Root Cause Driver Tree

When to use

Reach for this when the board asks "why" behind a number. It expands a metric into its component drivers, attributes how much of the change each driver explains, and separates true root causes from downstream symptoms.

Instructions

1. Define the headline metric and express it as a formula of its direct drivers.
2. Expand each driver into sub-drivers until you reach measurable, controllable inputs.
3. Quantify how much each driver contributes to the observed change.
4. Trace the largest contributors back to their underlying root cause, distinguishing cause from symptom.
5. Summarize the two or three root causes that explain most of the movement.

Example prompts

• "Build a driver tree to explain why revenue dropped and size each cause."
• "Decompose this KPI into drivers and find the root cause of the decline."

Output

A driver tree with formula links, per-driver contribution figures, and a ranked root-cause summary.