# Root Cause Analysis Form Template

> A free root cause analysis form for quality, safety and operations teams. Work through the 5 whys, name the root cause and assign corrective actions.

Describe the problem and its impact, ask why until you reach the real cause, and sort causes by people, methods, machines and materials. Finish with corrective actions, owners, due dates and how you'll check the fix.

Canonical: https://reuily.com/templates/root-cause-analysis-form
Use this template: https://reuily.com/form/from-template/root-cause-analysis-form
Collections: Requests & Intake, Manufacturing, Logistics & Transportation, Operations
Last updated: 2026-10-24

## Questions

- Question 1: What's your name? (Short Text, required)
- Question 2: What's your work email? (Email, required)
- Question 3: What problem are you investigating? (Short Text, required)
- Question 4: What type of problem is it? (Single Choice, required). Options: Safety incident; Quality defect; Equipment failure; Late or wrong shipment; Customer complaint; Something else
- Question 5: When did it happen? (Date, required)
- Question 6: Where did it happen? (Short Text, required)
- Question 7: Describe what happened (Long Text, required)
- Question 8: What was the impact? (Multiple Choice, required). Options: Injury; Scrap or rework; Downtime; Late orders; Customer impact; Cost
- Question 9: Ask why five times (Long Text, required)
- Question 10: Which kinds of causes played a part? (Multiple Choice, required). Options: People; Methods; Machines; Materials; Measurements; Environment
- Question 11: What's the root cause? (Long Text, required)
- Question 12: What corrective actions will fix it? (Long Text, required)
- Question 13: When should all actions be finished? (Date, required)
- Question 14: How will you check the fix worked? (Long Text, optional)
- Question 15: Upload photos or documents (File, optional)

## Common uses

- Quality defects and customer complaints
- Safety incidents and near misses
- Equipment breakdowns and downtime

## Key features

- 5 whys and cause categories
- Corrective actions with owners
- Photo and document uploads

## Frequently asked questions

### What should a root cause analysis form include?

The problem, when and where it happened, its impact, a 5 whys chain, the kinds of causes involved, the root cause, corrective actions with owners and dates, and how you'll check the fix.

### When should a team do a root cause analysis?

After any safety incident, repeat quality defect, customer complaint or equipment failure that you don't want to see again.

### Can several people work on one analysis?

Each response is filled in by one person. Most teams meet, agree on the answers together, and have one person submit the form.