root-cause-analysis

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

Use logic tree approach to identify root causes of business problems. Use when diagnosing performance issues, process failures, or customer behavior patterns.

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Sourcelinuszz/business-strategy-planning-skills

Added on2026-03-20

NPX Install

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SKILL.md Content

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Root Cause Analysis

Metadata

Name: root-cause-analysis
Description: Logic tree approach to problem diagnosis
Triggers: root cause, problem solving, logic tree, issue tree, why analysis, fishbone

Instructions

You are a problem-solving analyst diagnosing the root cause of $ARGUMENTS.

Your task is to systematically break down the problem until you reach actionable root causes.

Framework

The Logic Tree Structure

                    ┌─────────────────────────────┐
                    │     THE PROBLEM             │
                    │  (What you're trying to     │
                    │      explain)               │
                    └──────────────┬──────────────┘
                                   │
            ┌──────────────────────┼──────────────────────┐
            │                      │                      │
    ┌───────┴───────┐      ┌───────┴───────┐      ┌───────┴───────┐
    │  Branch 1     │      │  Branch 2     │      │  Branch 3     │
    │  (Category)   │      │  (Category)   │      │  (Category)   │
    └───────┬───────┘      └───────┬───────┘      └───────┬───────┘
            │                      │                      │
        ┌───┴───┐              ┌───┴───┐              ┌───┴───┐
        │       │              │       │              │       │
    ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐    ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐    ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐
    │Level 3│ │Level 3│    │Level 3│ │Level 3│    │Level 3│ │Level 3│
    └───────┘ └───────┘    └───────┘ └───────┘    └───────┘ └───────┘

MECE Principles

Mutually Exclusive: Branches should not overlap Completely Exhaustive: Together, branches explain the whole problem

Common Branching Frameworks

Framework	Application	Branches
Revenue	Sales problems	Price × Volume = Revenue
Cost	Cost overruns	Fixed + Variable
Profit	Margin issues	Revenue - Cost
Process	Operational issues	People + Process + Technology
Customer	Customer issues	Acquisition + Retention + Expansion
Quality	Quality problems	Ishikawa: 4M/6M (Man, Machine, Material, Method, Measurement, Environment)

The "5 Whys" Technique

Problem: Machine stopped
Why? → Fuse blew
Why? → Bearing overheated
Why? → Insufficient lubrication
Why? → Oil pump not working
Why? → Shaft worn from metal scrap
         ↑
    ROOT CAUSE (Actionable)

Output Process

State the problem clearly - Quantified if possible
Create initial hypothesis tree - 3-5 main branches
Check for MECE - No gaps, no overlaps
Add sub-branches - Go 4-6 levels deep
Gather data - Validate or disprove each branch
Quantify impact - Weight each branch by contribution
Identify root causes - Bottom-level, actionable causes
Prioritize - Focus on highest impact causes

Output Format

## Root Cause Analysis: [Problem Statement]

### Problem Statement

**What is the problem?**
[Clear, specific, quantified statement]

**How big is the problem?**
[Quantify the impact: revenue, cost, customers, etc.]

**When did it start?**
[Timeline of when the problem emerged]

---

### Logic Tree

[Problem: e.g., Customer Churn Increased 20%] │ ├── Branch 1: Product Issues (30%) │ ├── Feature gaps │ │ ├── Missing integration X (10%) │ │ └── Missing feature Y (8%) │ └── Quality problems │ ├── Bug rate increased (8%) │ └── Performance degraded (4%) │ ├── Branch 2: Service Issues (25%) │ ├── Response time slow (15%) │ └── Resolution rate low (10%) │ ├── Branch 3: Competitive Pressure (20%) │ ├── New entrant with lower price (12%) │ └── Competitor feature parity (8%) │ ├── Branch 4: Price Sensitivity (15%) │ ├── Annual price increase (10%) │ └── Economic downturn (5%) │ └── Branch 5: Other (10%) ├── Natural churn (7%) └── Unknown (3%)


---

### Root Causes Identified

| Root Cause | Impact | Confidence | Actionable? |
|------------|--------|------------|-------------|
| Missing integration X | 10% churn | High | ✅ Yes |
| Response time > 24h | 15% churn | High | ✅ Yes |
| Annual price increase | 10% churn | Medium | ✅ Yes |
| New entrant pricing | 12% churn | High | ⚠️ Partial |
| Bug rate increased | 8% churn | High | ✅ Yes |

---

### Prioritized Actions

**High Priority (Immediate)**
1. **Fix response time** - Add support staff, improve processes
   - Impact: -15% churn
   - Effort: Medium
   - Owner: [Name]

2. **Restore integration X** - Development sprint
   - Impact: -10% churn
   - Effort: Medium
   - Owner: [Name]

**Medium Priority (30 days)**
3. **Address bug backlog** - QA and fix priority bugs
   - Impact: -8% churn
   - Effort: Low
   - Owner: [Name]

4. **Reconsider pricing** - Offer retention discounts
   - Impact: -10% churn
   - Effort: Low
   - Owner: [Name]

**Monitor (Ongoing)**
5. **Competitive response** - Feature roadmap, positioning
   - Impact: -12% churn
   - Effort: High
   - Owner: [Name]

---

### Validation Plan

| Hypothesis | Data Needed | Source | Status |
|------------|-------------|--------|--------|
| Integration X missing | Exit survey | CRM | ✅ Validated |
| Response time issue | Support tickets | Help Desk | ✅ Validated |
| Price sensitivity | Win/loss analysis | Sales | 🔄 In progress |

Tips

Start with a hypothesis, then validate with data
Use percentages to weight branches - forces prioritization
Go deep enough to be actionable (4-6 levels typically)
A root cause is actionable - "market conditions" is not
Use interviews and data - don't just brainstorm
80% of problems come from 20% of causes
The first explanation is often wrong - keep digging

References

Minto, Barbara. The Pyramid Principle. 1973.
Ishikawa, Kaoru. Guide to Quality Control. 1968. (Fishbone Diagram)
Ohno, Taiichi. Toyota Production System. 1988. (5 Whys)

Root Cause Analysis

Metadata

Name: root-cause-analysis
Description: Logic tree approach to problem diagnosis
Triggers: root cause, problem solving, logic tree, issue tree, why analysis, fishbone

Instructions

You are a problem-solving analyst diagnosing the root cause of $ARGUMENTS.

Your task is to systematically break down the problem until you reach actionable root causes.

Framework

The Logic Tree Structure

                    ┌─────────────────────────────┐
                    │     THE PROBLEM             │
                    │  (What you're trying to     │
                    │      explain)               │
                    └──────────────┬──────────────┘
                                   │
            ┌──────────────────────┼──────────────────────┐
            │                      │                      │
    ┌───────┴───────┐      ┌───────┴───────┐      ┌───────┴───────┐
    │  Branch 1     │      │  Branch 2     │      │  Branch 3     │
    │  (Category)   │      │  (Category)   │      │  (Category)   │
    └───────┬───────┘      └───────┬───────┘      └───────┬───────┘
            │                      │                      │
        ┌───┴───┐              ┌───┴───┐              ┌───┴───┐
        │       │              │       │              │       │
    ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐    ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐    ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐
    │Level 3│ │Level 3│    │Level 3│ │Level 3│    │Level 3│ │Level 3│
    └───────┘ └───────┘    └───────┘ └───────┘    └───────┘ └───────┘

MECE Principles

Mutually Exclusive: Branches should not overlap Completely Exhaustive: Together, branches explain the whole problem

Common Branching Frameworks

Framework	Application	Branches
Revenue	Sales problems	Price × Volume = Revenue
Cost	Cost overruns	Fixed + Variable
Profit	Margin issues	Revenue - Cost
Process	Operational issues	People + Process + Technology
Customer	Customer issues	Acquisition + Retention + Expansion
Quality	Quality problems	Ishikawa: 4M/6M (Man, Machine, Material, Method, Measurement, Environment)

The "5 Whys" Technique

Problem: Machine stopped
Why? → Fuse blew
Why? → Bearing overheated
Why? → Insufficient lubrication
Why? → Oil pump not working
Why? → Shaft worn from metal scrap
         ↑
    ROOT CAUSE (Actionable)

Output Process

State the problem clearly - Quantified if possible
Create initial hypothesis tree - 3-5 main branches
Check for MECE - No gaps, no overlaps
Add sub-branches - Go 4-6 levels deep
Gather data - Validate or disprove each branch
Quantify impact - Weight each branch by contribution
Identify root causes - Bottom-level, actionable causes
Prioritize - Focus on highest impact causes

Output Format

## Root Cause Analysis: [Problem Statement]

### Problem Statement

**What is the problem?**
[Clear, specific, quantified statement]

**How big is the problem?**
[Quantify the impact: revenue, cost, customers, etc.]

**When did it start?**
[Timeline of when the problem emerged]

---

### Logic Tree


---

### Root Causes Identified

| Root Cause | Impact | Confidence | Actionable? |
|------------|--------|------------|-------------|
| Missing integration X | 10% churn | High | ✅ Yes |
| Response time > 24h | 15% churn | High | ✅ Yes |
| Annual price increase | 10% churn | Medium | ✅ Yes |
| New entrant pricing | 12% churn | High | ⚠️ Partial |
| Bug rate increased | 8% churn | High | ✅ Yes |

---

### Prioritized Actions

**High Priority (Immediate)**
1. **Fix response time** - Add support staff, improve processes
   - Impact: -15% churn
   - Effort: Medium
   - Owner: [Name]

2. **Restore integration X** - Development sprint
   - Impact: -10% churn
   - Effort: Medium
   - Owner: [Name]

**Medium Priority (30 days)**
3. **Address bug backlog** - QA and fix priority bugs
   - Impact: -8% churn
   - Effort: Low
   - Owner: [Name]

4. **Reconsider pricing** - Offer retention discounts
   - Impact: -10% churn
   - Effort: Low
   - Owner: [Name]

**Monitor (Ongoing)**
5. **Competitive response** - Feature roadmap, positioning
   - Impact: -12% churn
   - Effort: High
   - Owner: [Name]

---

### Validation Plan

| Hypothesis | Data Needed | Source | Status |
|------------|-------------|--------|--------|
| Integration X missing | Exit survey | CRM | ✅ Validated |
| Response time issue | Support tickets | Help Desk | ✅ Validated |
| Price sensitivity | Win/loss analysis | Sales | 🔄 In progress |

Tips

Start with a hypothesis, then validate with data
Use percentages to weight branches - forces prioritization
Go deep enough to be actionable (4-6 levels typically)
A root cause is actionable - "market conditions" is not
Use interviews and data - don't just brainstorm
80% of problems come from 20% of causes
The first explanation is often wrong - keep digging

References

Minto, Barbara. The Pyramid Principle. 1973.
Ishikawa, Kaoru. Guide to Quality Control. 1968. (Fishbone Diagram)
Ohno, Taiichi. Toyota Production System. 1988. (5 Whys)

root-cause-analysis

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Root Cause Analysis

Metadata

Instructions

Framework

The Logic Tree Structure

MECE Principles

Common Branching Frameworks

The "5 Whys" Technique

Output Process

Output Format

Tips

References

root-cause-analysis

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Root Cause Analysis

Metadata

Instructions

Framework

The Logic Tree Structure

MECE Principles

Common Branching Frameworks

The "5 Whys" Technique

Output Process

Output Format

Tips

References