Root cause analysis template.
Fill it in online, print it as a PDF, or take the Excel version.
Line 2, Monday morning. 37 pump housings failed the leak test last week, all at the O-ring groove. Before anyone orders a new tool, the team needs one page that goes from the symptom to the cause to an action with a name on it. That page is below: problem, fishbone, 5 Why, actions, and the check that the fix holds.
Prefer a spreadsheet?
The Excel template has the same four steps on one sheet: problem details, the 6M fishbone as a table, 5 Why, an action list with owner and due date, and verification.
Free, no email needed. Opens in Excel, or in Google Sheets through File, Import.
How to fill it in
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Describe the problem in numbers
What, where, since when, how many. "4.2% of housings leak at the groove since week 10" starts an analysis. "Quality issue on line 2" starts a debate.
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Collect causes on the fishbone, then ask why
The 6M categories stop the team from settling on the first suspect. Take the cause the data supports and ask why until you reach something you can change. Five is a guide, not a rule.
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One action per cause, with a name and a date
Fix the cause, not the symptom. If bad parts can still ship, contain first and say so.
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Check that the fix holds
Close the analysis when the number you started from is back and stays back. Then write down where else the same cause can strike.
When one page is not enough
A template records one analysis. In TeamGuru the analysis starts from the KPI that missed, and the same chart later shows whether the fix holds. Every action has an owner, a due date and reminders, and the verification step has a due date of its own.
Photos and attachments go into the record, a quality alert can start the analysis with one click, and RCCA and 8D run in one system for the whole plant.
Root cause analysis template FAQ
- What should a root cause analysis template include?
- A problem statement in numbers, a cause analysis (the fishbone and 5 Why are the usual pair), corrective actions with owners and due dates, and a verification step that checks the fix worked. This template has all four, in that order.
- What are the 6Ms of a fishbone diagram?
- Man (people), Machine, Method, Material, Measurement and Mother Nature (environment). They are prompts, not boxes to fill: a category without a real cause stays empty.
- How many whys do I need?
- As many as it takes to reach a cause you can act on. Five is a rule of thumb. Stop when the answer points to a process or a system, not to a person.
- What is the difference between RCA, RCCA and 8D?
- RCA finds the cause. RCCA adds the corrective action and the check that it worked. 8D is a stricter eight-step format, usually requested by a customer, with team, containment and prevention steps. For that, use the 8D report template.
- Is the template free?
- Yes. The online template and the Excel file are free, with no account. Your report lives in the link; we store it only if you ask us to email it to you.
- Can I use it in Word or as a PDF?
- Fill it in online and print it to PDF; the printout keeps the layout. For a spreadsheet, download the Excel version.
Read next
From the KPI that missed to the fix that holds
Book a 30-minute call. Tell us about a quality problem in your plant, and we show you how RCCA would handle it in TeamGuru.