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Step 1: Gathering & Interpreting Evidence—Capturing Reality Before It Changes A strong RCA starts with good evidence. That doesn’t change whether you’re working alone or with a team. What does change is the margin for error —without multiple people reviewing the data, it’s up to you to make sure no critical piece of evidence is overlooked. One way to do that is to be systematic in how you gather evidence. Sologic RCA follows a simple method for ensuring a complete picture: • People – Interview those directly involved, but be aware of bias in their perspectives. • Hardware/Software/Systems – Look at physical equipment, IT systems, and process data logs. • Procedures & Documentation – Review training materials, SOPs, work orders, and policies to see if expectations match reality. • Environment – Consider external conditions like time of day, weather, workload, or regulatory requirements that might have influenced the event. But collecting raw evidence isn’t enough—you also need to lay the groundwork for a broader contextual understanding. Ask yourself: • Have I discovered what a ‘normal’ day looks like? • What made this day different? • What risks are we asking people to manage – and get right – in order to succeed? Failures don’t happen in isolation—they often emerge because something about the environment, workload, or process was different than usual. But this can be a trap. If you’re not looking for context in which that variation takes place, you will miss the deeper contributors that made the failure possible. At the same time, be mindful of bias—both your own and that of others. With a team, there’s an immediate feedback loop. People naturally challenge each other’s assumptions. When working alone, you have to create that challenge yourself by deliberately questioning your own thought process. Step 2: Writing a Problem Statement—Framing the Issue with Context in Mind A well-defined problem statement is the foundation of an effective RCA. It sets the scope of the investigation, keeps the analysis focused, and ensures the real issue is being addressed—not just its symptoms. This is true whether working alone or with a team. But when working solo, it becomes even more critical because you don’t have a group to help refine it. A Sologic Problem Statement includes the following: The Focal Point—What Happened? • State the problem in neutral, fact-based terms. • Confirm with stakeholders: If we solve this, will you consider the RCA a success? If not, refine the focal point to align expectations before proceeding.
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