Root cause analysis template: Evaluate problems and test solutions

A missed deadline, service failure, or drop in performance can all have multiple plausible explanations. This root cause analysis template guides your team through investigating those possibilities and determining which causes the evidence supports. It organizes your findings, decisions, and follow-up actions, ensuring everyone understands the next steps. You’ll also learn how to choose an RCA format, lead a productive analysis, and see how companies use root cause analysis to solve problems.

What is root cause analysis?

Root cause analysis is a process for identifying the underlying cause of a problem. Rather than addressing only the immediate symptoms, RCA traces the sequence of events to determine where the problem originated.

RCA aims to prevent problems from happening again, and to achieve this, it’s important to distinguish symptoms from causes. Symptoms, such as missed deadlines, defects, rework, customer complaints, and system downtime, are noticeable but may not reflect the underlying issue.

The root cause is the underlying condition that leads to the symptom. Examples include missing processes, inconsistent training, inadequate tools, or earlier decisions with downstream effects. Addressing a problem's root cause is more effective than repeatedly treating symptoms.

How to do a root cause analysis in five steps

During security incidents, Asana’s security team documents investigative questions and status updates, and tracks long-term mitigations in a shared backlog. Keeping investigation and follow-up work together enables the team to act on lessons learned. Use the root cause analysis template similarly: define the problem, test possible causes, assign corrective actions, and review results. Complete each section as you investigate, and revisit earlier steps if new evidence emerges.

1. Define the problem

Document what occurred, when it happened, and which work was impacted. Include a metric and baseline to quantify the change. For example, if website views declined, define what constitutes a view, specify the comparison dates, and note whether the decline affected the entire site or specific pages. Enter these details under “Problem and baseline” and “Scope and period.”

2. Collect data

Gather records that show what changed and help explain why. For a decline in website views, review page-level traffic, search queries, indexing reports, recent site changes, and search demand trends. Record the source and time period for each piece of information. A team member’s observations can guide your root cause analysis, but always verify with supporting records before accepting them as evidence.

Onfido sends customer survey feedback to an Asana board, where its Revenue Operations team can review each response and decide how to follow up. According to Asana’s case study, the number of cases where the team could not identify why a customer was dissatisfied fell to zero.

Read Onfido’s case study →

3. Identify possible root causes

List possible explanations for your findings. For website views, these might include technical issues, stronger competing pages, or content that no longer addresses relevant queries. Add each under “Possible causes” and note how you would test them. Treat each as a possibility until you review the evidence.

4. Determine the root cause

For each possible cause, record supporting and contradicting evidence in “Evidence and test.” For example, if affected pages remain indexed but clicks from priority queries have dropped, and the content no longer answers relevant questions, this weakens the indexing explanation and suggests a content gap to investigate further.

In “Decision,” identify the supported cause or causes and note any unresolved issues. In an Asana data infrastructure investigation, the team traced a missed email alert to an oversized error log. Identifying the failure let the team change log handling and add email failure detection.

Jocey Karlan, a former Asana product management lead, described her team as “leading with hypotheses and allowing customers to prove us wrong.” The same habit helps when using a root cause analysis template: name an explanation, then look for evidence that could overturn it.

5. Implement solutions

Select an action that addresses a cause your team has supported with evidence. Under “Corrective action,” note what will change, who is responsible, and the due date. If a temporary measure is needed during the investigation, record it separately under “Immediate containment.”

Set a review date and decide what you’ll measure before making the change. Enter the result under “Review,” along with any other changes that may have affected it. A corrective action plan can help your team assign and track the work.

KENDO’s IT team received requests with insufficient detail, which delayed the project. To address this, the team implemented an Asana form to capture necessary information and convert each request into a task. A project manager scopes the work, and leaders approve it before production. Asana’s case study reports that this change reduced unnecessary stakeholder communication. If your investigation identifies a similar issue in your intake process, document the change you will make and monitor its effectiveness.

Read KENDO’s case study →

Root cause analysis template and example

A root cause analysis template helps your team document incidents, investigate causes, and determine necessary changes. Use it throughout the investigation to keep evidence, decisions, and follow-up actions organized. You can copy the template into a document or use it to structure an Asana project.

Copy this root cause analysis template

Replace the prompts in this root cause analysis form with your team’s findings. Add entries during the investigation and allow space for multiple possible causes.

Create a project for the investigation and add tasks to check possible causes, implement changes, and review results. Assign each task an owner and due date. Attach reports, links, and findings to the relevant tasks so teammates can track progress.

For a website traffic problem, the project could include tasks to check technical issues, compare search queries with page content, and review competitor rankings.

You can also ask Asana AI to draft a project plan from a description such as, “Create a project to investigate a decline in website views and track corrective actions.” Review the suggested tasks and dates, then add your team’s evidence. Once the format meets your needs, save the project as a reusable template.

Root cause analysis example: Determining why website traffic declined

Suppose a marketing team observes a decline in organic search visits. Before making updates, the team must identify which pages lost views and determine possible causes.

The flowchart outlines several possible explanations and a proposed content update. Use the branches to organize the investigation and verify data before confirming any cause.

Below is an example of how the team could complete the template during the investigation:

Maya can document her content review in an Asana task, attaching search queries, page reports, and missing answers. As she investigates, she notes which findings support the proposed cause and which raise new questions. Her teammates can review this evidence before agreeing on a solution.

Once the update is complete, Ari adds the results to the review task. The team then decides whether to close the investigation, implement further changes, or explore other possible causes.

Choose an RCA format for the evidence you have

Use our root cause analysis template to investigate problems, document evidence, and track solutions. The RCA formats below are popular techniques to identify possible causes. Use 5 Whys to trace a sequence of events. For multiple types of causes, use a fishbone diagram. If you can categorize recurring problems, use a Pareto chart to decide where to investigate first. Whichever method you choose, log evidence, decisions, owners, and review dates in the template.

Use 5 Whys to find out what led to a problem

The 5 Whys method helps identify a problem's root cause by repeatedly asking why it occurred and examining the factors behind each answer. Document supporting evidence for each response, and explore multiple paths if several explanations are possible. Continue until you find a cause your team can test and resolve. Asana’s 5 Whys template organizes questions and follow-up tasks in one place.

Use a fishbone diagram to identify multiple causes

A fishbone diagram maps possible causes as branches leading to a single problem. Use it when multiple types of causes may be involved. For example, if website views drop, a team can create branches for technical issues, search competition, demand, and content, then review each against traffic and site records. The diagram organizes the investigation, while the records show which causes are most likely.

Use a Pareto chart to prioritize recurring problems

A Pareto chart ranks categories by frequency or impact, highlighting those that contribute most to a problem. Use it when you can quantify issues by type or measure losses by page. For example, a website team may find that two pages account for most lost views and focus their investigation there. The chart shows where to start, but you need further analysis to identify the underlying causes.

Other RCA formats to consider

• Fault tree analysis: A diagram that traces a system failure back to its possible causes. Use it when multiple conditions may have contributed to the failure.

• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA): An assessment of how a product or process might fail and the impact of each failure. Use it to prioritize risks before they cause or repeat problems.

• Scatter diagram: A chart that plots two variables to show their relationship. Use it with paired data to explore potential correlations, but note that patterns do not confirm causation.

• DMAIC: A five-stage method (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) for improving existing processes. Use it when a recurring problem requires structured improvement and a plan to maintain results.

• 8D method: A team-based process that documents containment, root cause, corrective actions, and verification. Use it when a recurring problem impacts multiple teams or requires a formal response.

• Events and causal factor analysis: A timeline linking incident events to contributing conditions. Use it when a problem developed over time and involved multiple factors.

• Change analysis: Compare conditions before and after a problem occurred. Use it when an issue follows a change to a process, tool, or team to determine if the change contributed.

• Barrier analysis: Review of safeguards intended to prevent incidents or limit their impact. Use it when a safeguard was missing, bypassed, or failed.

How to conduct a root cause analysis discussion

After gathering records, assemble team members familiar with the problems to review their observations. Appoint one person to lead the discussion and track outstanding items.

1. Invite people who know the work

For a decline in website views, include those responsible for analytics, search, content, and recent site changes. Ask each participant to share their observations and identify records that could clarify disagreements. For example, someone who updated pages may know of changes not reflected in traffic charts, while someone monitoring indexing can verify technical issues.

2. Ask questions that test assumptions

Begin with evidence-based questions such as: “Which pages lost views?” “Which pages held steady?”, and “What would we expect to see if this explanation were wrong?” Document any unanswered questions and assign follow-up tasks. Open questions are valuable only if the team pursues them to a specific record or observation.

3. Examine process conditions without blame

Saying “The writer caused the traffic loss” assigns blame without addressing the underlying pattern. Instead, stating “These pages do not answer the queries that now bring visitors to this topic” identifies a testable condition. Clearly describe the process or content issue, compare it with the evidence, and select an actionable step for the team.

Turn solutions into action with workflows

Root cause analysis takes time, but identifying and addressing underlying causes can help prevent problems from recurring. Once your team agrees on a solution, put it into action. Asana’s workflow management tools help you assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress in one place, so your team can follow through and review the results.

Ready to streamline your problem-solving process? Get started with Asana today.

Frequently asked questions about root cause analysis