The causal or contributing factors that, if corrected, would prevent recurrence of the identified problem. The “factor” that caused a problem or defect and should be permanently eliminated through process improvement. The factor that sets in motion the cause and effect chain that creates a problem. The “true” reason that contributed to the creation of a problem, defect or non-conformance.
A standard process of:
- Identifying a problem
- Containing and analyzing the problem
- Defining the root cause
- Defining and implementing the actions required to eliminate the root cause
- Validating that the corrective action prevented recurrence of problem