Colloquia

Summary

Problems are being solved every day. Unfortunately, not all solutions are good solutions. Often, they are proposed without considering the problem itself and what its actual cause is. To avoid this, researchers have made a variety of cause finding tools. An example of this is the Root Conflict Analysis (RCA+), which is part of TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving). TRIZ is a Russian method that not relies on random brainstorming style techniques but utilizes structured analysis steps and reuse of knowledge to come to innovative solution proposals.

By interviewing various experts, investigating literature, and brainstorming with students, points of possible improvement in the use of the current version of the RCA+ method were identified. According to experts and literature, there should be more attentions to information on the problem, product, stakeholders and scenario before an RCA+ is made. Based on these insights, templates were made to help gathering and structuring the information beforehand. Besides this, additional rules were formulated to stimulate users to get to the right detail level when analyzing problems. This should also help in adding more detail to the analysis itself.

The templates and additional rules were tested using a test group and were compared to the original format. Results show that the quality of the RCA+ improves when a template and additional rules are used. The quality improvement is mainly visible in the amount of information considered in the RCA+; both regarding the variety of information and the details considered for all information. Participants of the test mentioned that using a template helped them in constructing the RCA+.

From the test results, the conclusion is drawn that the results of an RCA+ can be improved by doing prior research into the problem. This research should include an analysis of the stakeholders, scenario and product.