About this course
About this course
Root cause analysis is the discipline behind every effective corrective action. Issue 9 of the BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety expects sites to demonstrate not only that non-conformities are addressed, but that the underlying causes have been understood and prevented from recurring. This virtual workshop introduces the most widely used RCA techniques and shows how to apply them inside a regulated food environment.
Who should attend
The programme is built for technical managers, quality managers, production managers, engineering leads and internal auditors. It is equally relevant to sites preparing for a BRCGS certification audit and to teams working through customer complaints, product withdrawals or internal CAPA actions. Staff moving into senior technical roles often take the course to formalise investigation technique they have developed informally on the job, and consultants supporting multiple sites find the structured approach invaluable.
What the programme covers
Sessions take learners through the five most relevant RCA methodologies for food manufacturing: the Five Whys, fishbone (Ishikawa) diagrams, fault tree analysis, the 8D framework and change analysis. Each technique is illustrated with anonymised case studies from real BRCGS audits and customer complaints, then practised in small groups. The programme also covers how to document findings so they hold up to scrutiny during subsequent audits, how to link RCA outputs to effective and verifiable corrective action, and how to present RCA evidence during management review. Attention is given to the common pitfalls: stopping at the symptom, confusing cause with contributing factor, and writing corrective actions that train people without addressing the system.
Assessment and certification
An end-of-course assessment confirms competence. On passing, delegates receive the official BRCGS Certificate of Achievement, which is valid evidence of RCA training for audit purposes and is recognised by certification bodies and retailers alike.
Course format and delivery
The programme runs as a single full-day live virtual session with a BRCGS Approved trainer. The format combines technique teaching with structured small-group exercises and case study discussion, so delegates leave with practical experience of applying each RCA methodology rather than just theoretical knowledge.
Why this matters
The most common reason sites repeatedly fail the same non-conformity is superficial root cause analysis. Training the team to look beyond the symptom reduces repeat findings, supports upgrade from grade B to grade A, and builds the kind of culture of continuous improvement that retailers actively reward. Delegates often follow this programme with the BRCGS Internal Auditor qualification or the broader Food Safety Issue 9 Sites Training to apply RCA thinking across a wider compliance programme. The course complements the BRCGS HACCP programme and is often taken by delegates who have already completed the Sites or Auditor Training for their relevant Standard.
Browse all BRCGS courses and training or explore recent articles on food safety culture and audit readiness for ongoing context.
