Root Cause Analysis

Perform a structured root cause analysis on a resolved incident

🧪 Tested by a human Advanced 👤 It Admin 👤 Operations 👤 Manager
Conduct a root cause analysis for [INCIDENT DESCRIPTION]. Use the 5 Whys method: (1) State the problem, (2) Ask why 5 times drilling deeper each time, (3) Identify the true root cause, (4) Distinguish symptoms from causes, (5) Recommend corrective actions to prevent recurrence, (6) Assign owners and timelines. Keep blameless — focus on systems not people.

Works on

⚡ M365 Copilot ⭐ ChatGPT (Best) 🟠 Claude

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🟢 ChatGPT 🟠 Claude

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Tips for Best Results

  • Conduct RCA within 48 hours while memory is fresh
  • Involve everyone who participated in the resolution
  • The first answer is rarely the root cause — keep asking why

📎 More Prompts

Blameless Post-Incident Report

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Write a blameless post-incident report for [INCIDENT]. Include: (1) Executive summary (2 sentences), (2) Timeline of events with timestamps, (3) Impact assessment (users, revenue, SLA), (4) Root cause analysis, (5) What went well in the response, (6) What could be improved, (7) Action items with owners and deadlines. Tone: factual, constructive, forward-looking.
⚡ M365 🟢 GPT ⭐ Claude

Diagnostic Decision Tree

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Create a diagnostic decision tree for [ISSUE TYPE — network connectivity / application crash / login failure / slow performance / email delivery]. Structure as: If symptom A → check B → if yes → do C, if no → check D. Include: expected outcomes at each step, escalation triggers, and resolution confirmations. Write for a Level 1 support technician.
⚡ M365 ⭐ GPT 🟠 Claude

Email Delivery Troubleshooting

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Help me diagnose email delivery failure. Scenario: [DESCRIBE — emails not received / going to spam / bouncing / delayed]. Check: (1) Message trace in Exchange Admin, (2) SPF/DKIM/DMARC alignment, (3) Transport rules that might redirect, (4) Recipient mailbox issues, (5) IP reputation, (6) Content filtering triggers. Provide step-by-step diagnosis with Exchange admin paths.
⚡ M365 ⭐ GPT
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