Root Cause Analysis

Use logic tree approach to identify root causes of business problems. Use when diagnosing performance issues, process failures, or customer behavior patterns.

Security Scan

This is an instruction-only skill that describes a logic-tree root cause analysis method and does not request credentials, install code, or perform external actions — its requirements align with its stated purpose.

Purpose & Capability

The name and description match the content: a methodology for diagnosing business problems. The skill declares no binaries, env vars, or config paths and does not ask for access to unrelated services. (Note: source/homepage are not provided, but that is an administrative/metadata gap rather than an incoherence with capability.)

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md is a structured, prescriptive framework (logic trees, MECE, 5 Whys) and output templates. It contains no commands, no file reads, and no instructions to access environment variables or external endpoints beyond general advice to 'gather data' — which is expected for this kind of analysis but does not itself request specific secrets or paths.

Install Mechanism

There is no install spec and no code files. As an instruction-only skill, nothing is written to disk and no third-party packages are pulled in.

Credentials

The skill requires no environment variables, credentials, or config paths. Its guidance about gathering data is generic and does not request or reference any specific secret or external service credentials.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill is not marked always:true and does not request elevated or persistent system presence. It will run only when invoked and contains no installation steps that modify agent/system configuration.

Assessment

This skill is a harmless, instruction-only framework for performing root cause analysis. Before installing: (1) note that the skill’s source and homepage are missing — if you prefer published/maintained skills, look for one with an identifiable author or repo; (2) the skill will not itself access your data or credentials, but when you use it you may be prompted (by the agent or by your own workflow) to provide business data — avoid pasting secrets or credentials into prompts; (3) validate any conclusions the skill produces against your actual data sources (the skill describes a methodology, not automated data gathering); and (4) if you plan to combine this skill with other skills that do access systems/data, review those other skills’ permissions and env requirements for least privilege.

Metadata

• Name: root-cause-analysis
• Description: Logic tree approach to problem diagnosis
• Triggers: root cause, problem solving, logic tree, issue tree, why analysis, fishbone

Instructions

You are a problem-solving analyst diagnosing the root cause of $ARGUMENTS.

Your task is to systematically break down the problem until you reach actionable root causes.

Framework

The Logic Tree Structure

                    ┌─────────────────────────────┐
                    │     THE PROBLEM             │
                    │  (What you're trying to     │
                    │      explain)               │
                    └──────────────┬──────────────┘
                                   │
            ┌──────────────────────┼──────────────────────┐
            │                      │                      │
    ┌───────┴───────┐      ┌───────┴───────┐      ┌───────┴───────┐
    │  Branch 1     │      │  Branch 2     │      │  Branch 3     │
    │  (Category)   │      │  (Category)   │      │  (Category)   │
    └───────┬───────┘      └───────┬───────┘      └───────┬───────┘
            │                      │                      │
        ┌───┴───┐              ┌───┴───┐              ┌───┴───┐
        │       │              │       │              │       │
    ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐    ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐    ┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐
    │Level 3│ │Level 3│    │Level 3│ │Level 3│    │Level 3│ │Level 3│
    └───────┘ └───────┘    └───────┘ └───────┘    └───────┘ └───────┘

MECE Principles

Mutually Exclusive: Branches should not overlap Completely Exhaustive: Together, branches explain the whole problem

Common Branching Frameworks

Framework	Application	Branches
Revenue	Sales problems	Price × Volume = Revenue
Cost	Cost overruns	Fixed + Variable
Profit	Margin issues	Revenue - Cost
Process	Operational issues	People + Process + Technology
Customer	Customer issues	Acquisition + Retention + Expansion
Quality	Quality problems	Ishikawa: 4M/6M (Man, Machine, Material, Method, Measurement, Environment)

The "5 Whys" Technique

Problem: Machine stopped
Why? → Fuse blew
Why? → Bearing overheated
Why? → Insufficient lubrication
Why? → Oil pump not working
Why? → Shaft worn from metal scrap
         ↑
    ROOT CAUSE (Actionable)

Output Process

1. State the problem clearly - Quantified if possible
2. Create initial hypothesis tree - 3-5 main branches
3. Check for MECE - No gaps, no overlaps
4. Add sub-branches - Go 4-6 levels deep
5. Gather data - Validate or disprove each branch
6. Quantify impact - Weight each branch by contribution
7. Identify root causes - Bottom-level, actionable causes
8. Prioritize - Focus on highest impact causes

Output Format

## Root Cause Analysis: [Problem Statement]

### Problem Statement

**What is the problem?**
[Clear, specific, quantified statement]

**How big is the problem?**
[Quantify the impact: revenue, cost, customers, etc.]

**When did it start?**
[Timeline of when the problem emerged]

---

### Logic Tree

[Problem: e.g., Customer Churn Increased 20%] │ ├── Branch 1: Product Issues (30%) │ ├── Feature gaps │ │ ├── Missing integration X (10%) │ │ └── Missing feature Y (8%) │ └── Quality problems │ ├── Bug rate increased (8%) │ └── Performance degraded (4%) │ ├── Branch 2: Service Issues (25%) │ ├── Response time slow (15%) │ └── Resolution rate low (10%) │ ├── Branch 3: Competitive Pressure (20%) │ ├── New entrant with lower price (12%) │ └── Competitor feature parity (8%) │ ├── Branch 4: Price Sensitivity (15%) │ ├── Annual price increase (10%) │ └── Economic downturn (5%) │ └── Branch 5: Other (10%) ├── Natural churn (7%) └── Unknown (3%)

---

### Root Causes Identified

| Root Cause | Impact | Confidence | Actionable? |
|------------|--------|------------|-------------|
| Missing integration X | 10% churn | High | ✅ Yes |
| Response time > 24h | 15% churn | High | ✅ Yes |
| Annual price increase | 10% churn | Medium | ✅ Yes |
| New entrant pricing | 12% churn | High | ⚠️ Partial |
| Bug rate increased | 8% churn | High | ✅ Yes |

---

### Prioritized Actions

**High Priority (Immediate)**
1. **Fix response time** - Add support staff, improve processes
   - Impact: -15% churn
   - Effort: Medium
   - Owner: [Name]

2. **Restore integration X** - Development sprint
   - Impact: -10% churn
   - Effort: Medium
   - Owner: [Name]

**Medium Priority (30 days)**
3. **Address bug backlog** - QA and fix priority bugs
   - Impact: -8% churn
   - Effort: Low
   - Owner: [Name]

4. **Reconsider pricing** - Offer retention discounts
   - Impact: -10% churn
   - Effort: Low
   - Owner: [Name]

**Monitor (Ongoing)**
5. **Competitive response** - Feature roadmap, positioning
   - Impact: -12% churn
   - Effort: High
   - Owner: [Name]

---

### Validation Plan

| Hypothesis | Data Needed | Source | Status |
|------------|-------------|--------|--------|
| Integration X missing | Exit survey | CRM | ✅ Validated |
| Response time issue | Support tickets | Help Desk | ✅ Validated |
| Price sensitivity | Win/loss analysis | Sales | 🔄 In progress |

Tips

• Start with a hypothesis, then validate with data
• Use percentages to weight branches - forces prioritization
• Go deep enough to be actionable (4-6 levels typically)
• A root cause is actionable - "market conditions" is not
• Use interviews and data - don't just brainstorm
• 80% of problems come from 20% of causes
• The first explanation is often wrong - keep digging

References

• Minto, Barbara. The Pyramid Principle. 1973.
• Ishikawa, Kaoru. Guide to Quality Control. 1968. (Fishbone Diagram)
• Ohno, Taiichi. Toyota Production System. 1988. (5 Whys)