ThinkReliability

What ThinkReliability does

ThinkReliability is a Houston-based consulting and training firm founded in 2000 that specializes in root cause analysis (RCA) using its proprietary Cause Mapping® methodology. The company teaches organizations how to investigate and prevent problems across manufacturing, oil and gas, food and agriculture, healthcare, aviation, power generation, telecommunications, aerospace, marine, and transportation. Its core technology is a visual, systems-thinking approach to RCA that uses Cause Map diagrams to show how multiple causes combine to produce problems, structured around a Why? and How? question framework, and paired with a free Microsoft Excel template for documentation. The "Cause Mapping" name is a registered trademark, and the methodology itself - emphasizing prevention over blame and exposing multiple causal contributors rather than a single root cause - is positioned as the firm's primary differentiator.

The company's product portfolio spans instructor-led public workshops (3-day facilitator training held in Houston), private customized workshops (in-person or virtual, tailored per department or incident), expert incident-investigation facilitation services (approximately 95% delivered remotely), RCA program development consulting, free informational and case-study webinars, and a subscription-based on-demand training catalog delivered through a dedicated training portal at training.thinkreliability.com. Named enterprise customers include 3M, Cargill, BP, Phillips 66, Williams Companies, and Mosaic. The free Excel template and educational content (The Root blog, articles, videos) serve as top-of-funnel adoption tools, while paid workshops, facilitation engagements, and the on-demand subscription drive revenue. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based for private engagements.

ThinkReliability is a small, founder-led firm operating with 1-10 employees. It was co-founded by Mark Galley, a Certified Reliability Engineer with prior experience at Dow Chemical, and Aimee. The current team includes Mark Galley as President and Instructor, Ben Dellsperger (Instructor & Operations, joined 2022), and Cause Mapping® facilitators Lucas Lang, Frank Szymanski, Ryan Deis, and Phillip Dakhnovets. The company has no external funding, no parent company, and no reported M&A activity, operating as a bootstrapped niche consultancy that has remained in continuous operation for over 25 years.

Name

ThinkReliability

Legal name

ThinkReliability

Website

https://thinkreliability.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ThinkReliability is a Houston-based training and consulting firm founded in 2000 that teaches organizations its proprietary Cause Mapping® methodology for root cause analysis across manufacturing, oil and gas, healthcare, and other safety-critical industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Root Cause Analysis Training & Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Quality Tools & Problem Solving (7 QC Tools, 8D, A3, Root Cause) (EDABAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Post-Incident Investigation, Root Cause Analysis & Corrective Action Planning (EUAHALAJ)

Keywords

• Root cause analysis
• Incident investigation
• Problem-solving training
• Cause mapping methodology
• Reliability consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Workshops: In-person public root cause analysis training workshops open to individuals, held in Houston, TX (e.g., July 21-23, 2026 Cause Mapping RCA for Facilitators + Documentation workshop).
2. Private Workshops: Customized in-person or virtual instructor-led Cause Mapping workshops specific to client company's RCA needs. Pricing is quote-based.
3. Free Informational Webinars: Free live webinars packed with problem-solving techniques for facilitating better investigations. Used for lead generation and awareness.
4. On-Demand Training Subscription: Online self-paced training catalog with subscription model for ongoing learning access.
5. Incident Investigation Facilitation & Consultation: Expert RCA facilitators lead investigations remotely or onsite for organizations needing immediate problem investigation support.
6. RCA Program Development: Customized RCA program development working with key stakeholders to evaluate and build programs that integrate with current site processes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ThinkReliability provides root cause analysis (RCA) training and consulting built on its proprietary Cause Mapping® methodology. The company delivers instructor-led public and private workshops, expert incident investigation facilitation services, on-demand training subscriptions, and customized RCA program development, supported by a free Microsoft Excel-based Cause Mapping template for documentation.

Product overview

ThinkReliability is a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) training and consulting company that offers a portfolio of products and services centered around its proprietary Cause Mapping® methodology. The core offering consists of the Cause Mapping visual RCA framework, which organizations implement through a combination of instructor-led workshops (public and private formats), facilitation services, and a free Microsoft Excel-based template. The product portfolio also includes on-demand training subscriptions delivered via a Training Portal, informational and case study webinars, and RCA program development consulting. The offerings are structured around progressive training levels—from half-day frontline workshops to 3-day facilitator and documentation courses—enabling organizations to build internal RCA capability from front-line troubleshooting to executive oversight.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cause Mapping® A visual, systems-thinking root cause analysis methodology that uses Cause Map diagrams to collect, analyze, and communicate information about problems and their solutions. Licensed and taught as the foundational framework underlying all of ThinkReliability's training and consulting offerings, for organizations seeking prevention-focused incident investigation.
• Public Workshops Instructor-led root cause analysis training workshops open to individuals from any organization, covering Cause Mapping fundamentals, facilitation skills, and documentation. Held in Houston, TX, with upcoming 3-day RCA for Facilitators + Documentation sessions scheduled (e.g., July 21–23, 2026).
• Private Workshops Customized in-person or virtual instructor-led Cause Mapping workshops delivered at a client's site or online, tailored per department, job role, or unique problem incident. Quote-based pricing per engagement.
• 5-Why Cause Mapping for Frontline Half-day or one-day private workshop focused on frontline personnel learning quick 5-Why troubleshooting techniques for early-stage problem identification.
• High Reliability Leadership Half-day executive private workshop covering Cause Mapping concepts, work process reliability, and establishing a prevention-focused organizational culture for senior leaders.
• Facilitation Services Expert Cause Mapping facilitators who lead incident investigations remotely (about 95% of cases) or on-site, providing objective analysis and delivering detailed Cause Mapping reports for organizations needing immediate problem investigation support, ongoing facilitation, or coaching for internal facilitators.
• RCA Program Development Customized RCA program development working with key stakeholders to evaluate existing processes and build tailored root cause analysis frameworks that integrate with current site processes.
• On-Demand Training Subscription Subscription-based access to pre-recorded Cause Mapping training modules and workshops delivered through the online training portal at training.thinkreliability.com, enabling self-paced ongoing learning across multiple RCA skill levels.
• Company Case Study Webinars Cost-effective training solution using Cause Maps to investigate and solve real problems within a client organization, delivered in webinar format led by ThinkReliability facilitators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 95% of client investigations are completed remotely, demonstrating efficient facilitation approach

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Joyce Institute: The Joyce Institute is a focused RCA training provider for the healthcare and patient safety market, with similar Cause Mapping-style root cause analysis training and certification. They are a direct peer in the healthcare sub-vertical that ThinkReliability has identified as a growth area.
• ABS Group: ABS Group offers RCA, incident investigation, and reliability engineering services to industrial, marine, and energy clients. They are a direct competitor for the same enterprise RCA training and investigation engagements, especially with oil & gas and petrochemical customers like ThinkReliability's BP and Phillips 66.
• TapRooT (System Improvements): TapRooT is a competing proprietary RCA methodology with public and on-site training, software, and investigation services. They serve the same industrial, healthcare, and high-reliability customer base that ThinkReliability targets, making them a head-to-head competitor in the RCA training market.
• Sologic: Sologic is the most direct peer: a competing provider of proprietary root cause analysis methodology, training (public and private workshops), and incident investigation services. Their Causal Analysis Method overlaps directly with ThinkReliability's Cause Mapping® in customers, use cases, and delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Exponent: Exponent is a large engineering and scientific consulting firm that performs root cause / failure analysis across industrial, energy, and consumer product clients. They compete for high-stakes incident investigation engagements where ThinkReliability's facilitation services are also positioned.
• Life Cycle Engineering (LCE): LCE provides reliability, maintenance, and RCA consulting and training to industrial and government clients. They compete for enterprise reliability and root cause analysis program work that overlaps with ThinkReliability's private workshop and program development offerings.
• American Society for Quality (ASQ): ASQ is a broad incumbent in quality training, offering Certified Reliability Engineer, Six Sigma, and root cause analysis training and certifications. It overlaps with ThinkReliability on RCA and quality-tooling training but as part of a much wider portfolio rather than a single methodology focus.
• dss+ (DuPont Sustainable Solutions): dss+ is a large operational risk and safety consultancy that delivers RCA, operational excellence, and high-reliability organization programs globally. They compete for the same enterprise training and facilitation budgets but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach than ThinkReliability.

Others

• Reliabilityweb.com: Reliabilityweb is a content and community platform serving reliability and maintenance professionals, the same audience ThinkReliability's blog and webinars target. While not a direct training competitor, they are an adjacent ecosystem player influencing the same buyer's information diet.
• Quality Council of Indiana: Quality Council of Indiana offers quality and Six Sigma training, including root cause analysis and problem-solving courses. They are an adjacent training competitor in the same quality-tools curriculum space that ThinkReliability addresses with its 5-Why and Cause Mapping workshops.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CauseMapping
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/markgalley

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ThinkReliability