Follow the clues from cause to effect
A playful, presentation-ready root cause analysis template that turns problem-solving into a clear visual journey. Follow the colourful path from an underlying Cause to the visible Effect, using the mission-inspired markers to capture what is known, what needs checking, and what to do next.
What’s included
The template uses a simple cause-to-effect pathway, with five guided markers:
Launch point — capture the confirmed starting point, symptom, or event.
Evidence check — add data, observations, records, or examples that support a link in the chain.
Open question — note assumptions, missing information, or competing explanations.
Course correction — identify the improvement, safeguard, or change that could prevent recurrence.
Next move — assign an owner, practical action, and review date.
The playful, colourful design makes it especially useful when you need to explain a complex problem clearly in a workshop, meeting, or slide deck.
How to use it
Start with the visible Effect: what happened, and why does it matter?
Work backwards along the path to identify the contributing factors and underlying cause.
Label each node with a short description of the relevant step.
Use the mission markers to separate confirmed facts from assumptions and open questions.
Add evidence to test the links between causes and effects.
Agree a course correction and assign the next action, owner, and review date.
Who it’s for
Ideal for project teams, operations teams, product and service teams, facilitators, consultants, and leaders who need to investigate an issue and communicate the story clearly. Use it for incident reviews, customer complaints, delivery problems, process breakdowns, retrospectives, or continuous-improvement sessions.
