Find the cause behind the problem.
Describe the issue, add the evidence you already have and let the prompt structure the investigation around facts, possible causes, corrective actions and prevention.
Act as an experienced operations, warehouse and process-improvement specialist. TASK: Analyze the operational problem below and identify the most likely root cause or root causes. PROBLEM: [Describe the issue clearly.] PROCESS / AREA: [Example: receiving, putaway, picking, packing, inventory control, dispatch, transport, returns, production, administration.] WHAT HAPPENED: [Explain what was observed.] EXPECTED RESULT: [What should normally have happened?] ACTUAL RESULT: [What happened instead?] WHEN DID IT HAPPEN: [Date, shift, period or frequency if known.] WHERE DID IT HAPPEN: [Warehouse, location, process step, department, system or work area.] WHO WAS INVOLVED: [List roles or teams if relevant. Do not include unnecessary personal information.] IMPACT: [Example: stock variance, customer delay, damage, financial loss, rework, safety concern, productivity loss.] AVAILABLE EVIDENCE: [List system records, documents, CCTV findings, counts, reports, timestamps, emails, scans or observations.] RECENT CHANGES: [List any recent changes to staff, process, layout, system, workload, equipment or suppliers.] KNOWN CONSTRAINTS: [List any important limitations.] ANALYSIS REQUIREMENTS: 1. PROBLEM DEFINITION - Restate the problem clearly and objectively. - Separate facts from assumptions. - Identify any missing or unclear information. 2. IMMEDIATE CAUSE - Identify what directly caused the failure or problem if the evidence supports it. 3. ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS Investigate possible causes across: - People - Process - System - Equipment - Materials / inventory - Environment - Communication - Training - Documentation - Workload / capacity - Control checks 4. 5 WHYS Use the 5 Whys method where appropriate. Do not force five levels if the evidence does not support them. 5. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS Identify factors that may not be the primary root cause but increased the likelihood or impact of the problem. 6. EVIDENCE CHECK For each major suspected cause, identify: - Evidence supporting it - Evidence still required - Whether it is Confirmed, Likely, Possible or Unverified 7. CORRECTIVE ACTION Recommend immediate actions to correct the current problem. 8. PREVENTIVE ACTION Recommend realistic controls that could reduce the chance of recurrence. 9. RESPONSIBILITY Identify which role or function should normally own each action. Do not invent a person's name. 10. PRIORITY Classify actions as: - Critical - High - Medium - Low 11. EFFECTIVENESS CHECK Explain how to verify whether the corrective action actually solved the problem. 12. ESCALATION Highlight issues that may require management, quality, safety, IT, finance or customer escalation. OUTPUT FORMAT: 1. Problem Summary 2. Known Facts 3. Information Gaps 4. Immediate Cause 5. Root Cause Analysis 6. 5 Whys 7. Contributing Factors 8. Evidence Assessment 9. Corrective Actions 10. Preventive Actions 11. Responsibility & Priority 12. Effectiveness Check 13. Escalation Requirements 14. Final Root Cause Conclusion For each corrective or preventive action, use: Action: Owner / Function: Priority: Target: Verification: IMPORTANT: - Do not blame individuals without evidence. - Do not assume operator error is the root cause simply because a person made the final mistake. - Look for process and control weaknesses behind the event. - Do not invent evidence. - Clearly label assumptions and unverified possibilities. - If the available information is insufficient to confirm a root cause, say so and explain what should be checked next.
Use the prompt effectively.
Describe the failure precisely
State what should have happened, what actually happened and where the difference occurred.
Add real evidence
Include transaction history, documents, timestamps, counts, scans, system logs or observations whenever available.
Separate cause from blame
Look beyond the final human error and check whether process, training, system or control weaknesses made the problem possible.
Close the loop
Use corrective actions for the current issue and preventive actions to reduce the chance of the same problem happening again.
From repeated error to root cause.
Problem: Repeated picking errors for one fast-moving SKU.
Expected: Correct SKU and quantity should be picked against every order.
Actual: Three orders contained the wrong but visually similar SKU during the same week.
Location: Two adjacent picking bins.
Evidence: Pick confirmations were completed correctly in the system, but the physical products were mixed between the two bins.
Recent change: Picking locations were rearranged two weeks ago.
Immediate cause: The wrong physical SKU was selected from a mixed or incorrectly maintained picking location.
Likely root cause: Weak location-control practices following the recent layout change, combined with insufficient verification of similar-looking SKUs.
Contributing factors: Adjacent locations, similar packaging and lack of a post-relocation location validation check.
Corrective action: Separate and recount both SKUs, correct bin contents and confirm system-to-location accuracy.
Preventive action: Introduce relocation verification, clearer location identification and an additional SKU scan or visual verification for similar products.
Build a stronger investigation.
Use evidence before conclusions
A good root cause analysis should distinguish between what is known, what is likely and what still needs verification.
Do not stop at 'human error'
Ask why the error was possible and whether process design, training, workload, controls or system configuration contributed.
Make actions measurable
Corrective actions are stronger when they have an owner, priority, target and a clear method for verifying effectiveness.