Root Cause Analysis Chain

validated scientific chain v1.0.0 cc-by-sa

Block ID: ed173c86-a02c-43b4-a528-a2694c785334

Community-contributed block. PromptDNA makes no guarantee of output quality or fitness for purpose. User assumes all responsibility for use.

Template

Perform root cause analysis on the failure or problem in {failure_context}, digging past the symptom. (1) Define the problem precisely and factually: what happened, when, where, and its magnitude — separating the observed failure from assumed causes, since a problem stated as its presumed cause forecloses the investigation. (2) Establish the causal chain by asking why repeatedly: each answer must be a verifiable cause of the level above it, not a plausible story — stop when you reach a cause that, if fixed, prevents recurrence, and that lies within the power to change. (3) Distinguish the proximate cause (what directly triggered the failure) from the root cause (the systemic condition that allowed it), and from contributing factors that raised the probability without being necessary. (4) Test each proposed cause against the evidence: would the failure have occurred without it (necessity), and does its presence explain the specifics (timing, location, magnitude)? Reject causes that don't survive this. (5) Guard against the common traps: stopping at human error (usually a symptom of a system that permitted it), and single-cause thinking where multiple causes combined. (6) Recommend corrective actions targeting the root cause and controls targeting the contributing factors, and state how you'd verify the fix actually worked.

Perform root cause analysis on the failure or problem in {failure_context}, digging past the symptom. (1) Define the problem precisely and factually: what happened, when, where, and its magnitude — separating the observed failure from assumed causes, since a problem stated as its presumed cause forecloses the investigation. (2) Establish the causal chain by asking why repeatedly: each answer must be a verifiable cause of the level above it, not a plausible story — stop when you reach a cause that, if fixed, prevents recurrence, and that lies within the power to change. (3) Distinguish the proximate cause (what directly triggered the failure) from the root cause (the systemic condition that allowed it), and from contributing factors that raised the probability without being necessary. (4) Test each proposed cause against the evidence: would the failure have occurred without it (necessity), and does its presence explain the specifics (timing, location, magnitude)? Reject causes that don't survive this. (5) Guard against the common traps: stopping at human error (usually a symptom of a system that permitted it), and single-cause thinking where multiple causes combined. (6) Recommend corrective actions targeting the root cause and controls targeting the contributing factors, and state how you'd verify the fix actually worked.

Variables

Name	Type	Required	Trust level
failure_context		yes

root-cause-analysisfailure-analysissystems-thinkingchain-of-thought

Ratings

0.0

Overall (0)

0.0

Accuracy

0.0

Consistency

0.0

Clarity

0.0

Efficiency

Benchmarks

Not yet self-validated against any benchmark. Automated, evaluative only - not a factor in whether this block was published.

Submitted by James P FounderMod via mcp · 2026-07-18