Root Cause Analysis Report
Metric affected: [metric name] Movement: [direction and magnitude — e.g., "Revenue down 12% WoW"] Detection date: [YYYY-MM-DD] Investigation owner: [name] Status: Open / Root cause identified / Resolved
Signal confirmation
- Confirmed real: Yes / No
- Data sources checked: [list]
- ETL / pipeline freshness verified: Yes / No — [notes]
- Magnitude: [absolute value] ([%]) vs [comparison period]
- Onset date: [YYYY-MM-DD (± [n] days)]
Scope of impact
| Dimension | Affected | Not affected |
|---|---|---|
| Geography | [regions] | [regions] |
| Platform | [platforms] | [platforms] |
| User segment | [segments] | [segments] |
| Product area | [areas] | [areas] |
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| [date] | [deployment / release / campaign] |
| [date] | [metric movement onset] |
| [date] | [investigation started] |
Hypotheses
| # | Hypothesis | Evidence for | Evidence against | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [hypothesis] | [data points] | [data points] | Confirmed / Refuted / Inconclusive |
| 2 | [hypothesis] | [data points] | [data points] | Confirmed / Refuted / Inconclusive |
| 3 | [hypothesis] | [data points] | [data points] | Confirmed / Refuted / Inconclusive |
Root cause
Confirmed cause: [one sentence]
Explanation: [2–4 sentences: what happened, why it happened, how it caused the metric movement]
Impact quantification:
- Affected users: [n] ([%])
- Revenue impact: $[value]
- Duration: [start] to [end or ongoing]
Resolution
Corrective action: [what is being done to fix the issue] Owner: [name] Target resolution date: [YYYY-MM-DD] Status: [not started / in progress / resolved]
Preventive measures
| Measure | Owner | Target date |
|---|---|---|
| [e.g., Add alert for >5% WoW drop] | [name] | [date] |
| [e.g., Add deployment checklist item] | [name] | [date] |
Template: rca_report_template.md