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As Part of my RCA Series, today I look at defining the problem.
RCA Starts with One Question: What Really Happened?
One of the biggest challenges in any Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is defining the problem.
It sounds simple — but it’s not. Too often, teams jump straight into finding causes or assigning blame before they’ve clearly described what happened. The result? A lot of effort is spent analyzing the wrong thing. A poorly defined problem leads to chasing symptoms, not causes. The result? Misguided actions, wasted time, and recurrence of the same failure.
Some tips I use to define the problem accurately are:
State the Facts, Not the Opinions
Say what happened, not why it happened — at least not yet.
Poor description: “The pump failed due to poor maintenance.”
Good description: “The pump stopped delivering flow at 09:45 on 10 October 2025 during normal operation.”
Be Specific
A good problem statement should answer:
- What failed? (e.g., Pump #2)
- When did it fail?
- Where did it fail? (system, location, unit)
- How was it detected? (symptoms or alarms observed)
Differentiating Between the Problem and the Effect
- “The compressor tripped” is the problem.
- “Production stopped” is the effect.
- Don’t mix them up.
Use Evidence-Based Descriptions
Include data like pressure, temperature, downtime, or production loss. Numbers tell a clearer story than adjectives.
You could also ask the “Is/Is Not” Questions
Use this technique to narrow down scope:
- What is affected? What is not affected?
- When did it happen? When did it not happen?
- Where is it observed? Where is it not observed?
Avoid Early Diagnosis
- Avoid adding the cause to your problem statement.
- Keep it factual and neutral.
- Poor statement: “Seal failed due to corrosion.”
- Good statement: “Mechanical seal showed leakage during operation.”
The quality of your RCA depends on how well you define the problem. Spending time understanding what really happened is the single most valuable step in preventing the same issue from happening again.