Root cause analysis (RCA) for a bug - 10 steps with example. QA process

Root cause analysis template

Steps:

1. Gather Information: Collect relevant data such as error messages, logs, and system configurations.

 

2. Isolate the Issue: Identify the affected components or functionalities.

 

3. Identify Potential Causes: Brainstorm possible reasons for the bug.

 

4. Hypothesis Generation: Formulate testable hypotheses about the root cause.

 

5. Investigate Hypotheses: Conduct tests and analyses to validate or refute hypotheses.

 

6. Iterative Analysis: Iterate through the investigation process, refining hypotheses as needed.

 

7. Document Findings: Record all observations and conclusions during the investigation.

 

8. Identify the Root Cause: Determine the underlying reason(s) for the bug.

 

9. Recommend Solutions and implement fixes: Propose and prioritize solutions to address the root cause(s). Deploy fixes or updates to resolve the bug.

 

10. Preventive Measures, review, follow-up: Consider preventive measures to avoid similar issues in the future. Conduct a post-mortem review and share lessons learned.

 

Example:

Bug description: The web application crashing when users attempt to upload images larger than 5MB:

Steps for RCA:

1. Gather Information: Collect relevant data such as error messages, crash reports, server logs, and system configurations related to the failed image uploads.

 

2. Isolate the Issue: Identify the specific component or functionality of the web application that is responsible for handling image uploads and where the crash occurs.

 

3. Identify Potential Causes: Brainstorm possible reasons for the crash, such as:

   - Insufficient server resources to process large image files.

   - Backend processing errors when handling image uploads.

   - Client-side limitations or restrictions on image file size.

 

4. Hypothesis Generation: Formulate testable hypotheses about the root cause, such as:

   - Hypothesis 1: The server may have a file size limit configured below 5MB, causing crashes when attempting to upload larger images.

   - Hypothesis 2: There could be a coding error in the backend processing logic that fails to handle large image uploads properly.

 

5. Investigate Hypotheses: Test each hypothesis by:

   - Checking server configurations to verify upload size limits.

   - Reviewing backend code related to image upload processing for potential errors or limitations.

 

6. Iterative Analysis: Iterate through the investigation process, refining hypotheses based on new information or insights gained from testing.

 

7. Document Findings: Record all observations, error messages, and conclusions reached during the investigation process to facilitate analysis and communication.

 

8. Identify the Root Cause: Determine the underlying reason(s) for the web application crashing when users attempt to upload images larger than 5MB, such as a misconfiguration in server settings or a coding error in backend processing logic.

 

9. Recommend Solutions and Implement Fixes: Propose and prioritize solutions to address the root cause(s), such as:

   - Adjusting server settings to allow larger image uploads.

   - Fixing coding errors in backend processing logic. Deploy fixes or updates to resolve the bug.

 

10. Preventive Measures, Review, Follow-Up: Consider implementing preventive measures to avoid similar issues in the future, such as:

    - Regularly reviewing and updating server configurations and application code.

    - Implementing automated tests for image upload functionality to detect regressions. Conduct a post-mortem review and share lessons learned with the development team to prevent similar issues in future releases.


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