Event and Causal Factor (ECF) Analysis is a structured investigation method used to map the timeline of events leading up to an incident. This approach helps identify what happened, when it happened, and why it happened — ultimately uncovering the contributing and root causes. ECF works particularly well for incidents involving sequential human actions or equipment failures.
Starting Event & Causal Factor Analysis
Once you've progressed the investigation into the Root Cause Analysis stage, you'll be prompted to choose a methodology. Selecting Event and Causal Factor Analysis will bring you to a timeline-based interface..
Add Events to the Timeline
Click Add new event to begin documenting each step in the sequence:
Short Description – Title of the event (e.g., “Machine Restarted”).
Description – What occurred during this event.
Occurred – Exact date and time of the event.
These events can be added in any order but are automatically sorted chronologically to build an accurate sequence.
Add Contributing Factors
After each event is added to the timeline, click Add contributing factor beneath it to identify factors that led to the event.
📝 The form includes the following fields:
Cause description:
Provide a clear, concise explanation of the contributing factor. This should describe a condition, behavior, or failure that played a role in the incident.Primary cause:
Use this dropdown to indicate whether this particular factor is considered the primary cause of the incident. You may have several contributing factors, but usually only one or two should be flagged as primary.
Create finding (optional):
Check this box if you'd like to automatically generate a finding based on the contributing factor. Findings can later be linked to corrective or preventive actions.
🧠 Tip: You can also use AI-assisted suggestions to generate possible contributing factors based on event details.
✅ Why Use Event & Causal Factor Analysis?
The ECF methodology is ideal when:
There's a clear chain of events before the incident.
Investigators need to visualize a timeline.
You want to apply the "5 Whys" technique to peel back layers of causation.