Getting started

How EasyFixProblem works

EasyFixProblem takes a failure from “something broke again” to a documented, verified root cause with actions that hold. Here is the full journey, in the order you will actually work through it.

  1. 1

    Problem Definition

    Every investigation starts as a case. Write what is actually happening, where, since when and how often, and set area, equipment and priority. Describe the deviation from the expected condition, not the suspected cause — a precise problem statement is the difference between a fast investigation and a circular one.

  2. 2

    Containment

    Protect the customer and the process while the real cause is still unknown. Log interim containment actions with an owner and a date so everyone can see what is holding the line, and so containment is never mistaken for the permanent fix.

  3. 3

    Actual-Condition Investigation

    Go and look. Record the actual phenomenon and the actual condition of the equipment, material, method and people involved, rather than what the drawing or the procedure says should be true.

  4. 4

    Evidence Gathering

    Attach photos, measurements, maintenance history, process data and witness notes to the case. Record baseline and current values so the size of the problem — and later the size of the improvement — is visible in numbers.

  5. 5

    Cause Analysis

    Spread possible causes across the Fishbone categories such as machine, method, material, people, measurement and environment. Take the strongest candidates into Why-Why and keep asking why, branching where the evidence branches, until you reach something you can actually change.

  6. 6

    Root-Cause Validation

    A cause is only a root cause when evidence supports it and removing it would prevent recurrence. Mark each branch as verified, disproved or inconclusive so the conclusion is defensible in an audit or a customer review.

  7. 7

    Corrective / Countermeasures

    Turn each validated cause into actions with an owner, a due date and a clear classification: corrective actions fix what happened, preventive actions stop it happening again or elsewhere. One root cause may need more than one action.

  8. 8

    Effectiveness Verification

    Close the loop by checking the metric again after the actions are done. If the problem returns, the analysis was incomplete — reopen the case or start a follow-up investigation rather than closing on hope.

  9. 9

    Standardization & Horizontal Replication

    Lock the improvement in: update the SOP, the PM schedule, the checklist or the design, capture the lesson learned, and apply the same countermeasure to similar equipment, lines or sites before the same failure appears there.

  10. 10

    Closure

    Export the print-ready executive summary or full case dossier — built from the work you already did — and close the case. Cases stay searchable across your workspace, so recurring problems are visible instead of forgotten.

Cases vs. feedback — two different things

Create a case when you want to investigate a problem in your own plant, process or product. That is the core of the app.

Feedback is about EasyFixProblem itself — a bug you hit, a feature you need, an improvement you would like, or anything else you want to tell us. It never starts an investigation.

Start your first RCA free

Start with one RCA. Add more when you need them.

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New to root cause analysis? Start with what RCA is or see how Fishbone and Why-Why fit together.