Steps When Using Root Cause Analysis:

• Define the problem Transform the pain point, known at project initiation, into an accurate and impartial description of the event. ...
• Find Causes This step focuses on finding potential causes of the event in question. ...
• Find Root Cause This step uncovers the root cause that lies at the heart of the problem. ...

There are generally three goals when conducting a root cause analysis:

• To pinpoint the root cause of a problem
• To gain a full understanding of how to correct the underlying problems
• To implement what was learned to fix the current problem and to prevent it from happening again in the future

The process of creating an action plan is quite straightforward:

• Create a list of actions based on the effort and effect of implementation.
• Reference each action to the category of the Fishbone diagram. You can skip this step if you only use 5 Whys for the root cause analysis.
• Assign a person responsible for each action.
• Define a time when the action must be completed.