
Together they turn a personal opinion about a problem into a defensible problem definition.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Fishbone diagrams and their categories
- 02
Asking why until the root appears
- 03
Primary and secondary data
- 04
Qualitative versus quantitative methods
- 05
Reading a research article critically
- 06
Systematic reviews with PRISMA
Worked example · free
Sort the causes of a slow help-desk queue onto a fishbone
- 1One queue for all requests belongs on the process bone.
- 1Rosters fixed across the year belong on the management bone.
- 1The hard-to-find portal belongs on the materials and inputs bone, and the missing wait display on the equipment bone.
- 1Asking why on the process cause shows quick requests waiting behind slow ones, because the desk was designed for average demand rather than peaks.
Key terms
- Root Cause
- The underlying reason a problem occurs, found by tracing a symptom back through its causes.
- Systematic Review
- A literature review that follows a repeatable search and screening process.
- Secondary Data
- Evidence collected by someone else, such as published statistics or earlier studies.
- Qualitative Method
- A research approach built on words and observation, such as interviews or focus groups.
- Quantitative Method
- A research approach built on numbers and statistical analysis, such as surveys or records.
Root Causes, Research Methods and PRISMA FAQ
Which categories should a fishbone diagram use?
Choose categories that suit your problem. The lecture’s example uses equipment and tools, process, people, materials and inputs, environment and management, while the tutorial reading on technical education uses personal factors, academics, resources and universities. The point is that every likely cause has a sensible place to go.
Is PRISMA required in the group report?
The group report asks for a literature review covering no fewer than four papers, which establishes that the problem is real. PRISMA is taught in Week 1 as a way to make a review systematic; recording your search terms, databases and reasons for excluding papers is the part most worth carrying into the report.
Should a problem analysis use qualitative or quantitative evidence?
Usually both. Numbers show that a problem is large and real, while interviews and observations show what it is like for the people involved and why it persists. The Week 1 lecture contrasts the two so that you can choose methods that fit your problem area.
What does the five-why technique add to a fishbone?
The fishbone reading names it as a companion tool. Asking why repeatedly on one cause pushes a broad category such as process down to a specific, actionable cause, which is what a root-cause analysis is meant to reach.
What should I record when I review the literature?
Record the search string, the databases you searched, how many records each search returned, the reasons you excluded papers, and how many you kept. The PRISMA reading shows this trail in a published review, and it lets a reader repeat or check your search.
Where does the fishbone diagram come from?
It is also called a cause-and-effect or Ishikawa diagram, after Kaoru Ishikawa. The tutorial reading presents it as a structure for brainstorming the possible causes behind an effect, with main factors broken down into sub-factors that lead to the root cause.
Assessment move
Draw a fishbone for your own project with at least four bones and two causes on each. Ask why twice on every cause and mark the ones you have evidence for. Then run one database search for your topic, write down the exact search string, and record how many results you kept and why. Ask Sia to suggest bones you might have missed, then decide yourself whether they fit.
Keep the search record in an appendix so the group report can cite it later.
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