Cause and Effect Analysis

What it does

Systematically exploring all potential causes of a problem across multiple categories using a Fishbone (Ishikawa) structure.

Procedure

When this skill is activated, Chalie follows these steps:

1. Use memory to recall any relevant context or prior analysis on this problem.
2. State the problem clearly as the central issue and open document to capture the Fishbone structure.
3. For the People and Process categories, brainstorm potential causes related to skills, communication, workflows, and standards — use search to validate any factual claims.
4. For the Environment and Methods categories, consider external factors, situational conditions, approaches, and practices that may contribute — record each in document.
5. For the Materials or Resources category, assess whether inputs, data, tools, or dependencies are contributing factors — use search to confirm availability or known issues.
6. Across all categories, ask “Why?” for each identified cause to determine whether it is a contributing factor or a root cause — note each level in document.
7. Prioritise causes by impact and likelihood, then use search to find evidence or prior art supporting the highest-priority root causes.
8. Use document to save the complete Fishbone analysis with ranked root causes and targeted solutions for each.

Version

v1 (curated)