Symptom
Definition
A visible effect of a problem that recurs if only the symptom is treated, not the root cause.
A symptom is what you observe on the surface — the error message, the customer complaint, the missed deadline. It is the effect, not the cause. One of the most common process improvement mistakes is treating symptoms as if they were root causes. PIPS Step 2 (Analyze) explicitly distinguishes between symptoms and root causes, ensuring teams dig deep enough to find causes they can act on.
Related Tools
Related Terms
Root Cause Analysis
The systematic process of identifying the underlying causes of a problem, not just its symptoms.
Five-Why Analysis
A root cause technique that drills deeper by repeatedly asking "Why?" until reaching an actionable cause.
Fishbone Diagram
A visual cause-and-effect analysis tool that maps potential causes across structured categories.
Where This Fits in the PIPS Methodology
This concept is used in Step 2: Analyze — Root cause analysis (fishbone, 5-why, force-field).
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