Contributing factor: what it is and what it means

A contributing factor is a condition that raises the probability of an undesired event without generating it on its own: an outdated price list does not produce the wrong invoice, but it makes the error more likely. It is distinct from the root cause, which once corrected prevents the problem from coming back, and it is identified in the analysis phase by grouping into families the conditions surrounding the event, each with its own evidence. Correcting a contributing factor is almost always easier than acting on the cause: that is why it is corrected after the root cause, not instead of it. A list of factors without evidence remains a list of opinions.

Distinctive: raises the probability of an undesired event without generating it on its own
Distinctive: corrected after the root cause, not instead of it
Essential: grouping into families the conditions surrounding the event
Essential: each with its own evidence
Constant: makes the error more likely

Glossary

Contributing factor

A condition that increases the probability of an undesired event without generating it on its own, and that is corrected after the root cause, not instead of it.