Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1527952
72 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2024 rences of the same issue. e sourcing team should closely monitor supplier investigations and their implementation of corrective action plans. Although any failure to meet customer requirements is a concern, issues will happen from time to time, and the supplier who takes swi and effective action on behalf of the cus- tomer can still be considered a valued part- ner. Design of experiments (DOE) goes a long way in establishing the root cause. is was my secret weapon for problem-solving when I first encountered printed circuit process problems. Summary Root-cause analysis and reports are best accomplished by an interdisciplinary team including production workers and those most familiar with the situation. Many times, a sat- isfactory RCA can only be discovered by dig- ging deep at each level of cause and effect (Fig- ure 3). Like the adages of Dr. Deming and Phil Crosby, the solution and corrective actions will be one that identifies necessary system changes. PCB007 References 1. 24 Essential Skills for Engineers, by Happy Holden. 2. Problem Solving and Decision Making (PSDM), kepner-tregoe.com. Happy Holden has worked in printed circuit technol- ogy since 1970 with Hewlett- Packard, NanYa Westwood, Merix, Foxconn, and Gen- tex. He is currently a contrib- uting technical editor with I-Connect007, and the author of Automation and Advanced Procedures in PCB Fabrication, and 24 Essential Skills for Engineers. To read past columns, click here. Figure 3: Cause and effect diagram (from Ishikawa) used for problem analysis 1 .