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Cause Analysis

WHAT ARE THE FACTORS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED TO BRIDGE THE GAP AND ACHIEVE THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT?

The cause analysis is a key component of the methodology as this will help you to determine why the performance gaps exists and this section will also help you identify and research the barriers.  These will be both people and process factors.  The cause analysis encourages you to separate both elements but you will find that there many factors will be inter-related.   The aim of this section is to look at the root causes of the ‘gap’ and it will help you to:

  • Identify areas that you may not otherwise have considered.
  • Avoid making assumptions regarding the underlying causes.
  • Help develop a well-informed business case for the project.
  • Assist with prioritising the actions needed to address the project aims.

PEOPLE

This requires an analysis of all the people related issues that contribute to the gap in performance.

Some questions to consider:

  • Do staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to undertake the work needed?
  • What are the specific deficiencies in skills and knowledge?
  • What are the defined roles and responsibilities in terms of this project are there any gaps?
  • Do staff have the necessary tools to do the job?
  • Are there capacity issues - in terms of addressing other demands at work?
  • Will staff perform the duty on a frequent or irregular basis?
  • Is the time taken to address the problem impacting on other duties?
  • Are there team issues that will block progress?
  • Will current levels of motivation and behaviours support the change?
  • Are there individual issues that will block progress?

PROCESS

This requires an analysis of all the process related issues that contribute to the gap in performance.

Some questions to consider:

  • Where are the bottlenecks?
  • How efficient are the support tools?
  • How well defined are the procedures and processes?
  • When information is difficult to obtain/not timely?
  • What institutional infrastructure supports this activity?
  • How well are elements of the IT infrastructure integrated?

 

SOME USEFUL ANALYSIS TOOLS:

Lean Thinking techniques
Value Chain Analysis
Training Needs Analysis

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