Root Cause Analysis & Manufacturing

Troubleshooting

Modern, complex assemblies can fail due to a failure or defect in a single component or through an
interaction between multiple components in a system.
The cause is often related to a components inputs (e.g., raw material, processing conditions, loading
conditions, environment, etc.). Starting with the failed assembly or defective product, Exponent
specialists combine sound engineering judgment with troubleshooting methods to efficiently determine
the root cause of the failure.
Crucial activities for troubleshooting include:

Problem Definition:
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Systematic definition of inputs to reduce total troubleshooting time

Identification of inputs via production experience and engineering judgment

Identification of Correlations:
Searching for values or combination of values that are associated with the failure or

o
defect
o

Applying troubleshooting experience to achieve efficient, cost-effective searching

Validation:

o
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Recreation of the failure or defect to confirm causation

Augmenting organizational knowledge through sharing success and documenting
lessons learned

E
xponent specialists can guide an organization through each of these activities. Troubleshooting methods
and tools we can apply include:

Root Cause Analysis

Structured Brainstorming Methods

Ishikawa (aka Fishbone) Diagrams

5 Whys

Is/Is Not Analysis

8D Problem Solving

Process or Product
Improvement

Improving a process requires an understanding of the process. This understanding must be both broad
and deep. Exponent has the expertise to provide deep process understanding from a broad range of
viewpoints:

Scientific and engineering expertise in the underlying process physics

Statistical analysis of process behavior

Quality assurance techniques

Project and team management

We have demonstrated the ability to use this knowledge to implement process improvements in many
industries including aerospace, automotive, consumer products, energy, and biomedical.
In addition to deep theoretical knowledge, Exponent brings practical industrial experience to bear on
process improvement projects. We have expertise in the most effective tools and methods for process
improvement used in industry today. These include:

Statistical Process Control (SPC)

Engineering Process Control

Measurement System Analysis (Gage R&R)

Design of Experiments

Six Sigma Techniques

Lean Manufacturing

Value Stream Mapping

Just-In-Time Delivery
Many of these tools and techniques can be used to improve products as well as the processes used to
produce them. Exponent can assist in efforts such as:

Design Improvement

Requirement Definition, Including Quality Function Deployment (QFD)

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

Reliability Improvement and Analysis

Design Quality

Relying on testing to identify quality products is inefficient and wasteful. Modern quality systems are
based on the tenet that quality should be designed in, not tested in. Philip Crosby summarized this well:
Quality has to be caused, not controlled [Philip Crosbys Reflections on Quality, 1996. Foundational
principles for designing-in quality include:

Customer Focus:
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Customers define quality-incorporate that definition into designs upfront

Delighting customers requires insight into their motivations

Scientific Approach:
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Good decisions are based on valid data and rigorous scrutiny

Sustainable solutions require a systemic approach

Teamwork:

Successful projects engage and respect all stakeholders

Disciplined team & project management yields results

Exponent specialists can guide an organization in making these principles operational. Methods and tools
we can apply include:

Design for Six Sigma

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis: DFMEA, PFMEA

Failure Mode Avoidance

Robust Design

Design of Experiments

Structured Innovation

Sampling or Test Plan Development

Sampling provides qualitative and quantitative information concerning a process or product. Although
desirable, 100% sampling is rarely possible due to costs, time, or destructive testing methods. Thus, it is
important to develop a sampling plan that balances the information obtained from the tests with the
costs and time to conduct the test. Important considerations for developing a sampling plan include:

Understanding the Specific Application:

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Applying engineering judgment to facilitate selection of appropriate variables and their

assumed distributions (e.g., Gaussian, Poisson)
Identifying the right values to measure in order to reduce the number of tests
Sample Size Selection:

Information is not free - sampling plan should consider costs of each observation

Too few samples may fail to identify false negatives

Complexity Reduction:
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Applying designed experiments to make testing more efficient

Designing appropriate accelerated tests to reduce test length and cost

Exponent specialists can help organizations develop good data collection and analysis techniques to
measure the quality of the raw materials, components, products, and assemblies. We can guide an
organization through creation of a sampling or test plans by applying specific methods such as:

Power and Sample Size Calculations

Design of Experiments (DOE)

Test to Failure

Accelerated Testing

Acceptance Testing (e.g., ASQ, ANSI, ASTM, Mil-Std methods)

Quality System Assessment

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has outlined quality principles and the
procedures for implementing a quality management system in ISO 9000, ISO 9001 and other
documents. In many fields such documents serve as the basis for regulation. However, it is not
uncommon for organizations to attain ISO certification but still be plagued by serious quality challenges.
Ultimately the quality of products and processes produced by a manufacturer is a result of its entire
manufacturing system. Successful organizations recognize that quality is not the responsibility of a
single department or activity; rather it is the responsibility of the entire organization from the executives
to the production floor; from the planners and marketers to the sellers and distributors.
Quality needs to be managed as system. A quality system is more than the documents that define it. A
good quality system is characterized by:

Adherence to well defined standard operating procedures and policies that minimize variation in
production and throughout the organization

Proactive identification of potential problems and customer-oriented solutions

Discipline and prioritization of resources to implement and document solutions on a sustained

basis
Exponent engineers and scientists are ideally suited to help companies transition their approach to
quality from a reactive stance of constant firefights and quality escapes to a proactive position where
problems are identified, corrected, and permanently prevented from recurring. Methods and tools
Exponent can apply include:

Quality system assessment and benchmarking

Quality System Inspection Technique (QSIT)

Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) systems

Statistical data collection and analysis tools

Manufacturing Data Analysis

Advances in computing technology and the consequent abilities to create, store, and access increasingly
larger volumes of data in modern business and science have created new opportunities and challenges.
Data mining refers to the application of visual and statistical methods to turn seemingly disparate data
streams into potentially useful information. Foundational principles for analyzing large quantities of
manufacturing data include:

Visualization:

Insight is accelerated through data visualization

Graphical analyses of multi-dimensional data is very powerful

Data Mining:

Discovering previously unknown patterns and correlations

Reliability improvement and elimination of failure modes

Variability Reduction:

Understanding causal relationships will lead to greater consistency

Improved product consistency delights customers

Exponent specialists can assist an organization in making these principles operational. Methods and tools
we can apply include:

Graphical Tools

Dimensionality Reduction

Classification, Regression, and Clustering Analyses

Statistical Methods

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