Root Cause Analysis

Root cause analysis is a problem-solving mental model that helps engineers and developers go beyond surface-level fixes. Instead of patching symptoms, it identifies the deeper source of a problem. Finding the root cause of a bug and fixing it requires thinking in a broader frame. The root cause could be organisational, architectural or hiding in habits. Patching the front end of a website may seem faster and easier than fixing the organisational problems of the company. Still, attempting to fix the root cause is a worthwhile exercise. The “5 Whys” technique, developed at Toyota, makes you ask “why?” five times (or more) to find the problem’s source. It forces you to think about non-obvious answers. A visual tool that complements this technique is the Ishikawa (or fishbone) diagram, invented by the Japanese management expert Kaoru Ishikawa. This diagram depicts a root cause analysis by listing all the possible categories and causes that led to an issue. For example, a loss of user data could be caused by developers, management, or a lack of tools.