What is a root-cause analysis, and name two common methods used?

• A. A Structured Process to Identify Fundamental Reasons for the Mishap; Methods Include the 5 Whys and Ishikawa (Fishbone) Diagrams
• B. A Casual Guess about What Happened
• C. A Weather-Based Risk Assessment
• D. A Financial Audit

Answer: (A)

A root-cause analysis is a structured process to identify the fundamental reasons behind a mishap rather than just what happened on the surface, so the underlying factors can be addressed to prevent recurrence. Two common methods used are the 5 Whys, which involves repeatedly asking why to drill down through symptoms to a root cause, and Ishikawa (Fishbone) diagrams, which organize potential causes into categories (such as people, equipment, procedures, environment) to visually map how different factors contribute to the event. The other options describe casual guessing, weather-focused risk assessment, or unrelated financial audits, none of which provide a systematic approach to uncovering the underlying causes of an incident.