The goal of root cause analysis (failure analysis) is to make a recommendation for a __________.

• A. A temporary workaround
• B. A permanent fix
• C. Documentation of failures
• D. Replacement with new equipment

Answer: (B)

Root cause analysis is about finding why a failure happened and proposing an action that stops it from happening again. The best outcome is a permanent fix—a solution that eliminates the underlying cause rather than just masking symptoms. A temporary workaround may keep things running in the short term but doesn’t prevent recurrence, and documenting failures helps learning but doesn’t itself resolve the problem. Sometimes a permanent fix requires replacing components or changing the process, but the core aim is lasting resolution, not merely patching or recording the issue.