Final answer:
It is false that the source of risk in root cause analysis is often directly visible and simply the most immediate/obvious, as it aims to identify underlying issues that lead to a problem, going beyond visible symptoms to find deeper causes.
Step-by-step explanation:
In root cause analysis, it is false that the source of the risk is often directly visible and simply the most immediate/obvious. The technique aims to uncover the fundamental underlying issues that lead to a problem, rather than just addressing the most apparent causes. Without root cause analysis, there is a tendency to address only the symptoms rather than the actual cause. Experts often have a good intuition about the root cause, but detailed analysis is crucial to confirm suspicions and avoid mistakes. It is similar to medical diagnostics, where the results often inform critical decisions on treatments affecting patient outcomes, such as prescribing the correct treatment for food poisoning or containing an epidemic.
Moreover, assessing risk involves considering both asymmetric outcomes and the urgency of response, exemplified by the choice between Plan A and Plan B in Figure 20.1. This thought process is closely related to identifying primary, secondary, and tertiary causes, which shape our understanding of causation within a broader context.