RealityCharting

Most organizations investigate a failure, agree on a fix and then see the same fault return. RealityCharting is a root cause analysis product built to interrupt that cycle. It pairs a charting program called RC Pro with a method called Apollo Root Cause Analysis, and the vendor sells both together with training. It describes the process as proactive and as applicable to problems of any kind, from everyday faults to serious incidents.

The Apollo method

Apollo Root Cause Analysis is described as a principle-based way of solving problems. Instead of listing a single cause, it brings input from every stakeholder into one shared picture of what happened, built from evidence. The idea is that a common understanding of causes and effects produces fixes the whole organization will accept, and that those fixes address proven causes, which is what prevents recurrence.

RC Pro charting software

RC Pro is the software side. It is a visual tool for mapping cause and effect relationships, with built-in guidance and structure meant to standardize the way analyses are done so that quality and consistency do not depend on who happens to run them. The vendor says it can be fitted to companies of any size and in any industry, and that it can feed problem-solving results and reporting into existing business processes. Results are stored securely and can be shared with others. A brainstorming area lets teams type causes in quickly, for example when transferring them from a manual chart, and then drag them into the main chart.

Training routes

Several training formats are offered:

• Online courses built on discovery-based learning, with varied activities, curated readings and exercises, available whenever the student needs them.
• Virtual instructor-led courses, a blended format with an accredited instructor and sessions scheduled around the customer's availability.
• Face-to-face on-site courses lasting one, two or three days, which require at least ten participants.

The vendor also offers a free e-book introducing evidence-based problem solving, written by the company's founder.