Root Cause Analysis: The Power of Asking “Why?” Until You Find the Truth

There’s a question I keep coming back to—every single day.

“Why?”

It’s my favorite question (I wrote an article on LinkedIn a few years ago-read it here). The most powerful one I know. It’s shaped how I think, how I work, how I solve problems, and how I lead. Whether I’m managing a project, building a business, mentoring a team, or working through a personal challenge, that single word is my starting point.

In fact, if you only mastered one habit from the toolkit of business problem-solving and personal development, I’d recommend this: Learn how to ask “why” until you uncover the real cause.

That’s the foundation of Root Cause Analysis (RCA)—a structured, repeatable method to understand problems deeply and solve them permanently. It’s a cornerstone of Lean Six Sigma and one of the many things you should be exposed to in a proper MBA program—but let’s make it accessible right here, right now.

This article will show you what RCA is, who should use it, when and where to use it, why it’s one of the most underrated tools in business and life, and how to do it effectively. Along the way, I’ll share my personal approach to avoiding assumptions, and instead relying on suspicion and methodical questioning to reach conclusions grounded in evidence—not guesswork.

What Is Root Cause Analysis?

Root Cause Analysis is a method of problem-solving used to identify the true underlying cause of a problem, rather than just addressing the surface-level symptoms.

Think of it like this:
If your car keeps stalling, you could keep jump-starting the battery every day. That’s treating the symptom. Or you could investigate why the battery keeps dying—and discover a parasitic electrical draw. That’s treating the root cause.

RCA is used to ensure that once a problem is solved, it stays solved.

It’s also a central principle in Lean Six Sigma—an operations and quality management methodology focused on eliminating waste and defects through process improvement. Within that discipline, RCA is often deployed to reduce variability, errors, and rework—because inefficiency and failure are rarely random. They almost always have a cause. You just have to uncover it.

Who Should Use Root Cause Analysis?

Root Cause Analysis isn’t just for engineers, Six Sigma black belts, or MBA grads. It’s for anyone who’s tired of dealing with the same issues over and over again.

Professionals:

• Project Managers – dealing with delays, bottlenecks, or communication breakdowns
• Entrepreneurs – troubleshooting persistent sales, staffing, or customer service issues
• Operations & Process Managers – improving quality and removing inefficiencies
• Healthcare Leaders – reducing risk and improving patient outcomes
• Educators – understanding why students underperform
• Executives – solving cross-functional breakdowns and strategic misalignments

Individuals:

• Anyone stuck in a recurring personal pattern—whether it’s financial struggles, relationship misfires, or productivity lapses
• Parents – trying to understand behavioral issues or patterns in children
• Coaches and mentors – helping others unlock the real barriers to success

If you're solving problems—big or small—you need root cause analysis in your toolkit.

When and Where to Use It

Use Root Cause Analysis anytime a solution isn’t working, or when the same problem keeps coming back.

Great places to apply RCA:

• When a team misses deadlines or deliverables
• When customer satisfaction drops suddenly
• When you’re losing money or time and can’t pinpoint why
• When a new habit keeps failing to stick
• When your first instinct is to blame someone or something

Use RCA early. Use it often. Especially when the cost of guessing wrong is high.

Why Use Root Cause Analysis?

Because fixing the wrong problem is worse than doing nothing at all.

RCA helps you:

1. Solve Problems Permanently

Rather than masking symptoms, you eliminate the true source of trouble.

2. Stop Wasting Time and Money

If you’re solving the same issue multiple times, you’re spinning your wheels. RCA gives you traction.

3. Understand Systems More Deeply

Most problems aren’t isolated—they’re systemic. RCA forces you to see patterns and interconnected parts.

4. Prevent Future Failures

What you learn today prevents similar failures tomorrow.

5. Shift From Assumptions to Conclusions

This is where my personal method kicks in: I don’t assume. I suspect. Then I conclude.

Let me explain.

My Personal Approach: Never Assume—Suspect, Then Conclude

In my work, I’ve made a point to never jump to assumptions. Assumptions are lazy thinking disguised as certainty.

Instead, I’ve trained myself to say, “I suspect this might be the cause.” Then I go to work, asking “why?” again and again—until I can methodically determine a conclusion.

This shift—from assumption to suspicion to conclusion—keeps your mind open and your thinking honest. Most of the costly mistakes I’ve seen in business and life came from false assumptions made too early, without enough evidence.

That’s why I love RCA. It forces you to be rigorous. To test. To think. To dig. It protects you from the ego trap of being “right” too quickly.

How to Do Root Cause Analysis (Step-by-Step)

Here’s a simplified RCA framework, built on tools used in Lean Six Sigma and MBA-level operations courses:

Step 1: Define the Problem Accurately

Be specific. Not “the team is underperforming,” but “we’ve missed three sprint deadlines in Q2, causing a 2-week product delay.”

Step 2: Apply the “5 Whys”

Ask “why?” multiple times—ideally five—to uncover the chain of causation.

Example:

Problem: Our product launch was delayed.

1. Why? – The development sprint fell behind.
2. Why? – The dev team was unclear about deliverables.
3. Why? – The product specs weren’t finalized.
4. Why? – The product owner was out for 2 weeks.
5. Why? – No backup ownership was assigned.

Root cause: Lack of role redundancy and contingency planning.

Step 3: Use Tools for Complex Problems

• Fishbone Diagram (Ishikawa): Break causes into categories like People, Process, Environment, Materials, Machines, and Methods.
• Pareto Chart: Helps you visualize which small number of causes are producing most of the problems (80/20 rule).
• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA): Identify potential points of failure before they happen and rank them by severity, occurrence, and detection.

Step 4: Develop Targeted Solutions

Don’t solve the surface issue. Solve the actual root. Your intervention should attack the root cause, not the output.

Step 5: Implement and Monitor

Watch the data. Did your fix work? If not, revisit your analysis—maybe you didn’t go deep enough.

Step 6: Document for the Future

What was the problem? What caused it? What did you do? Document it for organizational learning and knowledge transfer.

Professional Example: Declining Sales

Problem: Sales dropped 18% in Q3.

5 Whys Analysis:

1. Why? – Fewer customer conversions.
2. Why? – Leads were less qualified.
3. Why? – Marketing messaging shifted.
4. Why? – New VP of Marketing changed direction.
5. Why? – Strategy changed without sales team input.

Root Cause: Misalignment between marketing and sales strategy due to siloed communication.

Solution: Create cross-functional campaign planning meetings and shared KPIs between sales and marketing.

Without RCA, the sales team might’ve blamed the product or the leads—both wrong conclusions.

Personal Example: Struggling to Stay Fit

Problem: Can’t stick to a workout routine.

5 Whys Analysis:

1. Why? – I skip workouts.
2. Why? – I feel tired after work.
3. Why? – I’m not sleeping enough.
4. Why? – I stay up too late on my phone.
5. Why? – It’s the only downtime I get.

Root Cause: Poor work-life balance and no intentional recovery time.

Solution: Rework evening routine to include intentional relaxation, limit phone use, and set a hard sleep cutoff.

Now you’re solving the right problem—not “laziness,” but unrecovered energy.

Lean Six Sigma and Root Cause Analysis

Lean Six Sigma—a methodology born from manufacturing but now used across industries—is about reducing variation and eliminating waste. It focuses heavily on understanding process defects and solving problems with data, not opinion.

In Six Sigma, RCA is part of the DMAIC framework:

• Define the problem
• Measure current performance
• Analyze the root cause
• Improve with targeted solutions
• Control to sustain results

RCA lives inside the Analyze phase. You gather data, map process flows, and apply the “5 Whys,” Fishbone diagrams, and statistical tools to reach a data-driven conclusion.

If you’re running a business or managing a process-heavy team, understanding RCA through a Lean Six Sigma lens helps build a culture of continuous improvement.

And if you're pursuing—or designing—an MBA alternative, this is one of the essential tools that should be on the syllabus.

Tips for Mastering Root Cause Analysis

• Be curious, not accusatory: RCA isn’t about blame—it’s about discovery.
• Invite multiple perspectives: Talk to people closest to the work.
• Write it down: The act of writing forces clarity and helps documentation.
• Be suspicious of first answers: Rarely is the first “why” deep enough.
• Beware false assumptions: If you catch yourself saying “I already know,” challenge it.
• Think like a detective: You're not fixing a problem, you're solving a case.

Why Root Cause Thinking Sets You Apart

RCA teaches you to:

• Slow down when others rush
• Look deeper when others skim
• Understand systems when others focus on symptoms
• Draw conclusions when others jump to assumptions

Most people don’t take the time to dig. That’s why RCA practitioners stand out in the workplace—and in life.

When you consistently solve the right problems, people notice.

Conclusion: Ask Why Until You Know for Sure

If I could leave you with one idea, it’s this: Don’t just solve problems—understand them.

Root Cause Analysis helps you do that. Whether you’re running a business, managing a team, raising a family, or trying to become the best version of yourself, RCA is the difference between shallow effort and deep, lasting progress.

Ask “why?” until it hurts—then keep going.
Don’t assume. Suspect. Then conclude.

That’s how you find the truth.

Action Steps: Apply Root Cause Thinking Today

1. Pick a recurring issue—at work or in life—and run a 5 Whys analysis.
2. Use my “suspect, then conclude” rule—stop assuming and start digging.
3. Document your findings—write down your RCA and review what you learned.

Want to think like an MBA, a Lean Six Sigma pro, or a systems thinker? This is where it starts.

So I’ll ask you again…

Why is your problem still happening?
And what are you going to do about it?