Quick Definition:
Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a systematic process for identifying the underlying cause of a problem or event, rather than just addressing the symptoms.
The 5 Whys Technique
The simplest RCA technique is to ask “Why?” five times (or as many as needed) to drill down to the root cause of a problem. For example:
- Why was the deliverable late? (The testing took longer than expected).
- Why did testing take longer? (There were more bugs than usual).
- Why were there more bugs? (The requirements were unclear).
- Why were the requirements unclear? (The stakeholder workshop was rushed).
- Why was the workshop rushed? (The project schedule was too aggressive). (Root Cause)
Other RCA Tools
More complex problems may require tools like Fishbone diagrams, Pareto charts, or Fault Tree Analysis.
