Digging at the Roots

Here are a few reminders when looking back at your "Root Cause Tree":

The trunk of the tree represents the problem you will be discussing. Make sure your problem is specific enough for you to tackle.
The leaves of your diagram represent the symptoms. A symptom is a sign or an indication of something. Ask yourself "What is this problem leading to? How is it reflected in the community?"
The roots represent the root causes. Get it? A cause is the producer of an effect. When thinking of root causes, ask yourself "What exactly is leading up to this problem? Why is the problem occurring?"

In order to push yourself further when thinking about the root causes move on to the "5 Levels of Why". Choose a root cause to work with. Start by asking yourself "Why is (ROOT CAUSE) occurring?" From the answer you develop a new question and from that answer you develop a new question and so on, and so forth. You should only stop asking "Why?" once you feel you have come to a root cause that covers the problem and its symptoms.