Beyond Root Cause Analysis: Why Identifying a Problem Is Not the Same as Solving It
Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is widely used to investigate operational problems. However, identifying a plausible cause does not necessarily lead to effective action or prevent recurrence.
From analysis to effective resolution
Well-known problem-solving methods, such as 5 Whys and Fishbone analysis, provide structured approaches to investigating operational issues. Yet success depends not only on the application of these methods, but also on the quality of evidence, the validation of causal assumptions, and the implementation of corrective actions.
A 2025 study examining 91 completed 5 Whys cases in a manufacturing environment illustrates this challenge. Although 96.7% of the cases had a clear problem statement, only 39.6% resulted in the elimination of the identified root cause. Furthermore, only 34.1% demonstrated the complete problem-solving cycle, including root cause identification, implementation of corrective and preventive actions, and verification of their effectiveness (study published in International Journal of Lean Six Sigma).
These findings point to a potential gap between conducting a structured analysis and achieving a sustainable operational outcome. Even though the above results relate specifically to the manufacturing cases, they provide a basis for considering whether similar challenges occur in other industries.
What happens in practice?
An exploratory survey targeting professionals working in Operations, Quality, Risk and Compliance asks what makes operational problems difficult to resolve. The survey results clearly indicate challenges in identifying the actual root cause. Furthermore, some participants found it difficult to define the actual problem or stated that root causes are often confused with symptoms.
Several responses capture a particularly important concern:
“Trying just to close the case rather than solve the problem.”
Although the low number of responses cannot establish how widespread this behaviour is, it highlights a distinction worth investigating: closing an incident or completing an action plan is not necessarily equivalent to eliminating the underlying cause.
Another significant challenge lies in problem resolution. More than 40% of respondents report that corrective actions are often identified and documented but are not consistently implemented or followed up.
Implications for operational excellence
For organisations, the practical challenge is to ensure that problem-solving extends beyond documentation and immediate containment. This requires evidence-based causal analysis, cross-functional ownership and collaboration, corrective actions linked to verified causes, and follow-up to confirm that those actions are effective.
The central question is therefore not simply whether organisations use RCA tools, but whether their problem-solving processes consistently translate analysis into lasting improvement.