Stop Fixing the Same Problems Over and Over
Get to the root cause β every time β with a proven process I learned from Japanese Sensei.
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I will show you how inside The Sensei Blueprint: AΒ complete Root Cause Analysis process I learned from Japanese Sensei while working in Japanese Automotive Manufacturing for over a decade. Β Modernized with a complete AI Lab for speed.
GET INSTANT ACCESS
I have a secret to tell you: if you're fixing the same problems over and over β it's not your fault.
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Before I worked for a Japanese automotive company, I'd learned every root cause tool and method you can name. And none of them actually solved the problem. I know, because I kept watching the same failures come back.
I was stuck in a cycle of frustration that quietly killed my confidence. I could feel others starting to lose faith in my ability to fix things β and worse, I was starting to lose faith in myself. I knew how to use the tools in isolation. What I'd never been taught was how to apply them as one connected process β a process that drives to the root cause and prevents problems from returning.Β
Fast-forward a few years, and I was working for a Japanese automotive company as a Quality Assurance Engineer. My job was to ensure the quality of our product β and to perform root cause analysis on defects found at the customer's site.
Honestly? At first, I wasn't good at it. In fact...I hated it (probably because I was so bad)
But the Japanese did something I'll never forget: they invested in me. They assigned me a Sensei β a master coach whose only job was to make me an expert at getting to the root of a problem.
Here's the part that changed everything. Every six months or so, I'd be assigned a new Sensei. The teacher changed. The process never did. Not once did a new Sensei show up with new ideas or a different approach. Every one of them taught the exact same robust, proven process β the one that drives to the true root cause and puts corrective actions in place that stop the problem from ever coming back.
And it worked. During my training and in all the years after β I never had a single recurrence of the same problem.
Not once.
For nearly thirty years since, I've used that exact process and it's never let me down!
This process is truly industry-agnostic because I've used it across aerospace, automotive, biotech and Fortune 500 companies. It a process that simply works and has never let me down.
And for years, people told me I should teach it.
So I built the course I wish someone had handed me back when I was stuck in that cycle of frustration β watching the same problems come back and quietly losing faith in myself.
I've put the entire process into it. Not just the tools, in isolation β you can find those anywhere now. The complete, step-by-step method the way my Sensei taught it to me: how to define the real problem, isolate the direct causes, drive to the true root cause, and put corrective actions in place that make the problem physically impossible to repeat.
And I've modernized it for how we work today β with AI Labs built into every step that sharpen your thinking instead of replacing it.
It's called RCA: The Sensei Blueprint. And whether you're a Quality Engineer facing a customer complaint, an Improvement Manager leading your first real investigation, or an Operations leader tired of watching the same problems come back β this is the process I was trained to use. Now it's yours.
(Pictured: Me in front of Mt Fuji)
If You've Ever Said Any of These Out Loud β This Course Was Built for You
β You've closed out a problem you thought you'd fixed, only to see it pop up again.
β You've sat in a problem-solving meeting where the "root cause" turned out to be "operator error" β and nothing about the actual process changed.
β You're tired of seeing "retrain" as the fix, because you know retraining is not a corrective action.
β You've written a corrective action response to a customer complaint with little confidence you've fixed the root of the problem.
β Your 5-Why analysis never quite makes sense and feels like you're forcing it to fit the outcome leadership wants.
β You lack the confidence to challenge weak root causes and countermeasures.
β You're constantly fighting the same problems without clarity and a proven process to follow.
β You know there must be a better system for solving problems β you just haven't found it.
These aren't signs of incompetence. They're signs of a methodology gap. Β This course closes that gap.
Who is this course for?
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This course is for you if:
β You're a Quality Engineer responsible for customer complaints and corrective action responses β and you need investigations that hold up in front of the customer, the audit, and leadership
β You're a Continuous Improvement or Lean professional who knows the tools but keeps watching the same problems come back after you've "solved" them
β You're an Operations or Manufacturing leader who is tired of signing off on corrective actions you don't fully believe in β and tired of seeing the same failures on next month's report
β You're newer to problem-solving and want to learn the right process from the beginning β before you spend years building habits that don't work
β You've been assigned to lead an RCA investigation and want a proven, step-by-step process to follow with confidence β not a tool kit and a prayer
β You work outside manufacturing but deal with recurring problems that nobody seems able to permanently fix β and you're done accepting that as normal
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This course is NOT for you if:
You're looking for a certification to put on a resume without doing the work. This is a practitioner course. The Capstone is hands-on, the AI Lab requires your thinking, and the Gemba Room is for people who are serious about applying this on the job.
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Β If you want a certificate, there are plenty of those out there. If you want a process that works β you're in the right place.
I built this course for the version of me that existed before the sensei β the one who knew all the tools and still couldn't stop the same problems from coming back.
Why This Course Is Different
You already know the tools. The fishbone, the A3, the 5-Why β they're everywhere now.
What almost no one teaches is the process: how to apply those tools, in what order, and exactly where each one belongs in the investigation. That sequence is the difference between randomly reaching for tools and following a proven path to the root cause. It's what my Sensei coached into me β and it's how this course is built:
A systematic process, start to finish. Follow along as I walk through every tool, technique, and decision point in sequence β the way a real investigation actually unfolds on the floor.
Every lesson is demonstrated on a real manufacturing case study β then immediately applied by you through a hands-on Capstone scenario that builds with each module. You're not passively watching. You're building the skill, not just the knowledge β and you leave with something you can use on the job starting day one.
Skill and confidence first, then AI. You do the hard work manually before you ever touch AI β because that's how real learning happens, and how you build the confidence to lead investigations that deliver results.
The AI Lab. Anyone can ask AI to run a root cause analysis. Without the process, AI just helps you get to the wrong answer faster. The AI Lab gives you calibrated prompts for each stage of the investigation β so you always know what to ask, when to ask it, and what to do with the answer."
The Gemba Room. Every section includes a dedicated space to bring your questions directly to me and get coaching on your thinking as you work β so you're never stuck applying this alone. Every student gets this.
This isn't certification prep, this is skill-building! It's the real methodology, taught exactly the way I learned it β a lifelong, industry-agnostic skill you'll carry for the rest of your career.
Β Peak Inside the Course
Β Expand the modules below to see inside
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Module 1: Course Structure and Overview
- How this Course is Designed
- Navigation and Video Controls
- Your Expectations for Me and this Course!
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Module 2: The Fundamentals of RCA
- Module Overview
- Understanding the Japanese Sensei Methodology
- 5-Principles of Root Cause Analysis: The 90% and 10% Rule
- What Is a Problem? Identifying the GAP
- What Is Root Cause Analysis? Bridging the GAP
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Module 3: Define the Problem
- Module Overview
- Perceived Problems: The First Problem You Notice is Not the Problem to Solve
- 3-Key Elements ALL Problem Statements MUST HAVE
- Get Clarity with the Problem Statement: How the 5W2H Matrix Does the Heavy Lifting
- Hidden in the Data: How to Use Data Analysis to Extract Information
- Don't Investigate Everywhere: How the Process Map Tells You Exactly Where to Look
- Don't Build a Crowd β Build a Team: How to Assemble the Right People for Root Cause Analysis
- The Story Begins: Updating Your A3 After Defining the Real Problem
- Exercise: Welcome to the Cornerstone Coffee Company (45-60 Minutes)
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Module 4: Isolate the Direct Causes
- Module Overview
- PRE-WORK: Understanding Cp/Cpk
- Focus on the Few - Brainstorming Methods that Work
- Build a Laser Focused Data Collection Plan
- From Hypothesis to Fact: Prove Your Case
- A3 Update: Isolate the Direct Cause
- CAPSTONE: Cornerstone Coffee Company (60-90 Minutes)
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Module 5: Get to the Root Cause
- Module Overview
- The 5 Why Analysis: How to Get it Right (EVERY TIME!)
- Putting it all Together: The Root Cause Statement
- A3 Update: Get to the Root Cause
- CAPSTONE: Cornerstone Coffee Company (75-90 Minutes)
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Module 6: Sustain the Corrective Actions
- Module Overview
- Countermeasure Ladder
- Close the GAP: Sustain, Control, Train
- A3 Update: Sustain the Corrective Actions
- CAPSTONE: Cornerstone Coffee Company
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Module 7: Hansei: A Personal Reflection for Improvement
- Making it Official: Present A3 to Leadership
- The Kaizen Discipline: Hansei, Reflect, Improve
The Sensei Blueprint
Learn the Exact Process taught to me by Japanese Sensei. Modernized with AI Speed.
RCA: The Sensei Blueprint
The complete root cause process I learned from Japanese Sensei β at the speed of AI.
- A complete, step-by-step RCA process β taught by Japanese Sensei and immediately applicable on the job
- Every tool demonstrated in a real manufacturingΒ case study, then practiced hands-on through a full capstone scenario
- Calibrated AI prompts built into every module β so you know exactly what to ask at every stage of the investigation
- The Gemba Room β bring your questions directly to the instructor and get coached on your thinking as you work
- All student workbooks, exercise downloads, and course materials
- Lifetime access to all videos, materials, and every future update at no additional charge
- The exact methodology used in JapaneseΒ Automotive manufacturing β a lifelong, industry-agnostic skill yours to keep forever
- 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
$547
RCA: The Sensei Blueprint
+ Personal Coaching
- 4-Hours of Personal One-on-One Coaching β direct access to Chad to work through barriers, pressure-test your thinking, and get expert eyes on your actual on-the-job RCA investigation
- A complete, step-by-step RCA process β taught by Japanese Sensei and immediately applicable on the job
- Every tool demonstrated in a real manufacturing case study, then practiced hands-on through a full capstone scenario
- Calibrated AI prompts built into every module β so you know exactly what to ask at every stage of the investigation
- The Gemba Room β bring your questions directly to the instructor and get coached on your thinking as you work
- All student workbooks, exercise downloads, and course materials
- Lifetime access to all videos, materials, and every future update at no additional charge
- The exact methodology used in Japanese Automotive manufacturing β a lifelong, industry-agnostic skill yours to keep forever
- 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
$997
After you Enroll -
You'll receive a welcome email with your login credentials and a message with the exact steps to get started! Please allow 10 minutes to receive email. Check your spam to make sure we didn't get sent there.
30-Day Guarantee
Try it out for 30-Days and if you are not satisfied, email me at: [email protected] for a refund.Β
(see FAQ for additional information)
About Chad Burroughs
Chad Burroughs is the founder of LearnKaizen.com, a continuous improvement training platform built on nearly three decades of hands-on practitioner experience.
He holds an MBA from UNC Chapel Hill and a degree in Industrial Engineering β but the real education happened on the floor, under Japanese Sensei who didn't accept surface-level answers. No shortcuts. No templates to fill out. Just the problem, the process, and the standard expected of you.
That combination β rigorous academic grounding and years of direct Sensei training β is what this course is built on.
Since then, Chad has led investigations, built CI teams, and developed people inside some of the most demanding manufacturing organizations in the world β across Aerospace, Automotive, Biotech, and Life Sciences. Everything in this course comes from that work, translated into practical, repeatable skills that hold up under pressure, in front of leadership, and on the production floor.
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The 3-Principle RCA Field Guide + 4 Key "HARD STOP" Questions!
Frequently Asked Questions
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