Stop Blaming People for Process Failures

Why

We have a natural instinct when things go wrong: find the person responsible.

"Human error" becomes the default explanation. But blaming a person rarely fixes the problem. If you put a good person in a bad process, the bad process will win every time.

To truly solve issues, we have to stop looking for who failed and start looking for what failed in the system. The chaos of a problem often hides the root cause, leading us to apply "band-aid" fixes that fall off a week later.

How

That’s where the tool in this image, the Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagram, saves the day. It forces you to pause and look at the bigger picture before jumping to conclusions.

Instead of guessing, you break the problem down into the "6 Ms" to ensure you aren't missing a hidden cause:

Man (People): Look beyond the person. Is it actually a lack of skills, training, or just fatigue?

Method (Process): Don't assume the steps are right. Are the standard procedures clear, or is the workflow design inefficient?

Machine (Equipment): Is the technology limiting the team? Look for maintenance issues or tool wear.

Material (Components): Sometimes the ingredients are the problem. Check for raw material quality or supplier variation.

Mother Nature (Environment): Context matters. Is the workspace layout poor, or are lighting and noise causing errors?

Measurement (Data): Are we even tracking the right thing? Check for data accuracy and gauge variation.

What

By dissecting the problem this way, you move away from emotional finger-pointing and toward data-driven solutions. You stop treating symptoms and start curing the disease.

Next time a defect pops up, don't ask "Who did this?" Ask "Which bone is broken?"

In your experience, which of the "6 Ms" is usually the hidden culprit?

I find "Method" is often to blame, even when it looks like a "Man" issue. Let's hear your take!