Juurisyytä

Juurisyytä is the Finnish term for the underlying cause of a fault or problem in a system, process, or organization. In quality management, safety engineering, and problem solving, finding the juurisyytä means identifying the fundamental condition that allows the problem to arise, rather than simply correcting its symptoms. The term combines juuris (“root”) and syy (“cause”).

Root-cause analysis relies on systematic methods to trace back from observed effects to their origins. Common approaches include the Five Whys technique, where each answer prompts the next why question, and the Ishikawa diagram (cause-and-effect diagram), which groups potential causes into categories such as people, processes, equipment, materials, and environment. The process usually involves defining the problem, collecting data, assembling a cross-functional team, brainstorming possible causes, testing hypotheses, and identifying root causes and preventive actions.

Once root causes are found, organizations implement corrective actions aimed at preventing recurrence, such as process changes, training, maintenance improvements, or policy updates. Monitoring and verification are used to confirm that the juurisyytä has been addressed and that the problem does not reappear.

Applications of juurisyytä analysis span manufacturing, construction, healthcare, information technology, transportation, and incident investigations. While it is a powerful tool for improving reliability and safety, critics note that root-cause analysis can be time-consuming, may suffer from biases, and sometimes cannot isolate a single root cause when problems are systemic or organizational in nature.

See also: root cause analysis, Five Whys, Ishikawa diagram.