Root cause analysis exists because fixing the symptom (restart the service, refund the customer, patch the one broken link) doesn't stop the problem from recurring. Common techniques include the "5 whys" (ask why repeatedly until you hit the actual cause) and fishbone diagrams (map possible cause categories). The output that actually prevents recurrence is a documented process change — a new step in the runbook, an updated check in the deploy process — not just a written explanation of what happened.
Glossary
What is Root Cause Analysis (RCA)?
Root cause analysis is the process of tracing a problem back to its actual origin, not just the symptom that made it visible.
01
The 5 whys, briefly
Ask "why did this happen" about the symptom, then ask why again about that answer, repeating roughly five times until you reach something you can actually fix — usually a missing check or an unclear process, not a person's mistake.
02
RCA is only useful if it changes the docs
An RCA that ends in a written report but no updated runbook or checklist will recur. The findings should turn into a concrete edit to the process documentation the team actually follows.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between an RCA and a postmortem?+
A postmortem is the broader review of an incident (timeline, impact, response). Root cause analysis is the specific technique used inside a postmortem to find why it happened.
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