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Root Cause Definitions

The root cause catalogue is a reusable, hierarchical list of known causes. Linking a record's analysis to a catalogue entry is what turns individual investigations into an aggregable picture of why things go wrong.

Free-text causes are readable. Catalogue-linked causes are countable. You want both — see Root Cause Analysis.

Purpose​

  • Aggregation. Answering "what is our most common cause of nonconformity" requires the causes to be comparable.
  • Consistency. The same underlying cause gets described differently by every analyst unless there is a shared vocabulary.
  • Speed. Analysts have a starting list of candidates rather than a blank field.

Fields​

  • Code
    Auto-generated and unique. Read-only once the record exists.

  • Name
    The cause. Example: Inadequate Training, Missing Work Instruction, Equipment Wear, No Change Control, Supplier Material Variation.

  • Description
    Optional detail describing when this cause applies — useful for keeping analysts from picking the nearest-sounding entry.

  • Parent root cause
    Optional. Makes this a sub-cause. The system prevents circular references.

  • Active
    Inactive entries are no longer offered in new analyses. Existing links are unaffected.

Structuring the catalogue​

The top level of this catalogue is the bone set of fishbone analysis: every active first-level entry appears as a bone on the diagram, and second-level entries are the causes that hang off it. So the structure below is not merely a convention that makes analysis faster — it is what the fishbone screen reads.

Adding a first-level entry adds a bone; deactivating one removes it from new analyses without touching existing records.

People
  ├─ Inadequate Training
  ├─ Instruction Not Followed
  └─ Insufficient Staffing
Method
  ├─ Missing Work Instruction
  ├─ Work Instruction Unclear
  └─ No Change Control
Machine
  ├─ Equipment Wear
  ├─ Calibration Overdue
  └─ Inadequate Maintenance
Material
  ├─ Supplier Material Variation
  └─ Incorrect Material Used
Measurement
  ├─ Measurement Method Inadequate
  └─ Gauge Out of Tolerance
Environment
  ├─ Temperature / Humidity
  └─ Workspace Layout

Excel import and export​

The catalogue supports bulk import from and export to Excel — the practical way to load an existing cause taxonomy during implementation.

Authorization and Access Control​

Creating and editing root cause definitions is restricted by role-based permissions and is normally reserved for quality administrators.

caution

Do not put symptoms in the catalogue. "Batch rejected" is not a root cause; it is the nonconformity. If an entry could plausibly be the name of a nonconformity record, it does not belong in this list.