Root cause analysis: what it is and what it means

Root cause analysis is the family of techniques through which the problem-solving process takes the analysis of causes of a problem as far as identifying its structural origin: it includes, among others, the 5 whys and the Ishikawa diagram. It is not a complete process: without the solution and verification phases that follow it, root cause analysis leaves the problem unsolved. You know the cause, but you don't know what to do.

Distinctive: family of techniques
Distinctive: you know the cause, but you don't know what to do
Essential: analysis of causes
Essential: identifying its structural origin
Constant: without the solution and verification phases

Glossary

Root cause analysis

A family of techniques dedicated to identifying the structural origin of a problem: it carries out the analysis phase of problem solving, distinct from the solution phase.