• Apollo Method – The Apollo method of root cause analysis by ARMS Reliability is an effective way to work through a cause and effect chain. Causes are divided into actions and conditions then further sorted into causes that can be changed.  For instance, gravity might be one of the causes of a brick from a building falling and hitting someone in the head, but it cannot be changed for the future.  If crumbling mortar is also one of the causes, a future brick problem can be prevented by repairing the mortar in the building.
• Investigating and interviewing – Investigating and interviewing are critical parts of a root cause analysis. Interviews should be conducted as soon as possible after an incident.  Process control history files can be very useful for an investigation because they enable the analyst to pin down the sequence and timing of events for the investigation timeline.
• Reporting and follow-Up – An RCA report documents the conditions and actions of a situation or work practice that can be changed. At this point, a work team must make changes to remove an unsafe condition or re-write procedures to prevent unsafe action.