The game of billiards offers a useful analogy to explain risk-based thinking and “risk to quality” (i.e., the risk to achieving quality objectives). Like any game, billiards involves navigating risk. Survival in an open global marketplace, like billiards, is also a game of risk.

The association between managing risk and the achievement of established objectives assumes a relationship of causality. Our decisions and actions affect our ability to meet our objectives. If this causal connection were not present, why would anyone do anything?

What-causes-what is a topic of philosophical debate in many areas of human experience. For example: “Does human activity cause global warming?” or “Will my smoking cause lung cancer” or “Will mistake-proofing this step in the process improve performance?”

How about a game of billiards, David?

The question of causation (or causal connection) was of great interest to a Scottish philosopher named David Hume (1711-1776). Hume loved the game of billiards, which offered (as it offers today) a very simple, visible representation of causation.

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