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Finding the Root Cause:
Statistical Solutions for Problems in Engineering Systems
Richard L. Duggan, P.E.
Overview
Whether
in electrical, industrial, or mechanical systems, problems always seem to pop up
at the worst time. Engineers are often seen as resorting to "shot-gun"
methods to find solutions.
When faced with a problem, the engineer must resist the natural tendency to
reinvent the system based on speculation about the cause of the problem.
When the engineer "thinks like an inventor", he/she loses the chance to learn
what really went wrong. Secondly, thinking like an inventor often leads to
a diverging problem-solving investigation. That is, the investigation
keeps growing bigger and bigger.
In this
course, you will learn to "think like a detective", which involves avoiding
theories, preserving the existing system (and data) and finding evidence to
narrow down the list of possible causes. This Converging Process of
Elimination will help you to identify the Root Cause of the problem.
The student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of thirty questions at the end of
this course to obtain PDH credits.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and
skills:
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Learn the natural pitfalls which lead to
divergent problem solving investigations
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Learn how to conduct a convergent
investigation
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Learn how to design simple statistical
experiments that work on small sample sizes
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Be able to solve problems in engineering
systems more reliably and efficiently
Course
Click on the following PDF attachment and review
the course "Finding the Root Cause: Statistical Solutions for
Problems in Engineering Systems".
"Finding
the Root Cause" (419 KB)
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To obtain PDH credits for this course, you will need to take a quiz for
credit. Click on the link below.
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