thedixitjain Troubleshooter Review Criteria
Review dimensions and scoring for root cause analysis quality assessment.
Dimension 1: Causality Logic
Check each WHY-to-WHY link.
Pass: logical mechanism (not just correlation) | no skipped steps | alternatives considered/eliminated | chain reads coherently both directions
Failures: correlation assumed as causation | causal chain gaps | single-path tunnel vision (first plausible cause accepted)
Severity: Critical -- wrong root cause = ineffective fixes.
Dimension 2: Evidence Quality
Verify findings grounded in observable data.
Pass: each WHY cites specific evidence (logs, metrics, config, repro steps) | evidence verifiable by third party | timeline supports causality | hypotheses marked unverified
Failures: "Probably because..." without data | vague references ("logs show issues") | mixing facts with speculation unlabeled
Severity: High -- unreliable analysis undermines trust.
Dimension 3: Alternative Hypotheses
Verify competing explanations explored.
Pass: 2+ alternatives at WHY 1-3 | each pursued or eliminated with evidence | "why not" reasoning documented
Failures: stops at first plausible cause | alternatives mentioned but unevaluated | confirmation bias
Severity: High -- may miss actual root cause.
Dimension 4: Five-WHY Depth
Verify analysis reaches fundamental causes.
Pass: each branch reaches WHY 5 (or justifies stopping with evidence) | final causes are actionable | causes explain symptoms when traced forward
Failures: stopping at WHY 2-3 | WHY 5 vague/philosophical not actionable | branches abandoned
Severity: High -- shallow analysis = band-aid fixes that recur.
Dimension 5: Completeness and Coverage
Verify all symptoms accounted for.
Pass: all symptoms have causal branch | root causes collectively explain all | no orphan symptoms | cross-cause validation (no contradictions)
Failures: symptoms ignored | root causes explain primary but not secondary | contradictory causes without reconciliation
Severity: Medium -- incomplete analysis leaves unaddressed failures.
Dimension 6: Solution Traceability
Verify solutions map to root causes.
Pass: every root cause has solution | immediate mitigations vs permanent fixes distinguished | no orphan solutions | prevention addresses systemic factors
Failures: solutions address symptoms not causes | root cause without fix | generic recommendations untied to findings
Severity: Medium -- untraceable solutions are guesses.
Review Output Format
review_id: "rca_rev_{timestamp}"
reviewer: "nw-troubleshooter-reviewer"
dimensions:
causality_logic:
score: 0-10
issues: [{issue, severity, recommendation}]
evidence_quality:
score: 0-10
issues: [{issue, severity, recommendation}]
alternative_hypotheses:
score: 0-10
issues: [{issue, severity, recommendation}]
five_why_depth:
score: 0-10
issues: [{issue, severity, recommendation}]
completeness:
score: 0-10
issues: [{issue, severity, recommendation}]
solution_traceability:
score: 0-10
issues: [{issue, severity, recommendation}]
overall_score: "average of dimension scores"
approval_status: "approved | revisions_required"
summary: "1-2 sentence assessment"
Scoring Guide
- 9-10: Exemplary. No issues or minor style only.
- 7-8: Good. Minor issues not affecting conclusions.
- 5-6: Adequate. Issues weaken but don't invalidate.
- 3-4: Poor. Issues may lead to incorrect conclusions.
- 1-2: Failing. Fundamental flaws invalidate analysis.
Approval threshold: overall >= 7 and no dimension below 5.
Source: nWave-ai/nWave → nWave/skills/nw-tr-review-criteria/SKILL.md
Also appears in: nWave-ai/nWave/plugins/nw/skills/nw-tr-review-criteria/SKILL.md