Report structure
1. Header
Case title, asset/line, location, date of event, investigation owner, current case status.
2. Problem statement
What happened, where, when and how it was detected. Facts only — no suspected cause.
3. Impact & containment
Downtime, scrap, safety or quality impact where known; immediate actions taken.
4. Evidence
Alarm logs, trends, inspection records, photos, witness observations.
5. Possible causes (Fishbone)
Causes considered per category, and which were selected for deeper analysis.
6. Why-Why analysis
Each branch with its questions and the verdict reached at the end of the branch.
7. Root causes
Every validated root cause — there may be more than one.
8. Actions
Corrective and preventive actions with owner, due date and status.
9. Effectiveness check
How and when the fix will be verified, and the result once known.
10. Open gaps
What is still unverified or incomplete. Say so plainly rather than implying closure.
Management summary: one page
Put this first. Problem, status, root causes found so far, number of open and overdue actions, and whether effectiveness has been verified. If the investigation is still in progress, state it at the top — a report that looks finished when it isn't causes more harm than a short honest one.
Technical record: everything behind the summary
Keep every Fishbone cause, including rejected ones, every Why-Why question and verdict, and every action with its history. Auditors and the next investigator on a recurring failure will look for what was ruled out and why.
Example (illustrative)
Problem: Conveyor 3 stopped at 02:40 after a motor overload trip; 45 minutes of lost production. Root cause: drive-end bearing wear, not covered by the inspection plan. Actions: replace bearing (done), add bearing to monthly inspection (open, due in 2 weeks). Effectiveness: review vibration trend after 30 days — not yet verified.
Generating the report from the investigation
In EasyFixProblem the report comes from the case itself: the management PowerPoint/PDF summary and the detailed Excel export are built only from what was entered, and flag incomplete sections. Exports are included in paid plans; the Free plan lets you run one full case. Start from the root cause analysis guide if you are new to the method.