Elements Of Root Cause Analysis

This document outlines the key elements used in a root cause analysis (RCA). It describes four levels of causes - physical, human, systemic, and latent. For each level it indicates what is affected, what drives it, and example markers. The physical level relates to equipment and is driven by practices, with defects and failures as markers. The human level relates to personnel capabilities driven by awareness, desire, knowledge, abilities, and resources. The systemic level relates to circumstances driven by performance standards and standardized processes and procedures. The latent level relates to organizational behaviors driven by attitudes and values.