what to write in response to a classmate discussing the following: I think I will look into the root. cause analysis (RCA) due to it having a lot in common with our after action reports. An after action report is simply providing an instructor or person in charge with what was supposed to happen in any given situation and followed up with three improvements and three sustains for the next time it happens. The root cause analysis tool that sparked my interest is the failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) which allows for identification of potential failures during a project, process, or design. When identifying the potential failures, there has to be an acknowledgement of what could also be the consequences and where these failures occurred to assist with addressing the issue to make corrections before the failure occurs. Once these failures are identified, when time allows, there can be prevention control measures put into place as a definitive policy or it can be used as a trial and error method to see which control measure works best. A SOD rating that evaluates the severity, occurrence, and detection of these failures can be used to place a risk priority number (RPN) on each of the failures to produce a guideline on what areas need to be addressed first or with the most resources. I think this is a more beneficial way of thinking for a long term project simply because if a plan has a workable and useful end goal, the largest complication will be the unseen failures no ma