Apollo Root Cause Analysis: A New Way of Thinking (Paperback)

by Dean L. Gano (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
I enjoyed reading your book. I was impressed with the simplicty of the methodolgy. -- Bill Readdy, NASA Astronaut

Overall, the book is one of the best practical essays on the subject (of problem solving) I have seen. -- Jack Knight; NASA Mgr.

This has had a significant impact on our approach to problem solving here at Dow Chemical. -- Ted Bennett, Dow Chem.

Product Description
Apollo Root Cause Analysis is about effective problem solving. It is truly a new way of thinking that will ensure effective solutions to almost any kind of problem. Discover new communications tools that are revolutionizing the way people all around the world think, communicate, and make decisions together. This is a life-changing book that will enable people and organizations to effectively communicate and solve problems without the usual conflicts. This is a unique event-based problem solving method utilized by many Fortune 500 companies, NASA, and the FAA. There is no other problem solving process like this. In this book readers will learn more about the cause and effect principle than has ever been documented before. They will also learn why 70% to 80% of the general population are ineffective problem solvers and why conventional problem solving methods don't work. The number one skill every employer wants in an employee is good problem solving skills, yet problem solving is not taught in school. Apollo Root Cause Analysis and its supporting software, RealityChartingTM makes everyone a skilled problem solver.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Apollonian Publications; 2 edition (September 29, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883677017
• ISBN-13: 978-1883677015
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #560,721 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great introductory work, May 2, 2002

By	T. Herrmann "TJH" (Aurora, CO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I teach root cause analysis and have been a practicing failure analyst for nearly 15 years. I've had the priviledge of working with some very expert people in this field. Dean Gano does a great job taking what can be a very confusing and intimidating task and making it clear and understandable.

Dean Gano has been honing his craft for many years and is well respected in the failure analysis community. The only criticism I have is that the process is more geared to providing supporting evidence for possible causes of events. There needs to be more discussion of the need for refuting evidence.

Cause analysis at its best is a structured application of scientific principles (referred to as the scientific method). What the scientific method requires is that you pose a hypothesis (a possible explanation for what has happened) and then gather evidence to support or refute the hypothesis.

I recommend that anyone interested in a better understanding of how refuting evidence is used read "The Rational Manager" by Chuck Kepner and Ben Tregoe. It's the foundational work that provides a complete solution for resolving concerns (problems, decisions, etc). The "Rational Manager" has you break things down and deal with them separately. Dean Gano's book helps you see the larger picture. The other book I use as required reading for our root cause analysts is "Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents" by James Reason. Together, these three references will help you to significantly improve your ability to resolve problems and will be the three books you will refer to over and over again.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maximum Leverage of Cause and Effect..., May 10, 2000

By	Brian Hughes (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

Dean Gano presents the most comprehensive philosophy towards problem solving that I have ever encountered. He sheds the first light on classic problem solving snafus such as story-telling, our failure to identify conditional causes, and why categorization schemes will always lead us away from creative solutions. Gano has identified the common thread that is inherent in all problems (the principle of cause and effect) and provides the reader with a comprehensive tool that allows effective solutions to be created for any problem, from minor incident to catastrophic failure. This is a great book for anyone who is serious about preventing recurrence and jumpstarting process improvement. A word of warning...organizations and individuals that rely on old-school office politics and strong-arm tactics as problem solving strategies beware! Gano is the first to install power into the concept of empowerment.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Way of Thinking!, April 26, 2000

By	Dennis M. Hussey (Waukesha, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

Apollo Root Cause Analysis is the right process for anyone interested in successful problem solving. This book is easy to read and describes a problem solving method that is practical and highly effective. Dean Gano's chapter "Set Up To Fail" provides a great explanation of why many of the conventional problem solving tools do not result in workable solutions. The cause and effect principle (Chapter 2) is a powerful concept and the important step of supporting each "caused by" with evidence makes this methodology unique. Chapter 4 discusses "Identifying Effective Solutions". Gano's definition of an effective solution is one that prevents recurrence, is within the control of stakeholders (those that have the authority and responsibility to implement the solution) and that meets goals and objectives. A considerable amount of information packed into 184 pages. The author provides new tools that allow the problem solver to develop creative solutions. The Apollo process works! I strongly recommend this book to environmental, health and safety professionals and others that want to improve their problem solving skills. I have provided copies of this book to my entire EHS team.