Top 10 Reasons that the TapRooT® System is the Best Way to Find Root Causes

Best Way to Find Root Causes

How do you know that you have the best way to find root causes?

Consider the top 10 reasons that we think the TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis System produces superior results when investigating the causes of precursor incidents or major accidents.

Top 10 Reasons TapRooT® RCA is the Best

Number 10: Not Just a Tool

The TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis System is not just a root cause analysis tool.

The TapRooT® System is a well-thought-out investigation process that includes all the tools you need to find root causes built into a systematic process.

Number 9: Expert System for Equipment Troubleshooting

We found that people had difficulty finding the root causes of equipment failures and often experienced repeat failures because they were not effectively troubleshooting equipment problems.

Therefore, we worked with equipment expert Heinz Block to develop the Equifactor® Equipment Troubleshooting Process and Troubleshooting Tables to help people understand the equipment and human performance reasons for equipment failures.

Number 8: Patented TapRooT® Software

This is the 21st Century and every company-wide process should have a software tool to make it easy to use. The TapRooT® System has the patented TapRooT® Software that helps investigators use the system to effectively find, record, and report the root cause of incidents and accidents.

All the TapTooT® Tools are built into the software in an easy-to-use interface. The software also includes an investigation grading system so that users or management can evaluate the quality of an investigation and its root cause analysis and corrective actions.

Number 7: Designed for Simple Incidents and Major Accidents

Some root cause tools are only for simple incidents. Some are so complex they are rarely used except for major accidents. The TapRooT® System has all the bases covered.

It has a process and tools for simple incidents and a complete system for major accidents. You can use the process that works best for the type of incident you are investigating. And this allows you to use the same system for all types of incidents simplifying your root cause analysis training and record-keeping as well as having just one system that management needs to understand when incidents are presented to them.

Number 6: Documentation

You seldom hear people brag about the documentation of the system they are using to find root causes. But the TapRooT® System’s documentation is so exceptional that users actually praise it.

To start with, there is a 10-volume set of user manuals. You don’t have to read them all, just the ones that apply to the work you are doing. To see what’s in each book, CLICK HERE.

The documentation also includes the Root Cause Tree® Diagram, the TapRooT® Root Cause Tree® Dictionary, and the TapRooT® Corrective Action Helper® Guide.

Using the documentation makes TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis more consistent/repeatable. That’s why we worked so hard to make it easy to use.

Number 5: The Corrective Action Helper® Guide

Yes, I know I mentioned the Corrective Action Helper® Guide in the documentation section above, but there is another reason to mention it. The Corrective Action Helper Guide helps people develop effective corrective actions.

And that’s one of the issues that almost no other root cause system addresses.

Number 4: The API Interface & Hosting

We’re squeezing two software features into this one reason that the TapRooT® System is the best.

The first is our API that allows the TapRooT® Software to be connected to other ESH&Q software platforms to allow your users to seamlessly move from one software platform to another without reentering data.

The second is our hosting of the cloud-based TapRooT® Software. Many find this the easiest and most cost-effective way to use the TapRooT® Software and know that they are always using the most up-to-date version of the TapRooT® Software.

Number 3: Expert Instructors

Our outstanding training (which should probably be its own reason for picking the TapRooT® System as the best) is provided by our expert team of highly-rated, experienced instructors from around the world. The students in our courses are always impressed with our instructors’:

• understanding of the issues they have to investigate,
• ability to answer students’ questions,
• ability to keep students interested and active in-class exercises, and
• down-to-earth way to connect with students and develop relationships.

Number 2: Continuous Improvement

We didn’t just develop the TapRooT® System and move on. We have over 30 years of experience continuously improving the system, the software, the training, and the documentation. For example, are currently using the eighth edition of the Root Cause Tree® Dictionary.

Many of the ideas to improve the system come from our instructors, tens of thousands of TapRooT® Users, and the 60+ member TapRooT® Advisory Board made of representatives of companies from around the world.

And we share the new knowledge we gain (improvements) at the annual Global TapRooT® Summit.

No one else puts more effort into keeping their root cause analysis tools and system up to date and effective.

Number 1: Based on Human Factors Research

If you read about the TapRooT® History, you will know of the human factors research that went into the development and continuous improvement of the TapRooT® System.

Mark Paradies, co-developer of the TapRooT® System and the 85th person to be designated as a Professional Ergonomist (human factors expert), became familiar with advanced human factors technology during his studies at the University of Illinois. Mark had been in the Nuclear Navy and was familiar with high-reliability organizations and the errors that people make (even when they are well-trained & have good procedures). He learned the theories behind human errors and advanced concepts to correct human performance problems. Mark built this knowledge into the TapRooT® System and used his knowledge to make the TapRooT® System easy to use.

But Mark wasn’t the only person to contribute to the development of the TapRooT® System. Many others contributed ideas, reviewed the system’s useability, and suggested advanced human factors concepts to be included in the system. These people and ideas included:

• Rasmussen’s Skill-Rule-Knowledge Model
• The SOR Model of Human Performance
• Knowledge of Advanced Job Performance Aids
• The Systematic Approach to Training (SAT)
• Application of Cockpit Resource Management (suggested by Jerry Lederer)
• Ergonomics (anthropometrics)
• Communication reliability practices
• An advanced behavior change model
• Paul Haas’ human factors ideas
• Charles Hopkins’ human factors theories
• Chris Wickens’ concepts on mental models
• James Reason’s Swiss Cheese Model of error
• Mark Paradies/Linda Unger’s human performance troubleshooting model

And that’s just a start.

But we didn’t require that users have a Ph.D. in Human Factors to use the system. The system was built to be applied by operators, mechanics, supervisors, engineers, safety and quality professionals, and managers who didn’t have previous human factors training.

This development, based on solid human factors principles, is the reason that the TapRooT® System helps investigators find the causes of incidents that they previously would have overlooked. And that’s important because overlooked root causes can lead to tragic accidents in the future.

Bonus Reason: GUARANTEE

One more reason that you should feel confident that the TapRooT® System is the best way to find root causes is that our training comes with a guarantee:

How Can You Learn About the TapRooT® System?

That’s an easy question to answer. Attend TapRooT® Training.

We have public TapRooT® Courses around the world and virtually.

Also, you can bring these courses to your site. CLICK HERE to get a quote for a course at your site.

How Can You Keep Up-To-Date With the Latest Improvements to the TapRooT® System?

With all our efforts to improve the TapRooT® System, how can you keep up to date after your initial training? We suggest the annual Global TapRooT® Summit.

The 2022 Summit is being held in Knoxville, TN on May 2-6 at the Knoxville Convention Center. You won’t want to miss the inspiring and educational Keynote Speakers and the chances to network and exchange best practices during the best practice breakout session in the eight Summit Tracks.

We look forward to seeing you there!