Definition
A method for digging into the root cause of a deviation and setting and tracking a countermeasure. The Chinese booklet (a third-party adaptation) presents it as a four-color-block A3 corrective-action report; the official course package presents it as a three-step method — first verify the metric is right, then trace the root cause, then set the countermeasure — carried on a PD countermeasure form.
In detail
RCCM has two coexisting versions: the Chinese booklet (a third-party adaptation) is a four-color-block A3 corrective-action report; the official course package is a three-step method (verify the metric is correct, trace it to the root cause, then set the countermeasure), carried on a PD countermeasure form rather than being called a "corrective-action report." It addresses recurring problems and countermeasures that don't stick. Compared to PSP, RCCM is more lightweight and commonly used for deviation handling in daily management; when data exists, the official guidance is to break it down with a Pareto chart, leaving the fishbone diagram for when data is absent. Typical outputs are a root cause analysis and a countermeasure tracking sheet; the exact form depends on which version is used.
Example in practice
A process's defect rate exceeded standard and classified data was already available. The supervisor used RCCM: first breaking down the defects by type with a Pareto chart to lock onto the largest category and confirm it is really the metric to chase, then tracing it to the root cause, formulating a countermeasure, and assigning an owner and deadline. They tracked countermeasure implementation weekly until the defect rate dropped to the target level. Through RCCM, the problem was thoroughly solved and recurrence was prevented.