RCA Types

Overview

The RCA (Root Cause Analysis) module provides structured investigation tools including 5 Whys, Logic Tree, and Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram templates. All RCA data is stored in browser localStorage.

The RCA module stores data locally in the browser, not via the backend API. This means RCA records are device-specific and not synchronized across users.

RcaRecord

Main type representing a complete Root Cause Analysis investigation.

export interface RcaRecord {
  id: string;
  rcaId?: string;
  title: string;
  template?: RcaTemplateType;
  problemStatement?: string;
  nodes: RcaChartNode[];
  edges: RcaChartEdge[];
  status?: RcaStatus;
  statusHistory?: RcaStatusHistoryItem[];
  
  // Header fields
  assetId?: string;
  assetName?: string;
  departmentId?: string;
  departmentName?: string;
  eventDate?: string;
  initiatedAt?: string;
  initiatedById?: string;
  initiatedByName?: string;
  rcaLeaderId?: string;
  rcaLeaderName?: string;
  severityLevel?: RcaActionPriority;
  productionImpactHours?: number;
  estimatedCostImpact?: number;
  
  // Failure modes and root causes
  failureModeIds?: string[];
  failureModes?: RcaFailureModeRef[];
  rootCauseIds?: string[];
  rootCauses?: RcaRootCauseRef[];
  
  // Template-specific data
  rca5WhysEntries?: Rca5WhysEntry[];
  fishboneEntries?: RcaFishboneEntry[];
  
  // Actions and solutions
  actions?: RcaAction[];
  solutions?: RcaSolutionItem[];
  
  // Additional details
  evidence?: RcaEvidenceItem[];
  problemStatementDetails?: RcaProblemStatement;
  finalReport?: RcaFinalReport;
  
  // Legacy fields
  mapLocation?: string;
  severity?: string;
  groups?: string;
  notes?: string;
  types?: string;
  tags?: string;
  owner?: string;
  facilitator?: string;
  teamMembers?: string[];
  
  createdAt: string;
  updatedAt: string;
}

Core Fields

string

required

Unique identifier for the RCA record

rcaId

string

Display ID in format RCA-YYYY-XXXX (e.g., “RCA-2024-0001”)

title

string

required

Title of the investigation

template

RcaTemplateType

Investigation method: "5whys", "logic-tree", or "fishbone"

problemStatement

string

Brief problem statement

nodes

RcaChartNode[]

required

Array of nodes in the RCA diagram (see RcaChartNode type below)

edges

RcaChartEdge[]

required

Array of edges connecting nodes (see RcaChartEdge type below)

status

RcaStatus

Current status: "Draft", "Investigation", "Review", "Actions Open", "Verification", or "Closed"

actions

RcaAction[]

Array of corrective/preventive actions (see RcaAction type below)

RcaTemplateType

Investigation methodology used for the RCA.

export type RcaTemplateType = "5whys" | "logic-tree" | "fishbone" | "sologic";

5 Whys
Logic Tree
Fishbone

5 Whys MethodIteratively ask “Why?” to drill down to root causes:

Why did the problem occur?
Why did that happen?
Why did that happen?
Why did that happen?
Why did that happen?

Typically reaches root cause within 5 iterations.

RcaStatus

Lifecycle status of an RCA investigation.

export type RcaStatus =
  | "Draft"
  | "Investigation"
  | "Review"
  | "Actions Open"
  | "Verification"
  | "Closed";

Status Workflow

Draft

Initial creation, problem statement being defined

Investigation

Active investigation, building cause-and-effect diagram

Review

Investigation complete, findings under review

Actions Open

Corrective actions identified and assigned

Verification

Actions completed, effectiveness being verified

Closed

RCA complete, actions verified, lessons learned documented

RcaChartNode

Represents a node (cause, effect, or problem) in the RCA diagram.

export interface RcaChartNode {
  id: string;
  type?: string;
  position: { x: number; y: number };
  data: RcaNodeData;
}

string

required

Unique node identifier

type

string

Node type for rendering (implementation-specific)

position

object

required

X/Y coordinates for diagram layout

data

RcaNodeData

required

Node content and metadata (see RcaNodeData below)

RcaNodeData

Data stored in an RCA diagram node.

export interface RcaNodeData extends Record<string, unknown> {
  label: string;
  type?: RcaNodeType;
  color?: string;
  solutions?: RcaNodeSolution[];
  hypothesis?: string;
  evidenceStatus?: "Confirmed" | "Rejected" | "Pending";
  supportingEvidence?: string;
}

label

string

required

Node label text (the cause, effect, or problem description)

type

RcaNodeType

Node classification: "problem", "why", "cause", or "effect"

color

string

Display color for the node

solutions

RcaNodeSolution[]

Solutions attached to this cause node

hypothesis

string

Logic Tree: hypothesis statement for this branch

evidenceStatus

'Confirmed' | 'Rejected' | 'Pending'

Logic Tree: validation status of this hypothesis

supportingEvidence

string

Logic Tree: evidence supporting or refuting the hypothesis

RcaChartEdge

Represents a connection between two nodes in the RCA diagram.

export interface RcaChartEdge {
  id: string;
  source: string;
  target: string;
}

string

required

Unique edge identifier

source

string

required

ID of the source node

target

string

required

ID of the target node

RcaAction

Corrective, preventive, or systemic action to address root causes.

export interface RcaAction {
  id: string;
  actionType: RcaActionType;
  description: string;
  ownerId?: string;
  ownerName?: string;
  departmentId?: string;
  departmentName?: string;
  dueDate?: string;
  priority: RcaActionPriority;
  status: RcaActionStatus;
  verificationRequired: boolean;
  verifiedById?: string;
  verifiedByName?: string;
  verificationDate?: string;
  effectivenessReviewDate?: string;
  createdAt: string;
}

Fields

string

required

Unique action identifier

actionType

RcaActionType

required

Type of action: "Corrective", "Preventive", or "Systemic"

Corrective: Fixes the immediate problem
Preventive: Prevents recurrence
Systemic: Addresses underlying system/process issues

description

string

required

Detailed description of the action to be taken

ownerId

string

ID of the person responsible for completing the action

ownerName

string

Name of the action owner

departmentId

string

ID of the department responsible

departmentName

string

Name of the responsible department

dueDate

string

Target completion date (ISO 8601 format)

priority

RcaActionPriority

required

Priority level: "Low", "Medium", "High", or "Critical"

status

RcaActionStatus

required

Current status: "Open", "In Progress", "Completed", "Verified", or "Overdue"

verificationRequired

boolean

required

Whether this action requires verification after completion

verifiedById

string

ID of the person who verified the action

verificationDate

string

Date when action was verified

effectivenessReviewDate

string

Date for reviewing action effectiveness

Rca5WhysEntry

Table row entry for 5 Whys analysis.

export interface Rca5WhysEntry {
  id: string;
  level: number;
  statement: string;
  evidenceReference?: string;
}

string

required

Unique entry identifier

level

number

required

Which “Why” level (1-5)

statement

string

required

The answer to “Why?” at this level

evidenceReference

string

Reference to supporting evidence

RcaFishboneEntry

Entry in a Fishbone diagram categorized by 6M framework.

export interface RcaFishboneEntry {
  id: string;
  category: RcaFishboneCategory;
  causeDescription: string;
  evidence?: string;
}

string

required

Unique entry identifier

RcaFailureModeRef

Reference to a failure mode from a master table.

export interface RcaFailureModeRef {
  id: string;
  category: string;
  name: string;
}

string

required

Failure mode ID

RcaRootCauseRef

Reference to a root cause from a master table.

export interface RcaRootCauseRef {
  id: string;
  category: string;
  description: string;
}

string

required

Root cause ID

RcaProblemStatement

Structured problem statement following the 5W2H framework.

export interface RcaProblemStatement {
  focalPoint?: string;
  startDate?: string;
  endDate?: string;
  startTime?: string;
  endTime?: string;
  uniqueTiming?: string;
  mapLocation?: string;
  businessUnit?: string;
  location?: string;
  productClass?: string;
  resourceType?: string;
  actualImpact?: { category: string; description?: string; cost?: string }[];
  potentialImpact?: { category: string; description?: string; cost?: string }[];
  investigationCosts?: string;
  actualImpactTotal?: string;
  potentialImpactTotal?: string;
  frequency?: string;
  frequencyUnit?: string;
  frequencyNotes?: string;
}

This structured format captures:

What: Focal point, product/resource affected
When: Start/end dates and times, frequency
Where: Location, business unit, map location
Who: (Captured in main RcaRecord fields)
How: (Captured in investigation diagram)
How Much: Actual and potential impact costs

Usage Example

import type { 
  RcaRecord, 
  RcaAction, 
  Rca5WhysEntry,
  RcaChartNode 
} from '@/types';

// Create a new 5 Whys RCA
const rca: RcaRecord = {
  id: crypto.randomUUID(),
  rcaId: 'RCA-2024-0001',
  title: 'Pump Bearing Failure - Asset P-101',
  template: '5whys',
  status: 'Investigation',
  assetName: 'Centrifugal Pump P-101',
  assetId: 'asset_456',
  eventDate: '2024-03-01',
  initiatedByName: 'John Smith',
  severityLevel: 'High',
  problemStatement: 'Main bearing on pump P-101 failed after 6 months in service',
  
  // 5 Whys entries
  rca5WhysEntries: [
    {
      id: '1',
      level: 1,
      statement: 'Why did the bearing fail? - Excessive copper wear detected in oil sample',
      evidenceReference: 'Sample S-2024-001: 85 ppm Cu'
    },
    {
      id: '2',
      level: 2,
      statement: 'Why was copper wear excessive? - Bearing running hot (>80°C)',
      evidenceReference: 'Thermal inspection report'
    },
    {
      id: '3',
      level: 3,
      statement: 'Why was bearing running hot? - Insufficient lubrication flow',
      evidenceReference: 'Lubrication system pressure log'
    },
    {
      id: '4',
      level: 4,
      statement: 'Why was lubrication flow insufficient? - Wrong oil grade used',
      evidenceReference: 'Oil grade: ISO 46 (should be ISO 68)'
    },
    {
      id: '5',
      level: 5,
      statement: 'Why was wrong oil used? - Incorrect specification in maintenance procedure',
      evidenceReference: 'Maintenance SOP rev 2.1'
    }
  ],
  
  // Nodes for diagram visualization
  nodes: [
    {
      id: 'problem',
      position: { x: 100, y: 100 },
      data: {
        label: 'Bearing Failure',
        type: 'problem',
        color: '#ef4444'
      }
    },
    // ... additional nodes for each "Why"
  ],
  
  edges: [
    { id: 'e1', source: 'problem', target: 'why1' },
    // ... additional edges
  ],
  
  // Corrective actions
  actions: [
    {
      id: 'action_1',
      actionType: 'Corrective',
      description: 'Update maintenance SOP with correct oil grade (ISO 68)',
      priority: 'High',
      status: 'Open',
      verificationRequired: true,
      dueDate: '2024-03-15',
      createdAt: new Date().toISOString()
    },
    {
      id: 'action_2',
      actionType: 'Preventive',
      description: 'Implement lubrication verification checklist for all pumps',
      priority: 'Medium',
      status: 'Open',
      verificationRequired: true,
      dueDate: '2024-03-30',
      createdAt: new Date().toISOString()
    }
  ],
  
  createdAt: new Date().toISOString(),
  updatedAt: new Date().toISOString()
};

// Save to localStorage
localStorage.setItem(`rca_${rca.id}`, JSON.stringify(rca));

Recommendation Types

RCA findings generate recommendations

Inventory Types

RCA records reference specific assets

Server Actions

Type Definitions

Hooks

Utilities

Overview

RcaRecord

Core Fields

RcaTemplateType

RcaStatus

Status Workflow

RcaChartNode

RcaNodeData

RcaChartEdge

RcaAction

Fields

Rca5WhysEntry

RcaFishboneEntry

RcaFailureModeRef

RcaRootCauseRef

RcaProblemStatement

Usage Example

Recommendation Types

Inventory Types

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Server Actions

Type Definitions

Hooks

Utilities

​Overview

​RcaRecord

​Core Fields

​RcaTemplateType

​RcaStatus

​Status Workflow

​RcaChartNode

​RcaNodeData

​RcaChartEdge

​RcaAction

​Fields

​Rca5WhysEntry

​RcaFishboneEntry

​RcaFailureModeRef

​RcaRootCauseRef

​RcaProblemStatement

​Usage Example

​Related Types

Recommendation Types

Inventory Types

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

RcaRecord

Core Fields

RcaTemplateType

RcaStatus

Status Workflow

RcaChartNode

RcaNodeData

RcaChartEdge

RcaAction

Fields

Rca5WhysEntry

RcaFishboneEntry

RcaFailureModeRef

RcaRootCauseRef

RcaProblemStatement

Usage Example

Related Types