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Root cause and CAPA · AS13000 8D · self-paced

Root cause analysis that stops the repeat CAR. Prove the cause. Then prove the fix worked.

Taught by Will Trikha, third-party registrar auditor.

Work the AS13000 8D discipline by discipline, test every candidate cause against your own data, and set the effectiveness check before you close. Then run your next real investigation in the CAPA workspace, with Coach Q beside you.

Quality engineers, quality managers, supervisors and 8D team leaders at aerospace, defense and other manufacturers who answer corrective action requests.

Start free. Lesson 1, with Coach Q, no card.

Audit a closed CAR file and spot why the same defect keeps coming back with a different operator's name on it.

See everything you get ↓ Lessons for life · coach included, no renewal fee
  • About 21 hours
  • Self-paced
  • CAPA workspace
  • Verifiable certificate
academy.qmslearning.com
Lesson 1 of Root Cause Analysis and CAPA, a real screen from the course

The customer rejected our 8D. The cause says operator error. What do they want?

COACH Q · IN YOUR POCKET

Operator error tells them who. They want to know why the process let it happen. Keep asking until you reach something you can change.

Real screen from this courseLesson 1 is free

Sound familiar?

The CAR is closed. The problem isn't.

Retrain the operator. Again.

Three CARs, three operators, the same fix. When the corrective action names a person, the cause is still sitting in the process. You'll learn to push past operator error to something you can actually change.

The customer bounced our 8D.

A 5-Why that stops at human error, or a problem statement that says parts are out of spec, gets sent back. You'll write a D2 with the part, lot, requirement, measured value and count, and a root cause backed by evidence at every step.

It closed. Then it came back.

Recurrence means the corrective action didn't work. You'll set success criteria and a verification window at D5, before the fix goes in, and close only when the data says it held.

Every NCR is urgent. We can't 8D them all.

You can't, and you shouldn't try. You'll build a Pareto from your own NCR data, score risk the same way every time, and run a monthly review that decides what gets a full 8D and what gets containment and a record.

What it does for you

Be the one who makes problems stay fixed.

The 8D that doesn't bounce

Customers notice who writes corrective actions they accept the first time. So does your boss.

A cost case leadership hears

You'll put a dollar figure on a problem that keeps coming back and bring it to management review as a decision, not a complaint.

Fixes that hold, on the record

Closed on measured data, not on a training roster. That's the difference between busy and effective, and people see it.

No course can promise you a raise or a title. What you'll have is the skill, the work to show for it and a certificate anyone can verify. That's what those conversations run on.

Why it matters

At FDA, corrective action is one of the two most-cited findings.

33%

In FY2017, corrective and preventive action drew 1,168 of 3,519 Form 483 observations in FDA's medical device quality system inspections, 33%, one of the two areas FDA observed most often.

Source: FDA CDRH, FY2017 Annual Medical Device Quality System Data

That's FDA's medical device data, and aerospace audits ask the same questions. AS9100D 10.2 wants to know whether similar nonconformities exist and whether your last action was effective. A CAR closed on 'operator retrained,' with no effectiveness check, answers neither.

Your customers ask too, and your PO can set the clock. Some aero engine flowdowns want D0 back in 2 days and D5 done in 30, unless otherwise agreed. An 8D that stops at operator error gets sent back. And every repeat pays for the sort, the scrap and the premium freight again.

What you'll learn

The 8D, the tools behind D4, and the system around them.

It starts with why the same defect keeps coming back and ends with a CAPA system built to stop it. Cases follow Brennick Turbine Components, a fictional aerospace supplier, and the exercises put the tools to work on your own problems.

01Modules 1 to 3

Count the cost, then pick the right fire

Firefighting leaves a trail in the closed CAR file, if you know where to look. You'll put a number on what one recurring problem really costs, question the habits nobody has tested, and decide which problems get a full 8D and which get containment and a record.

  • The six costs of an unsolved problem, added up on a cost of recurrence worksheet
  • First principles in six written steps: which rules are habits and which are real limits
  • A Pareto of your NCRs, risk scored as RPN = S x F x D, and a monthly portfolio review

02Module 4 · AS13000 8D

Work the 8D from D0 to D8, in order

You'll learn where the aerospace 8D came from and how AS13000A, AS13100 and RM13000 differ, so you know what your PO actually flows down. Then you'll work each discipline: contain inside the clock, define the problem with data, verify the cause, prove the fix in production and close it with evidence.

  • D0 and D5 clocks read from the PO, and a D2 with part, lot, requirement, actual and count
  • D4 verified three ways: temporal fit, population fit and reproducing the defect on scrap
  • D5 fixes ranked from eliminate down to inspect, then D7 for other parts and processes

03Modules 5 and 6

Pick the right root cause tool and run it well

A fishbone across 5M+E forces breadth before you narrow, and Is/Is-Not bounds the problem before anyone asks why. A 5-Why follows one thread, with evidence at every step. When the stakes are too high to guess, a fault tree maps the failure path by path.

  • The seven facilitation mistakes that turn a fishbone into theater, and how to prevent each
  • A 60-minute 5-Why session that asks 'how do we know?' at every why and holds up to audit
  • Is/Is-Not across what, where, when and how much, and fault tree AND gates that multiply

04Modules 7 and 8

Fix the process that keeps producing 8Ds

When the same area keeps showing up in your CAPA log, each closed 8D is proof the process isn't capable, not proof it's under control. You'll run DMAIC on a measurement system you've checked, then hold the gains with FMEA, SPC, a control plan and layered process audits.

  • A written trigger, such as three 8Ds in one area in 12 months, that starts a DMAIC
  • A Gage R&R before any baseline data, so nobody argues later about whether the data is real
  • X-bar and R, I-MR, p, c and u charts, run rules, and a reaction plan posted at the machine

05Module 9 · AI in RCA

Use AI to challenge your 5-Why, not to write it

AI is useful in root cause work for three jobs: listing candidate causes, challenging your why chain and drafting from facts you supplied. It can't see your shop, read records you didn't give it, or know your customer's requirements. It proposes, and a named person checks the evidence and signs.

  • Five prompts in order: bound the problem, brainstorm, run the whys, stress-test, draft
  • A lab with an AI-drafted 8D: find the invented clause, fake precedent and echoed cause
  • Letting AI read your CAPA as the customer's reviewer would, then deciding what changes

06Module 10

Run a CAPA system that keeps fixes fixed

A pile of closed CAPAs is a filing cabinet. You'll name an owner for every step, verify effectiveness against criteria set before the fix, and bring CAPA data to management review as decisions, then finish with a 90-day plan built on your own baseline.

  • Criteria set at D5, a defined window, and a verifier who isn't the implementer
  • Management review under AS9100D 9.3 that ends in a decision, a name and a date
  • A baseline from your last 12 months of CAPAs: age, reopens, causes that name a person

Who built it

Taught from both sides of the corrective action.

Will Trikha

Founder and CEO, QMS Learning · Third-party registrar auditor

Will Trikha is a third-party registrar auditor with more than 20 years in aerospace and quality. Auditors read a corrective action after it closes, so this course teaches the 8D the way it gets read. It also sets DMAIC, SPC and FMEA beside the 8D, because a process that keeps producing 8Ds needs more than another 8D.

He's COO of PTX Defense, an AS9100D-certified aerospace manufacturer, so he lives with customer corrective action requirements from the supplier side too. Through QMS Leader, the consulting firm he founded, he implements quality management systems for manufacturers.

Organizations Will has trained in root cause analysis

  • Lanner Electronics USA
  • Luna Innovations
  • Velocity Electronics

What a customer's reviewer looks for in your 8D

  1. Containment inside the clockThe clock runs from the day the problem was identified, not from D2 or D4. Containment covers every place suspect product can sit, including what already shipped. If you need more time, get an extension the customer agrees to, and keep it on file.
  2. A problem statement anyone can checkPart, revision, lot, requirement against measured value, dates, count and impact. 'Some flanges out of spec' gives D4 nothing to test, and 'probably operator error' writes a cause into the problem.
  3. Every candidate cause, kept or killed with dataThe D4 shows what was eliminated and how, not just the winner. The cause has to fit when the problem started and which parts failed, and reproducing the defect is the strongest proof. Agreement in a room isn't verification.
  4. Proof the fix worked, not that it was doneA training roster or a revised work instruction proves implementation. Effectiveness is measured: criteria set before the change, a window long enough for the defect to show, and the customer's window when it sets one.

Check us before you pay

  • Take lesson 1 free. The real first lesson with Coach Q. No card.
  • Look Will up. His LinkedIn profile lists the work behind the course.
  • Check a certificate. Every certificate can be confirmed at academy.qmslearning.com/verify.
  • Keep your exit. 3 days after you buy to ask for a refund.

The usual way, and this course

A fishbone on the wall isn't a root cause.

Here's what changes when every step has to hold up for an auditor or your customer's reviewer.

The usual way
This course
Finding the cause
A desk 5-Why that stops at operator error
Each candidate tested on timing, which parts failed, and reproduction on scrap
Choosing the fix
Retrain, revise the work instruction, close the CAR
Fixes ranked from eliminate to inspect, then D7 for other parts and processes
Closing it
Closed when the action is done
Closed when measured data over a set window shows the defect stayed gone
How it fits you
The same pace and the same examples for everyone
A study plan sized to your week, and a coach that works on your own job
When you're stuck
Email the instructor and wait for a reply
Ask Coach Q on any screen, any hour
After you finish
Access often ends after a year
Lessons for life, kept up to date, and a coach that stays with you

Not like training used to be

Short, hands-on, built around you. And the coach stays.

Training used to mean days in a classroom or hours of video. Here are real screens from Root Cause Analysis and CAPA: short sessions where you make the call, a plan that fits your week, and an expert in your pocket.

Coach Q · your expert on call

Our customer rejected our 8D. The root cause says operator error. What do they want?
COACH Q

Operator error tells them who. They want to know why the process let it happen. Ask why the error was possible: was the work instruction clear, could the fixture accept the wrong part, did anything catch it before it shipped?

Keep asking until you reach something in the system you can change, and back every step with evidence. Then pick an action that doesn't depend on someone remembering. Retraining on its own is the weakest option.

Want me to go through your 5-Why and mark the step where the evidence runs out?

Coaching, not decisions. You make the call. Comes with your course, no renewal fee.

Study plan: a real screen from Root Cause Analysis and CAPA

Study plan · Your personal trainer

Tell it your goal date. It builds sessions around your week and shows each day whether you're on plan, so the course actually gets finished.

Focus timer: a real screen from Root Cause Analysis and CAPA

Focus timer · 25 minutes, no tab-hopping

One click starts a focused session, and it follows you from lesson to lesson. Short sessions are how busy people finish.

Course Hub: a real screen from Root Cause Analysis and CAPA

Course Hub · CAPA documents drafted with you

Pick a template, give Coach Q your facts, get a working draft you edit and keep: CAPA procedure, root cause method selection guide, AS13000 8D report, layered process audit checklist.

Apply at work: a real screen from Root Cause Analysis and CAPA

Apply at work · Proof your boss can see

Log what you tried, what happened and how you know. Record your manager's sign-off with their name and date, and export the log for your performance review.

Today view: a real screen from Root Cause Analysis and CAPA

Today view · One look and you know what's next

Your goal, days left, lessons done, your streak and today's session.

Built around you

Give the study plan your goal date and it sizes each session to your week. Coach Q works on the facts you bring from your own job, so the examples are yours, not a textbook's.

Hands-on, not hours of video

Lessons are built around calls you make: read the record, sort the evidence, catch the mistake. Checks and labs score you on the spot, and your first win comes in the first few minutes of lesson 1.

Stays with you. Stays current.

Coach Q doesn't leave when you finish. It comes with your course, no subscription and no renewal fee, so it's there for the next 8D, and the one after that. When the rules behind this course change, we update the lessons and the coach's setup, and we move the coach to newer AI models as we test them.

What you walk out with

You don't just learn the tools. You practice the moves.

The cost case for leadership

The full cost of a problem that keeps coming back, turned into a number your CFO can weigh against the fast fix.

A CAPA queue ranked on purpose

A Pareto from your own NCR data, risk scored without inflation, and written thresholds for what gets a full 8D.

An 8D launch that holds

A team of three to five across functions, a problem statement that answers seven questions with data, and containment with a re-evaluation date.

Corrective actions that don't rely on memory

Countermeasures ranked from eliminate down to inspect, then D7: the other parts and processes where the same cause could strike.

Root cause sessions built on evidence

A fishbone across 5M+E with ranked candidates, a 5-Why with evidence at every step, and an Is/Is-Not that bounds the problem first.

An AI-assisted 5-Why and CAPA stress test

Five prompts in sequence, each one checked before the next, and your CAPA read the way an auditor would read it before you submit.

Inside the course

The course, step by step.

About 21 hours, self-paced, in short sessions that fit your week.

The Problem-Solver's Mindset

Why most quality teams stay stuck in firefighting, and what the best teams do differently. 6 lessons.

First Principles Thinking

Strip a problem down to the facts you can prove, then rebuild the fix from there, applied to quality management. 8 lessons.

Problem Prioritization (Which Fire to Fight First)

You can't solve every problem. Stop trying. This module teaches you Pareto analysis, risk-based scoring (RPN), and the monthly portfolio review process. These are the skills that determine whether your CAPA system improves or just generates paperwork. 4 lessons.

AS13000 8D Methodology, the Aerospace Standard

The problem-solving standard many aerospace and defense primes ask their suppliers to follow. The eight disciplines in sequence, with the aerospace-specific evidence requirements that separate AS13000 from automotive 8D. 6 lessons.

Root Cause Tools, Fishbone (Ishikawa)

The most-used, most-misused tool in quality. Ishikawa's cause-and-effect diagram, applied inside D4 of the 8D, with the 5M+E categories and the facilitation discipline that separates real RCA from theater. 4 lessons.

Root Cause Tools, 5-Why and Beyond

The most-used and most-abused root cause tool in manufacturing. This module covers how to run a 5-Why that holds up to an audit, when to use Is/Is-Not bounding to make 5-Why dramatically sharper, when stakes demand Fault Tree Analysis instead, and how to pick the right tool for the problem in front of you. 5 lessons.

DMAIC, the Lean Six Sigma Approach to RCA

DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) is the Six Sigma five-phase framework for sustained process improvement. This module covers each phase in operational detail, the statistical tools you actually need, and how DMAIC and 8D coexist in a mature aerospace QMS to satisfy AS9100 clause 10.3 continual improvement. 5 lessons.

Advanced Problem-Solving Tools

The proactive risk and control toolkit: FMEA (process and design), Statistical Process Control charts and Western Electric Rules, Pareto analysis for prioritization, the Control Plan that ties PFMEA to work instructions to SPC, and Layered Process Audits that catch drift between formal internal audits. These tools turn a reactive QMS into a predictive one. 5 lessons.

AI-Augmented Problem Solving

What AI is actually good at in root cause work (brainstorming, challenging reasoning, drafting documentation), what it is bad at (knowing your shop floor, verifying claims, customer-specific requirements), the five prompts that run a better 5-Why, stress-testing a CAPA before you submit it, spotting patterns across CAPAs, the failure modes to guard against, and how to roll the workflow out to a team that will actually use it. 7 lessons.

CAPA System Management and Continuous Improvement

A CAPA system is more than a collection of CAPAs. This module covers the architecture decisions that determine maturity, workflow design with named ownership at every step, effectiveness verification (the step everyone skips), management review as a decision-making body rather than a slide deck, the five-level CAPA maturity model, and a sequenced 90-day improvement plan that takes a CAPA system from filing-cabinet to learning-system. 6 lessons.

The itemized list

Everything you get.

Each priced line shows what a comparable item costs from another provider, with the source, so you can check it yourself. The included lines are what get the course finished. Checked October 12, 2026.

Root Cause Analysis and CAPA · itemAdding up: $1,459
01

The Root Cause Analysis and CAPA course

$1,209

The problem-solver's mindset, which fire to fight first, the AS13000 8D discipline by discipline, fishbone, 5-Why, Is/Is-Not, fault tree, FMEA, SPC, DMAIC and running a CAPA system. 105 real-world scenarios and 22 hands-on exercises with worked answers.

COMPARABLE · ASQ, Root Cause Analysis, non-member regular list price, 16 hours, live virtual; early-bird $999 until Nov 3, 2026 (asq.org, Oct 2026): $1,209

02

A CAPA workspace for your real investigations

Included

One investigation kept together: problem, scope, containment, evidence notes and candidate causes tied to that evidence. Coach Q drafts a corrective action plan, a 5-Why or an 8D from your case, cites your evidence and marks what's missing. Download a review packet for your CAPA owner. Nothing in the workspace approves or closes a CAPA.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

03

Coach Q, your expert in your pocket

$250

Bring the 8D your customer bounced, any hour. It's set up for root cause and CAPA, works on your own facts, asks for the evidence and marks what's missing. It never signs off a root cause for you. Comes with your course. No subscription or renewal fee. It stays with you after the course, and we keep its setup current when the rules change.

COMPARABLE · MoreSteam, E-Learning Support, 1 hour of coaching: $250

04

AI-augmented problem solving module

Included

Where AI helps in root cause work and where it fails, the five prompts that run a better 5-Why, stress-testing a CAPA before you submit it, and spotting patterns across CAPAs.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

05

A 90-day plan for your own CAPA system

Included

The last module covers named ownership, effectiveness checks and management review, and closes with a plan to move your CAPA system up a level.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

06

Study plan, your personal trainer

Included

Built around your goal date and your week. It shows each day whether you're on plan and what today's session is.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

07

Focus timer

Included

25-minute focused sessions that carry from lesson to lesson.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

08

Apply at work log

Included

What you changed at work, with your manager's sign-off recorded, exportable for your review.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

09

A certificate of completion anyone can verify

Included

Finish every lesson, each with its own scenarios and checkpoint. Your certificate shows your name, the course and the date, and anyone can confirm it online. It isn't an ASQ certification, a Six Sigma belt or a lead auditor qualification.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

10

Lessons for life

Included

Come back whenever the job needs it. Your access doesn't expire. We keep the lessons current for the edition this course teaches.

INCLUDED · adds nothing to the total

Priced elsewhere, piece by piece$1,459
Your price$295

One person, one time. $1,164 less than buying the comparable pieces.

People
1
Enroll for $295 →

5 or more people get 10% off every seat. Secure checkout by Stripe. 3-day refund.

Compare before you choose

Three ways to learn this. Here's the honest comparison.

Including the row where a class wins.

What you pay
$295, once
$1,209 at ASQ, $975 at AIAG
Free or a monthly plan
Time away from the floor
No full days. Short lessons at your pace
2 days, or 4 half-days at ASQ
None
Live instructor
No. Lessons by a registrar auditor, plus Coach Q
Yes
No
Practice with worked answers
105 scenarios, 22 exercises
In class
Only if you write them
A workspace for your real investigation
Yes, the CAPA workspace
Varies by provider
A chat, not a case file
Help after the course
Coach Q, no renewal fee
Varies
It explains. It won't grade you or vouch for you
How long the lessons stay open
For life
The class days. ASQ's materials stay open 365 days
Not a course

ChatGPT will explain a 5-Why. It doesn't know your shop floor, and it will not vouch for you.

Prices are published list prices, checked October 12, 2026: ASQ, Root Cause Analysis, AIAG, Taking Effective Corrective Action: Using the 8-D Approach.

Try before you buy

Try it before you pay. Change your mind after.

Before you pay

Lesson 1 is free.

The real first lesson, with the exercises and Coach Q. Your first win comes in the first few minutes. Judge it yourself.

Try lesson 1 free ↑

After you buy

3 days to change your mind.

Email will@qmslearning.com within 3 days of purchase for a refund. A refund ends access to the course. Refund policy

Company pays

Send it to your manager.

We wrote the email for you. Job training is generally a deductible business expense for the company, so check with your accountant. Need a quote or a PO? Email will@qmslearning.com.

Send this to my manager →

Questions

Straight answers.

Is this a certification?

No. You earn a certificate of completion for your training record. There's no final exam on this course: you finish every lesson, each with its own scenarios and checkpoint. It isn't an ASQ certification, a Six Sigma belt or a lead auditor qualification, and it doesn't certify your QMS.

Will the AI do the root cause for me?

No. Module 9 teaches where AI helps (brainstorming, challenging your reasoning, preparing documents) and where it fails: it doesn't know your shop floor, and it can invent clause numbers. Coach Q works the same way. It proposes, you check the evidence and decide.

What is the CAPA workspace?

A place in your course to work one real investigation at a time: problem, scope and containment, evidence notes, open questions, candidate causes linked to evidence, documents with numbered revisions, and an effectiveness check. A sentence that states a cause isn't saved until you rewrite it, or cite your evidence and attest to the link yourself. When it's ready, you download a packet for your CAPA owner. Marking it ready doesn't notify anyone and isn't an approval. Use facts you're permitted to share.

What does Coach Q do, and what doesn't it?

Coach Q, your private AI coach, comes with your course. No subscription or renewal fee. It's set up for root cause and CAPA, works on the facts you give it, and marks what's missing. It never signs off a root cause. AI output can be wrong, so you and your organization own the review and the decision. It isn't on-demand access to a human consultant.

Is AS13000 still current?

SAE lists AS13000A as stabilized since September 2024, and AESQ's RM13000 is now the 8D best-practice reference. This course teaches the AS13000 8D disciplines and the root cause tools behind them. It isn't a course on RM13000 or AS13100, so check which document your customer flows down.

Is it only for aerospace?

Most cases are aerospace and defense, and the 8D module teaches the aerospace version. The root cause tools (fishbone, 5-Why, Is/Is-Not, fault tree, FMEA, SPC, Pareto and DMAIC) work in any plant.

Why not just ask ChatGPT?

ChatGPT will explain a 5-Why. It doesn't know your shop floor, and it will not vouch for you. This course teaches you to give AI the right context, check every step against your evidence, and make the call yourself.

How long do I keep access?

The lessons are yours for life, and Coach Q comes with your course and stays with you after you finish. There's no subscription or renewal fee.

Does the course keep up when the rules change?

Yes, for the edition it teaches. When the rules or guidance behind this course change, we update the lessons and the coach's setup, and you get the update at no extra charge. When a new edition replaces the standard, we point you to the transition training. Your conversations with Coach Q aren't used to train AI models.

Can my company pay?

Yes. Use a company card at checkout. Job training is generally a deductible business expense for the company, so check with your accountant. Need a quote or a PO first? Email will@qmslearning.com.

What if it isn't for me?

Try lesson 1 free before you pay. After you buy, email will@qmslearning.com within 3 days of purchase for a refund. A refund ends access to the course.

Training a team?

Pick how many people before you check out and pay once by card. Five or more people get 10% off every seat, applied at checkout. After checkout you add each person's name and email, and each of them gets their own login, private AI coach, study plan and certificate. More than 50 people, or need an invoice instead? Email will@qmslearning.com for a quote.

Everything, one more time

Fix the cause. Not just the part.

  • The Root Cause Analysis and CAPA course$1,209
  • A CAPA workspace for your real investigationsIncluded
  • Coach Q, your expert in your pocket$250
  • AI-augmented problem solving moduleIncluded
  • A 90-day plan for your own CAPA systemIncluded
  • Study plan, your personal trainerIncluded
  • Focus timerIncluded
  • Apply at work logIncluded
  • A certificate of completion anyone can verifyIncluded
  • Lessons for lifeIncluded

Priced elsewhere, piece by piece: $1,459

$295

Per person, one time. Lessons for life. Coach Q included, no renewal fee.

About 21 hours. That's 42 half-hour lunch breaks.

People
1
Enroll for $295 →

5 or more people get 10% off every seat. Secure checkout by Stripe. 3-day refund.

Not ready to buy? Try lesson 1 free.

Audit a closed CAR file and spot why the same defect keeps coming back with a different operator's name on it.