Root Cause Analysis

Definition: Root Cause Analysis is a structured step by step problem analysis philosophy that focuses on finding the real cause of an event or problem and dealing with that, rather than merely dealing with its symptoms.
RCA is a procedure for ascertaining and analyzing the causes of problems, to determine how these problems can be solved and be prevented from occurring ever again.
It is a process to help stakeholders to understand causes of a problem well enough to achieve a permanent resolution of that problem.

More on root cause analysis. More on problem analysis: 5W2H Analysis, 8 Disciplines, 80-20 Rule, Affinity Diagram, Alternative Hypothesis, more...