ROOT CAUSE (DRIVER) ANALYSIS

Honley Company has 20 clerks that work in its accounts payable department. A study revealed the following activities and the relative time demanded by each activity:

Activities

 

Percentage of

Clerical Time

Comparing purchase orders and receiving orders and invoices

15%

Resolving discrepancies among the three documents

70

Preparing checks for suppliers

10

Making journal entries and mailing checks

5

Required:

Suppose that clerical error—either Honley’s or the supplier’s—is the common root cause of the non value added activities. For each non value added activity, ask a series of “why” questions that identify clerical error as the activity’s root cause.