Root Cause Analysis - 5 Whys Methodology

Target: Solve problems once and properly by addressing root causes, not symptoms.

Symptom vs Root Cause

Type	Example	Result
Symptom Fix	Add setTimeout to wait for DOM	Works now, breaks later
Root Cause Fix	Use React ref properly	Permanent solution
Symptom Fix	Add flag to prevent double-submit	Complexity grows
Root Cause Fix	Disable button during submission	Simple, reliable

Section-Based Loading

Section	File	Focus	Triggers
5 Whys	references/five-whys.md	Analysis process, templates	5 Whys, なぜなぜ
Patterns	references/symptom-patterns.md	Common symptom→cause patterns	対症療法, workaround

Quick Checklist

Before implementing a fix, ask:

• Is this fixing the symptom or the cause?
• What would prevent this problem entirely?
• Can simpler technology (HTML/CSS) solve this?
• Is JavaScript truly necessary here?
• Will this fix introduce new complexity?

5 Whys Process

1. Why does this problem occur? → [Observable fact]
2. Why does that happen? → [Implementation detail]
3. Why is that the case? → [Design decision]
4. Why does that exist? → [Architectural constraint]
5. Why was it designed this way? → [Root cause]

Example Analysis

Problem: Button click triggers action twice

1. Why twice? → Click handler fires twice
2. Why twice handler? → React re-renders during click
3. Why re-render? → State update in click handler causes re-render
4. Why state in click? → Using state for something that shouldn't be state
5. Why using state? → Root cause: Treating imperative action as reactive state

Solution: Use ref instead of state for imperative flag, or disable button properly

Key Principles

Principle	Application
Prevention > Patching	Best fix prevents the problem entirely
Simple > Complex	Root cause solutions are usually simpler
Ask Why	Don't accept the first answer
Progressive Enhancement	Can CSS/HTML solve this?

Common Symptom Patterns

Timing Issues

// Bad: Symptom: setTimeout to wait for DOM
useEffect(() => {
  setTimeout(() => {
    document.getElementById("target")?.scrollIntoView();
  }, 100);
}, []);

// Good: Root cause: Use React ref
const targetRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
useEffect(() => {
  targetRef.current?.scrollIntoView();
}, []);

State Synchronization

// Bad: Symptom: Multiple effects to sync state
useEffect(() => {
  setFilteredItems(items.filter((i) => i.active));
}, [items]);
useEffect(() => {
  setCount(filteredItems.length);
}, [filteredItems]);

// Good: Root cause: Derive state, don't sync
const filteredItems = useMemo(() => items.filter((i) => i.active), [items]);
const count = filteredItems.length;

Polling for Child State

// Bad: Symptom: Parent polling child for state
const childRef = useRef()
useEffect(() => {
  const interval = setInterval(() => { childRef.current?.getValue() }, 1000)
}, [])

// Good: Root cause: Proper data flow (lifting state or callbacks)
const [value, setValue] = useState()
return <Child onValueChange={setValue} />

References

Core Principles

• @../../rules/development/PROGRESSIVE_ENHANCEMENT.md - Simple first
• @../../skills/applying-code-principles/SKILL.md - Simplest solution

Related Skills

• enhancing-progressively - CSS-first approach often addresses root causes
• applying-code-principles - Design principles prevent root cause issues

Used by Agents

• root-cause-reviewer - Primary consumer of this skill