Root Cause Analysis - Workplace and Ironman Triathlons

Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to race in my first Ironman triathlon-technically 1/2 Ironman consisting of 1.2 mile swim (approximately 80 lengths of a 25 meter pool though you swim in a lake), followed by a 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run. Essentially it is almost a full workday from arrival to race completion.

My blog tagline references training for life and I have spoken about many similarities to health & wellness and our workplaces. Both involve continual assessment and advancement. The vision for both are rooted in a journey and a constant pursuit of excellence related to your goals. So you work diligently, celebrate milestones, assess ways to improve and have fun and good humor along the journey.

At our hospital, we are committed to providing the safest hospital for everyone we serve. We have daily safety huddles where we review any potential safety concerns brought forward by our associates and physicians who are closest to the bedside. Through these efforts, we dig in and complete root causes on concerning trends or events. It allows us to not only learn from it but also re-evaluate and possibly change our processes for better outcomes.

So, I thought I would complete a deep dive on my performance last Sunday...
My goal was under 6 hours and my actual was 6:11. I started the swim and swallowed a lot of lake water-felt like stopping within first minute. Then was grabbed and slapped around by my fellow triathletes so I moved to the far outside and probably swam closer to 2 miles than 1.2! Then I fumbled around too long at the first transition though it was much more relaxing than the swim. The bike was in the Ozark mountains so I was either climbing hills or going too fast downhill. My legs were not made for biking hills. Then off to the run when it was 90 degrees. I stopped several times as my socks were soaked from dumping water over my head and getting sprayed by 2 guys with hoses (actually those
were more enjoyable moments). I finally stopped, dumped the socks and carried on to the finish. There is a lot that went well and many parts a comedy of errors. Certainly I will change some key things as it is all about training for life...and continuously improving along the way.

I look forward to hearing your stories in and outside of work when you apply the same deep dive review.

PS-
Congrats to all the race participants and thank you to the volunteers and Ryan Robinson, the Race Director, for keeping us safe.

And the race winners are...

Ironman 70.3 Branson
Branson, Missouri
September 19, 2010
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.

Results

Men

1. Ben Hoffman (USA) 4:02:53
2. Tom Lowe (GBR) 4:05:38
3. Brian Fleischmann (USA) 4:08:25
4. Michael Lovato (USA) 4:11:04
5. James Cotter (USA) 4:14:36
6. Brent Poulsen (USA) 4:15:14
7. Gavin Anderson (USA) 4:21:40 * M30-34
8. TJ Tollakson (USA) 4:21:44
9. Jonathan Shearon (USA) 4:37:39 * M35-39
10. Scott Bredehoft (USA) 4:39:34 * M25-29

Women

1. Kelly Williamson (USA) 4:25:47
2. Angela Naeth (CAN) 4:33:47
3. Pip Taylor (AUS) 4:41:57
4. Nina Kraft (GER) 4:42:41
5. Marisa Asplund (USA) 4:59:16
6. Tami Ritchie (USA) 5:02:30 *W25-29
7. Ali Rutledge (USA) 5:22:00 *F35-39
8. Betsy Mercer (USA) 5:22:52 *W30-34
9. Kari Fritchie (USA) 5:26:03 *W18-24
10. Jessica Imm (USA) 5:26:09 * W25-29