5 Why Root Cause Analysis | Readiness Compass

Process guide

Quality checks

Start by defining a specific, observable problem.

5 Why tips

Good “why” questions

Ask about process, system, information, training, incentives, workload, governance, tools, or handoffs.
Avoid blame. Replace “Who caused this?” with “What allowed this to happen?”
Use evidence. A root cause should be testable and actionable.

When to stop

Stop when the answer is specific enough that a corrective action can prevent recurrence, and when asking another “why” no longer produces a useful, evidence-based cause.

1. Define the problem

Analysis title

Date

Problem statement

Area / process

Impact level

Facilitator

Evidence / observed facts

2. Identify causes by asking “Why did this happen?”

Use one branch for each likely cause family. The app supports more than one root cause.

3. Root cause map

This visual map updates automatically from the active branch.

4. Solutions and corrective actions

Connect actions to root causes. Prefer prevention and system fixes over reminders or one-off training.

5. Report preview

Click Generate summary to create a concise report.

Step 6 · optional

AI-powered RCA analysis

Critiques your why-chains, checks whether you've reached the real root cause, flags weak links, and suggests prevention-focused corrective actions.

Quick critique (~600 words) Deep RCA analysis (~2500 words) Checking backend…