A key step in closing skills gaps is to identify the true “root cause” of the skills gap. This process is a deeper understanding of the problem. This process is used to delayer and develop a strategy to address the “cause”. The purpose of any root cause analysis (RCA) is to find effective solutions to problems so that they do not reoccur.
For example an agency may identify retention as a problem in a certain mission critical occupation (MCO) that is causing a skills gaps. In order to be able to address what is causing the retention issue we must conduct a root cause analysis to ensure that we are able to implement a strategy that will mitigate that gap. Simply saying we will address retention is not enough, what are the factors that are causing the issue. Examples could be inaccurate position description, office culture, location of the position, agency culture or a number of other factors. A root cause analysis will enable the agency to pinpoint the issue and strategically address that specific cause.
To better understand how to use and implement a root cause analysis please refer to section below.
Root Cause Identification
The purpose of any root cause analysis (RCA) is to find effective solutions to problems such that they do not reoccur. RCA is to be an investigative, data-driven approach to determine the foundation of problems and consequently inform where solutions might be found.
An effective RCA process should meet the following four criteria:
- Clearly defines the problem(s)
- Clearly establishes causal relationships between the root cause(s) and the defined problem
- Clearly delineates the known dynamics among those causal relationships on how they combined to cause the problem
- Clearly presents the evidence used to support the existence of identified causes
OPM recommends using one of the two following proven root cause analysis techniques, though we understand that there are other tools available a well.
Why Reality Charting
Ishikawa Fishbone Diagramming
Prioritization of Root Cause Analysis Results
Prioritization will be needed when you won’t be able to address every identified root cause and OPM recommends using the Multi-Voting or the Importance/Difficulty Matrix techniques to narrow down which root causes you will focus on. An example of an Importance/Difficulty Matrix can be found here.
Multi-Voting
- Used by groups to reduce a list from a large number to a more manageable number of items through a series of votes
- Aims to garner consensus around a feasible list of priorities (not used for consensus around a single option)
- Applied in many variations and is also referred to as N/3 voting, nominal prioritization, dot voting, and more
Importance/Difficulty Matrix
- Approaches decision-making based on relative return-on-investment by balancing the two competing forces
- Facilitates deliberation to resolve differences in opinion
Importance
The impact an item has on your problem statement and the extent to which addressing it could better the situation
vs.
Difficulty
The amount of effort, resources, and time potentially needed to address an item, including overcoming anticipated barriers