Comparative study of the Causal Matrix and Causal Determinant

The aim of this study is to describe and compare two methods of determining root cause with great potential for application in Operations Management, especially in the field of quality management. The problem is particularly relevant in the field of Management, where there is a need to define causal relations on a daily basis. The present study compares two methods for determining root cause for complex problems: the Causal Matrix (CM) and the Causal Determinant (CD). As a support tool in management, the CM is a technique that enables the association of causes, identifying interference between them. The CD method has already been proved effective as a tool for determining the root cause of a problem. The study compares the results obtained by these two methods when applied to the same problem. Employing a statistical analysis of the main variables of both methods, their outputs were shown to be significantly correlated and they tended to point to the same root cause. Both methods are complementary in the rigorous analyses of causal factors. The CM has the capacity to identify loops, especially the explosive loops of the system, and this identification can help to identify the necessary managerial actions required, provided that the factors involved are considered causal by the CD method.