RootCauseAnalysis

Analyze incident root causes using structured methods like Five Whys and Fishbone.

17.4k|2.3k|Updated Sep 8, 2025

Search Tags:#root cause analysis #postmortem #incident investigation #fishbone diagram #fault tree analysis

Ready to run

npx skills add https://github.com/danielmiessler/LifeOS --skill rootcauseanalysis-danielmiessler

💬 Prompt for ChatGPT / Claude Chat▼

Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: RootCauseAnalysis
Source: https://github.com/danielmiessler/LifeOS/tree/main/LifeOS/install/skills/RootCauseAnalysis
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/danielmiessler/LifeOS --skill rootcauseanalysis-danielmiessler

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

This Skill systematically uncovers the root causes of incidents and defects, allowing for structured and blameless investigation, and providing actionable solutions to prevent recurrence.

Core Features & Use Cases

Structured Investigation: Uses various methodologies including Five Whys, Fishbone, Postmortem, Fault Tree, Kepner-Tregoe, and FMEA to identify systemic root causes.
Actionable Recommendations: Delivers actionable, systemic contributing factors and remedies that prevent a whole class of failures, not just individual incidents.
Use Case: For a production outage, the Skill could use the Postmortem and Fault Tree methods to determine the underlying issues that led to the outage and propose systemic improvements.

Quick Start

Execute the RootCauseAnalysis skill and follow the prompted workflow for incident investigation.

Frequently Asked Questions about RootCauseAnalysis

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema

How do I conduct a root cause analysis for a production outage?▼

The Five Whys and Fishbone methods identify systemic root causes by repeatedly asking why an incident occurred and mapping contributing factors, allowing you to deliver actionable remedies that prevent a whole class of failures.

What is the best way to run a blameless postmortem after an incident?▼

Beyond the Five Whys and Fishbone methods, structured root cause analysis can utilize Fault Tree, Kepner-Tregoe, and FMEA methodologies to investigate failures and produce actionable solutions across various domains.

Does root cause analysis require deep knowledge of the problem domain to be effective?▼

Root cause analysis delivers actionable recommendations that provide systemic remedies to prevent a whole class of failures, rather than just fixing the symptoms of individual incidents.

Can I use FMEA and Kepner-Tregoe for incident investigation in software engineering?▼

Root cause analysis uses structured investigation methods including Five Whys, Fishbone, Postmortem, Fault Tree, Kepner-Tregoe, and FMEA to identify systemic root causes and deliver actionable solutions.