Solve HR Problems with Root-Cause Analysis

Overview

When sick-leave days spike 62% in one department, your leadership wants answers—not guesses. You'll learn why absenteeism spikes are symptoms that require systematic diagnosis, not single-cause explanations. Using fishbone diagrams in Miro, you'll classify potential causes into categories (People, Process, Policy, Environment, Tools, Management) that prevent tunnel vision and reveal hidden drivers. You'll use ChatGPT to help draft a 150-word reflection explaining why this methodology works—then verify the AI's output matches your actual analysis before sharing with stakeholders. Through realistic role plays where you diagnose a colleague's absenteeism mystery and present your findings to leadership, you'll practice the systematic problem-solving that turns HR data into actionable insights. Designed for HR professionals, people analytics practitioners, and anyone who needs to explain workforce problems without guessing. No analytics background required; access to free Miro and ChatGPT recommended.

Syllabus

Understanding Root-Cause Analysis: From Symptoms to Drivers

Learn why absenteeism spikes are symptoms, not root causes, and how fishbone diagrams help you systematically categorize potential drivers. You'll diagnose a colleague's missed explanation, understand the categories that organize cause analysis, and begin building your own fishbone in Miro using real scenario data from Clearwater Insurance (fictitious).

Completing and Documenting Your Root-Cause Analysis

Move from populated branches to documented insights: prioritize which causes matter most, write a structured reflection explaining why the fishbone methodology works, and use AI to help draft your documentation. You'll complete a full root-cause analysis and defend your findings to leadership who needs to act on your recommendations.