Root cause worksheet
WorksheetA structure for your own reasoning, printed so a group can work through it together.
Blank on purpose
Every word on the finished sheet is one somebody typed. CompliMaint computes no cause, suggests no cause, ranks no contributing factors and fills in no box. A tool that proposed a cause would be guessing about equipment and people it has never seen, and the guess would end up in a file with the authority of print.
What it does give you
A shape. Numbered steps with three columns — the question you asked, what you found, and what that rests on — because the third one is where these exercises usually fall down. “Why did the pump stop?” answered from memory and answered from the panel log are different quality of answer, and writing down which it was keeps the group honest.
What it will not conclude
It applies no injury, illness or medical taxonomy and holds no medical information about anybody. It assigns fault, blame and responsibility to nobody. It reaches no safety, regulatory or legal conclusion about the event, about anybody involved, or about what must now be done. Those are judgements with consequences, and they belong to the people accountable for them.
What this usually follows: Corrective action plan · Incident report · Near miss report
A blank worksheet for your own reasoning, printed for a group to work through. CompliMaint computes, suggests and ranks nothing on it — every word is one somebody typed. It applies no injury, illness or medical taxonomy and holds no medical information; it assigns fault, blame or responsibility to nobody; and it reaches no safety, regulatory or legal conclusion about the event or about anybody involved. Everything runs on your device.
Questions people ask
- Does it work out the root cause?
- No. It computes nothing, suggests nothing and ranks nothing. It is a blank structure for reasoning that people do — a tool proposing a cause for equipment and circumstances it has never seen would be guessing, and the guess would end up in a file looking authoritative.
- Why is there a column for what an answer rests on?
- Because it is where these exercises usually go wrong. “Why did the pump stop?” answered from memory and answered from the panel log are different quality of answer. Writing down which one it was keeps the group honest with itself.
- Can I record injury details?
- No. There is no medical field in this worksheet and no injury or illness taxonomy in this product. If somebody was hurt, that record belongs in your incident process, not on a reasoning sheet.
- Does it decide who was responsible?
- No. It assigns fault, blame and responsibility to nobody and reaches no legal or safety conclusion. Those judgements belong to the people accountable for them.
- Is it tied to a particular method?
- No. Numbered question-and-answer steps suit five whys and work equally well as a place to write up a fishbone or a timeline. The method is yours.