Q 552. Is/Is Not Analysis is a tool used for root cause analysis. How is it different from the other typical tools like 5 Why or Fishbone Diagram? Which situations are most suited for using this tool?

 

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5 why analysis helps to understand the underlying root cause due to which a problem is occurring, Is/Is not analysis can be used for root cause identification however it can also be used to define a complex problem. The Is/ Is not matrix helps to separate the factors that are not the problem. This helps to narrow down the scope of the problem and focus on the problem area.
In a why why analysis each cause is further studied for factors that make the cause occur. Is/Is not analysis on other hand is based on getting to the most relevant factor by theory of elimination. Of course the elimination has to be done based on certain validation.

an example is attached.

The Is/Is Not Analysis is a tool used for root cause analysis that helps identify the possible causes of a problem by examining what is and what is not true about the problem. This technique can be particularly helpful when the cause of a problem is not immediately obvious.

 

The Is/Is Not Analysis is different from the other typical tools like 5 Why or Fishbone Diagram in that it focuses on gathering information about the problem by systematically identifying and exploring what is and what is not related to it. The 5 Why technique involves asking a series of "why" questions to uncover the root cause of a problem, while the Fishbone Diagram helps identify potential causes of a problem by categorizing them into various categories.

 

The Is/Is Not Analysis is most suited for situations where there is uncertainty or ambiguity about the cause of a problem. It can be particularly helpful when a problem is complex and has many potential causes that need to be explored. This technique can be used in any industry or field where problem-solving is required, including healthcare, engineering, manufacturing, and business.
Example :- 
Let's say a manufacturing company is experiencing a high defect rate in their products. They can create an Is/Is Not Analysis table to gather information about the problem. In the "Is" column, they might list the defects that are occurring, while in the "Is Not" column, they might list the aspects of the manufacturing process that are not related to the defects. By systematically exploring these two categories, they can narrow down the potential causes of the problem.

The IS - IS not tool is a powerful problem solving tool used for identifying root causes by using a set of questions to identify the gap area. This analysis required detailing out the when, where, who, how and the extent of impact for a problem/concerns.

 

It is a matrix where the above information are listed down and then against each of the input for the when, where, how, who and the imapct, it is determined if the particular factor "IS" impacting or "IS NOT" impacting. Once this is identified, if there is an "IS" impacting, then the factors that impact the problem/issue are isolated. 

 

This tool also helps in identifying patterns. For ex: If you are looking at errors and then you are using this IS-IS not analysis against each category of errors, the cause that you may arrive at may result in a pattern. 

 

Thus, this tool also helps in identifying the significant few. 

Is /is not study help the user to avoid untrue cause. Here the user will get a confirmed root cause which help further creating a plan to solve the problem and to avoid in future. It avoid confusion in root cause and help to get exact root cause in simple way.

Other root cause analysis tools present like 5 why, fmea, fishbone 
In fishbone analysis: we generally draw a cause and impact diagram which look like bones of fish as branches. This diagram help to identify the cause for particular process /root cause. FMEA is failure mode and effect analysis where risk can be quantity using risk ranking system. 5 why is a tool to ask 5 question about why it happened to deep dive into root cause. 

Is/is not actually two column study one is for is and another "is" for " is not " And to ask what when where how big the problem is. 

Example: if there is a problem from vendor end, then it is not a problem of company . It is an external problem of vendor side. It is not a problem from delhi vendor but mumbai vendor. It is a problem with lock, it is not a problem with key, and it keeps going on.

 

When there is need to find out exact root cause then this tool can be used

All answers are a must read. Every respondent has highlighted some interesting observation about the Is/Is-Not Analysis. The best answer to this question has been written by Amit Simon - he has provided a relevant example and also highlighted the fact that this tool can also be used to understand a problem.