1. RCA investigation template
- Problem: What happened, where and when? Separate the observed effect from a guessed cause.
- Containment: What is being done now to protect people, production or quality?
- Evidence: Which logs, measurements, photos or witness observations are available?
- Analysis: Which possible causes were investigated, and which were ruled out?
- Action: What will change, who owns it, and when is it due?
- Verification: What evidence will show the fix worked?
2. Fishbone template
Write the observed problem at the head. Group possible causes under People, Process, Equipment, Material, Environment and Measurement, or adapt the categories to the work. For a hypothetical conveyor stop, “motor overload trip recorded” may be an Equipment entry while “inspection interval not reviewed” may be a Process entry. These are hypotheses until investigated.
For each entry, note a source of evidence and choose which causes warrant a deeper Why-Why branch. Do not turn the number of entries into a measure of analysis quality.
3. 5 Why template
Start with one selected Fishbone cause. Record each Why question, the proposed answer, the supporting or contradicting evidence and its verdict. Branch when two explanations remain plausible; do not force exactly five steps. Designate a Root Cause only when justified by the investigation.
4. RCA report template
A management report should begin with the problem, current case status, key findings, open gaps, actions and effectiveness state. A technical record should retain the individual Fishbone causes, Why-Why nodes, action details and evidence. EasyFixProblem keeps these in one case: management PowerPoint/PDF and detailed Excel exports are available on plans that include data export. The Free plan does not include export.