What's the purpose of 'Root Cause Analysis (RCA)'?

The purpose of Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is to identify the fundamental or underlying causes of a problem or incident, rather than just addressing the symptoms, to prevent recurrence and improve overall performance and safety. RCA is a systematic problem-solving method used to identify the true root causes of an event, which are the factors that, if eliminated, would prevent the event from recurring. It goes beyond identifying the immediate or direct causes of an event to uncover the deeper systemic issues that contributed to it. RCA typically involves a structured investigation process that includes data collection, event timeline construction, cause-and-effect analysis, and the identification of root causes. Once the root causes are identified, corrective actions are developed and implemented to address these causes and prevent similar events from happening in the future. For example, if a pump fails repeatedly, RCA would not only identify the immediate cause of each failure (e.g., bearing failure) but also investigate the underlying reasons for the bearing failures (e.g., improper lubrication, excessive vibration, or incorrect bearing type). Corrective actions would then be implemented to address these root causes and prevent future pump failures.