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Eight Disciplines

A structured process for a serious problem: contain it, find the cause, fix it and prevent it.

What is Eight Disciplines?

A structured process for a serious problem: contain it, find the cause, fix it and prevent it.

What you learn

First stop the harm, then find the cause, then prevent it returning.

When it helps

a serious problem has reached customers and you need to coordinate containment, a confirmed fix and prevention.

Use it at work

  1. Form a team and describe the problem precisely.
  2. Contain the harm now.
  3. Find and confirm the root cause.
  4. Fix it, check the fix works, and change the process to prevent it.
  5. Share what you learned, and recognize the team.

Your output

For your next incident, write three lines: what stops the harm now, what caused it, and what keeps it from happening again.

Watch for

Rushing to find the cause while harm continues, or stopping before preventing a repeat.

Related practices

Sources

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