CIRC 2024 Summer Root Cause Analysis Challenge

Overview

At CIRC Summer 2024, in partnership with the ProtoSpace Mfg. we launched the Root Cause Analysis Challenge. Through this challenge, teams worked through some of the issues experienced during CIRC 2024. Thank you to all the teams that particpated! Congratulations to the teams that have earned additional manufacturing credit for ProtoSpace Mfg. ProtoSpace Mfg.

The submitted Root Cause Analysis Reports are available at this link.

Results

ProtoSpace Mfg. Choice:

$1000 Credit - McMaster Mars Rover Team (MMRT)

$750 Credit - DAM Robotics

Judges Choice:

$750 Credit - Michigan Mars Rover Team (MRover)

Why Participate

Beyond the benefits of completing a proper root cause analysis to improve your design, Protospace Mfg. provides additional manufacturing services to the highest-graded reports. There are two opportunities to receive this:

Report Format

Reports are encouraged to cover more than one root cause analysis. Examples of scenarios you may want to analyze include:

  • The wheel stopped turning during the task.
  • The arm broke.
  • We could not connect to the rover.
  • The rover was not following our commands.
  • We were unable to start the task on time due to setup delays.
  • We were unable to complete all actions within a task.

Root cause analysis should be applied to both catastrophic failures and scenarios where performance did not meet expectations.

Each report should identify:

  • The scenario, system, or operational failure being evaluated.
  • The method used to identify the fundamental reason for the issue.

How to Complete a Root Cause Analysis

There are several methods of completing a root cause analysis. Here are some methods to consider:

Five Whys

Description: Ask “Why?” repeatedly (typically five times) until the root cause is identified.

Use Case: Best for straightforward problems.

Fishbone Diagram (Ishikawa or Cause-and-Effect Diagram)

Description: Categorizes potential causes to identify root causes, visually resembling a fishbone.

Use Case: Effective for complex problems with multiple potential causes.

Pareto Analysis

Description: Based on the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule), prioritizes issues that will have the greatest impact if resolved.

Use Case: Useful when there are many potential causes and prioritization is needed.

Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)

Description: A top-down approach using boolean logic to trace back the causes of system failures.

Use Case: Suitable for complex systems with interrelated factors.

Report Evaluation

Reports were evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Clarity and Structure: Is the report well-organized and easy to follow?
  • Identification of Issues: Does the report clearly identify the scenarios or failures being analyzed?
  • Use of Root Cause Analysis tools: Are the appropriate tools used effectively to identify root causes?
  • Depth of Analysis: How thoroughly does the report explore the underlying causes of the issues?
  • Recommendations: Does the report provide actionable recommendations for improvement based on the analysis?
  • Presentation: Is the report professionally presented, with clear visuals and explanations where necessary?

Ultimately the reports are not being evaluated on a quantity basis, but quality and a demonstration of clear reflection on the performance of your team and rover. The report should be clear, intentional, and concise.