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DRAFT

Version 1
September 1, 2009

Incident Title
Location, Date

The following worksheets are contained in this workbook:

Cause Map
Project Workbook
The purpose of this project workbook in Excel is to organize all information related to this issue.

This Cause Map Project Workbook was created by: ThinkReliability 281-412-7766 office 281-412-7761 fax

Worksheet Title Page Versions Contacts CM Steps 1. Outline 2. Cause Map 3. Solutions Photos Notes Timeline Process Map Diagram Investigation Action Items END Excel Instructions Box Templates CM Examples

Description This worksheet Evolution of this workbook and contributors Contact info for people involved with the investigation Cause Map Steps Problem Definition The latest Cause Map in the Investigation Actions Items Summary (Solutions)

Investigation Action List (tasks within the investigation) Items past this tab are earlier versions/info for reference Instructions on using Mircrosoft Excel drawing tools Copy boxes from this worksheet as needed

Use the tabs to select the individual worksheets. Excel instructions and examples are located on tabs to the right.

Workbook Created:
Template Excel-2003 v2-09

September 1, 2009

Use the arrows to see all of the tabs.

Version Date

Type

Description

Time

Duration Update By

Contributors

Organization

Name

Location

Role

Email

Office

Mobile

Note

Cause Mapping is a visual, systems-based approach that focuses on fundamental cause-and-effect relationships supported with evidence. The three basic steps of Cause Mapping are shown below.

Additional Tools - Timeline - Diagrams/Photos - Processes

Possible Solutions:

Effect

Cause
Evidence:

Comprehensive Investigation
The 3 basic steps of Cause Mapping are done for every investigation, though the level of detail is dependent on the impact to the goals. On some issues it may be helpful to incorporate the additional tools above into the Cause Mapping process:

Cause-and-Effect Relationship

1. Write the Problem Outline (CM Step 1) 2. Develop a timeline 3. Begin building the Cause Map (CM Step 2) 4. Review/Capture the work processes involved with this issue (Move between 2, 3 and 4 as needed to capture all relevant information) 5. Identify specific actions to be taken to improve the existing work processes (CM Step 3)

ThinkReliability www.thinkreliability.com 281-489-2904 office Your Root Cause Analysis Resouce Visit out web site for examples, material, videos and more. Get a free copy of our Excel template.

Step 1. Define the Problem

What When

Where

Problem(s) Date Time Different, unusual, unique State, city Facility, site Unit, area, equipment Task being performed
Safety Environmental Cust. Service Production-Schedule Property, Equip, Mtls Labor, Time

Impact to the Goals

This incident Frequency Annualized

$0

AND

Why?
Effect Cause

Possible Solutions:
OR

Cause
Start with the Goals (in red) that have been impacted. Read the map to the right by asking Why questions.

Evidence:

Step 2. Cause Map

Safety Goal Impacted

Environmental Goal Impacted

Customer Goal Impacted

Production Goal Impacted

Property Goal Impacted

Labor Goal Impacted

3. Solutions
Corrective Actions to be taken from this Incident that are Causally Related

No.
1 2 3 4 5 6

Action Item

Cause

Owner

Due Date

Status

Completed

NOTE: Since solutions control specific causes, every action item (solution) should correspond to a cause from the Cause Map. This provides continuity in the analysis. Every cause on the Cause Map does not need to be solved. Only those causes with action items (solutions) are listed in this table.

Photos
Insert any pictures on this worksheet. Use text boxes to create lables.

Notes

Date

Time

Description

Process Map

Decision point

YES

Process
NO

Diagram
Use the drawing tools to add any diagram to this worksheet.

Investigation Action List

This tab is used to track specific information gathering or support tasks for the investigation. The Solutions tab will capture the action items that are selected by the investigation team

No.
1 2 3 4 5 6

Action Item

Owner

Date Created

Due Date

Status

Completed

205707448.xls.ms_office

Investigation Action Items

Page 14 of 18

16 Tips for the Drawing Tools in Excel 2003

Notes to help you get started. These notes Map provide some assistance in2008 using the Microsoft Excel Cause Map template and assume ThinkReliability.com - Cause Template Copyright that you have already attended the Cause Mapping workshop. Click here for more information www.thinkreliability.com

Excel 2003 Drawing Tool Tips and Shortcuts This tip sheet is for ThinkReliability clients and Cause Mapping users who are using Excel 2003. 1. Removing Grid Lines Click Tools on the menu bar at the top of the screen. Select Options. On the view tab, under Window Options uncheck the box next to Gridlines to turn off the gridlines for that worksheet. Click OK.

2. Adding the Drawing Toolbar Add the Drawing Toolbar by clicking on View/Toolbars. From the different toolbars that appear check Drawing. The Drawing Toolbar, which starts with the word Draw, may appear at the bottom of your Excel screen or directly on the worksheet. It can be moved by left clicking on the vertical line just left of the word Draw. Hold the mouse button down and drag the Drawing toolbar to the desired location. 3. Arrow Cursor - Select Objects There are two cursors in Excel 2003. There is the plus cursor for performing regular functions with the cells and there is an arrow cursor for selecting objects that are located on the worksheet. To select the arrow cursor, left click on the arrow to the r ight of the word Draw on the Drawing Toolbar.
4. Making a Text Box There is a shortcut button for making text boxes on the Drawing Toolbar with a capital A inside of it with small lines. Clic k on the text box button and release the mouse. Move the cursor, which now looks like a vertical line with a bar toward the bottom, to the spreadsheet. Click and hold the left mouse button to drag a box to the desired size.

5. Box Border Lines or Dots Clicking anywhere on a text box highlights that box with hashed lines on each of the four sides. Clicking on the dashed lines will turn the border into dots. A dotted border is for selecting the entire box. A hashed border shows that the inside of the box has a cursor so that text can be added or edited. Click in the middle of the box or directly on the border to move between a hashed line and dotted border.
6. Sizing Boxes The dots in the corners and on the sides of the boxes can be dragged with the mouse to make the box smaller or larger. The boxes can also be sized by right clicking on the box to create the hashed line border, then double clicking the hashed line border with the left mouse button to pull up a format box. Under the Size tab, you can set exact vertical and horizontal dimensions. Several boxes can be sized at the same time by selecting multiple boxes. 7. Moving Boxes To move a box click on the border so that it becomes dotted, hold down the left mouse button and drag the box to the desired location. Once the box has a dotted border, it can also be moved by using the arrows on the keyboard.

8. Selecting Multiple Boxes Hold down the shift key and left click on the each box you wish to add to the selection. Multiple boxes can be selected. This multiple selection using the shift key works for selecting any object including lines. You can also select several boxes at a time using the Select Objects function. Click on the arrow to the right of Draw on the Drawing Toolbar, left click on the worksheet and drag the dashed box to contain all the boxes you wish to select. You can then move all of them together by grabbing the dotted border on any one of the boxes.
9. Copying Boxes To copy a box the border must be dotted. See Tip #5 above.

Here are four basic ways to copy a box:

9-1. Click on the Edit menu, and choose Copy. Then click on the Edit menu and choose Paste. 9-2. Click Ctrl C, then Ctrl V to copy and paste. 9-3. Right click directly on the box border and select Copy from the drop down menu. Then right click again and select Paste.

This last one is the best tip (Great Tip) 9-4. Left click directly on the border, hold the mouse down and drag the box to the desired location. Before releasing the left mouse button hold down the Ctrl button on the keyboard. This is known as the Ctrl-Drag copy method. It is typically the fastest way to copy many boxes onto a worksheet.
10. Aligning Text inside a Box Click on the box to create the hashed line border. Then double click the hashed line border with the left mouse button to pull up a format box. On the Alignment tab, you can align both horizontally and vertically.

11. Changing, Adding, or Removing Borders Click on the box to create the hashed line border. Then double click the hashed line border with the left mouse button to pull up a format box. On the Colors and Lines tab, under Lines, you can select the color for your border (or select No Line for no border). You can also specify the style and weight of your border line.
12. Adding Color to the Boxes

12. Adding Color to the Boxes Click on the box to create the hashed line border. Then double click the hashed line border with the left mouse button to pull up a format box. On the Colors and Lines tab, under Fill, you can select the color for the box.

13. Using Connectors (Great Tip) Do not use either the line or the arrow that is displayed on the Drawing Toolbar. Instead, click Auto Shapes on the Drawing Toolbar, and select Connectors with the left mouse button so that the box of nine connectors appears. Move your mouse to the gray horizontal bar at the top of the connector box and hold down your left mouse button and drag the connector box to the Toolbar at the top or bottom of your screen (or just drag it onto your worksheet) and let go of the mouse button. Use the connectors called either the Elbow Connector or the Elbow Arrow Connector. Connect cause boxes by clicking and holding the left mouse button at the beginning connection point then moving the cursor to the ending connection point and releasing the mouse. The connector end is red when it is connected to a box and green when it is not connected. The green end can be dragged to an object.
14. Aligning Boxes Boxes can be aligned by using the mouse or the arrows on the keyboard as explained in Tip #7. Boxes can also be aligned by selecting two or more boxes (Tip #8) and clicking on Draw on the Drawing Toolbar (Tip #4), then selecting Align or Distribute. You will get a drop down containing Align Left, Center, Right, Top, Middle, and Bottom. Align uses the extreme edge of the selected boxes for the chosen alignment.

15. Moving Boxes in a Straight Line (Great Tip) When moving a box hold down the shift key to move the box only at 90-degree angles: left, right, up or down. The shift button also works when copying something in only a straight line such as with the Ctrl-Drag copy method in Tip #9-4. This is the Shift-Ctrl-Drag method.
16. Zoom-in, Zoom-out Zooming in and out can be done by selecting View on the menu bar and then selecting Zoom. Zoom can also be done if you have a

Possible Solutions:

Cause Map & Process Map

Cause Copy the Boxes from this Worksheet as needed
Evidence:

Process Maps Example Cause with 3 Separate Connectors

EX: Y causes A, B, and C. W and X are also required to produce A. Z is also required for C to occur.
YES Process Step Decision Process Step

Causes Support with Evidence

EX: Both Causes are required to product the effect
Cause X Cause

NO Cause W

Evidence:

Process Step

Effect

AND AND Cause

Evidence:

Effect A
Cause X

Cause with 2 Separate Connectors

AND

EX: X and Y are both required to cause B, but only X is required for A

Cause Produces Two Effects

EX: One cause has two separate effects
Effect B Cause X Cause Y Effect A Cause X Cause X AND
Effect C

Effect Cause X Cause

Effect B

AND

Effect Cause Z

Cause Y

Cause Map Examples

Knife Slipped

Safety Goal Impacted

Cut Finger

Knife Contacted Finger

AND

Finger in Path

Method of Holding Tomato

Object fell

Safety Goal Impacted

Injury

Object struck person

AND

Person in path

Heat
Applied stress Fire
AND

Fracture Fuel

Applied stress exceeded allowable strength

AND

Allowable strength
AND

Oxygen

800 Calls come in per hour Average of 3200 call minutes per hour Demand

$500 was taken out Overdrew Checking Acct Insufficient Funds (-$100)

AND

? Call response can't meet demand ?

AND

Average call takes 4 minutes

AND

$400 was the balance

3000 minutes per hour Available

5 People are available to answer calls