Which statement correctly pairs root-cause methods?

Which statement correctly pairs root-cause methods?

• A. 5-Why's and Fish-bone/Ishikawa
• B. 5-Why's only
• C. Fish-bone/Ishikawa only
• D. Pareto Analysis

Answer: (A)

Root-cause analysis uses techniques designed to uncover underlying causes of problems. The 5-Why's approach digs deeper by repeatedly asking why a problem occurred, drilling down until the fundamental cause is found. The Fishbone diagram, also called the Ishikawa diagram, provides a visual map that groups potential causes into categories and shows how they contribute to the issue, helping teams see connections and brainstorm root factors. These two methods are complementary: one emphasizes a stepwise investigation, the other offers a structured visual framework for exploring causes. Pareto Analysis, while great for prioritizing problems by how often they occur or how much impact they have, doesn’t directly identify root causes, so it isn’t a root-cause method by itself. Therefore, the best pairing includes both the 5-Why's and the Fishbone/Ishikawa diagram.

Root-cause analysis uses techniques designed to uncover underlying causes of problems. The 5-Why's approach digs deeper by repeatedly asking why a problem occurred, drilling down until the fundamental cause is found. The Fishbone diagram, also called the Ishikawa diagram, provides a visual map that groups potential causes into categories and shows how they contribute to the issue, helping teams see connections and brainstorm root factors. These two methods are complementary: one emphasizes a stepwise investigation, the other offers a structured visual framework for exploring causes. Pareto Analysis, while great for prioritizing problems by how often they occur or how much impact they have, doesn’t directly identify root causes, so it isn’t a root-cause method by itself. Therefore, the best pairing includes both the 5-Why's and the Fishbone/Ishikawa diagram.