Cause and Effect

Focus on the cause-and-effect principle

Facilitator Tip #3:  Focus on the cause-and-effect principle
The basis of a root cause analysis is the strict adherence to the cause-and-effect principle.  All incidents consist of a specific set of cause-and-effect relationships that occurred in a particular sequence.  This doesn’t mean there is only one cause to an incident; it means there is only one set of causes.  The facilitator, therefore, should make the investigation an objective exercise based on what actually happened.  Many facilitators start a root cause analysis by asking “What could have possibly caused this?” which encourages people to speculate.  The question should be “What was this caused by?” with a focus on cause-and-effect relationships supported with evidence.  When the causes are unknown the facilitator can then ask for possible causes, but a specific plan for evidence needs to be developed.