For this d iscussion topic, first:

Explain, in your own words, the difference between root cause analysis and simply identifying issues in a process.

Then, research and describe an article or a case study where a company has performed a successful root cause analysis. This means they went deeper than identifying just the symptoms.

Explain what the symptoms were and what root causes they identified as the culprits.

How did this analysis help the company create quantifiable, specific targets/objectives in its improvement efforts?

Make sure to describe how they accomplished this; there are various specific methodologies beyond sitting and talking in a room that can be used for this purpose. For example, root cause analysis is part of Six Sigma, which has specific tools for carrying this out.

If you cannot clearly show the distinction between the root causes and symptoms in the case, then you do not have the right case. You are not looking for cases where someone just identified problems by talking to people root cause analysis is a very specific term that describes using formal methodologies to go beyond the most obvious issues. Your example should demonstrate this in-depth analysis.

The discussion question focuses on a deeper understanding of the problem selected for process improvement. Root cause analysis is often used to identify the issues and not the symptoms of the problem. Truly, the project manager should have a solid understanding of the problem so a thorough analysis can be conducted in the "Understand" phase. Quite simply, your BPM needs to make a current situation better so just implementing a new process does not qualify unless it solves an existing problem.