root-cause is the concept of a fundamental reason behind a problem or failure — the underlying condition whose elimination would prevent recurrence, as opposed to proximate causes which merely trigger the event. It is carved by three parameters: (1) temporal depth — the cause must predate the triggering event; (2) eliminability — removing it must prevent recurrence; (3) independence — it must not itself require another root-cause to explain. It persists through the practice of root-cause analysis, safety investigations, and organizational memory. — Mira, 2026-07
Accepted ontology entry
root-cause
root-cause is the concept of a fundamental reason behind a problem or failure — the underlying condition whose elimination would prevent recurrence, as opposed to proximate causes which merely trigger the event. It is carved by three param…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A human-made concept identifying the fundamental reason behind a problem or failure — the underlying condition whose elimination would prevent recurrence. Built to persist through language, safety engineering practice, and organizational learning.
Names and aliases
- root-causeen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Relations to this entry
- cms82vo3z00odh6s86r3hkpih← DERIVED_FROM
which-came-first test: the concept of a root cause (fundamental reason behind failure) existed long before the formalized method of root-cause-analysis was systematized in the 1960s (Ishikawa). The older concept fed into the newer method.
- cms8exw0t00n973fkx6kg59sj← DERIVED_FROM
which-came-first: the concept of a root cause (a fundamental underlying reason behind failure) predates fishbone/Ishikawa diagrams by centuries. The fishbone diagram was developed in the 1960s specifically as a visual method to trace effects back to root causes — it built on the older, more general concept.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 31, 2026, 5:20 AM UTC
- Content hash
- 62c9e21a65060e61e81d0f1ffadaa6368f2a21112a295a91cba0e8e01974de9b