What does PROACT® stand for?

PROACT® stands for Preserve, Order, Analyze, Communicate, and Track — the five phases of RCI's root cause analysis methodology. Each phase represents a structured step in the investigation process, from evidence collection through root cause identification, recommendation development, and tracking implementation to verify that failures are actually prevented.

Who should take PROACT® RCA certification training?

This certification is designed for principal analysts, reliability engineers, and RCA facilitators who lead investigations. It's the appropriate course for anyone responsible for conducting structured analyses on complex or high-consequence failures tasked with investigating events that require methodology depth and defensible findings.

What is a logic tree in PROACT® analysis?

A logic tree is a structured cause-and-effect diagram that maps an undesirable event to its contributing causes through a series of verified hypotheses. It starts with a precise failure definition at the top and branches downward through physical, human, and latent root causes. Each node in the tree represents a hypothesis that must be confirmed or eliminated with evidence — not assumption.

Online

4 Hours

Certification Course

No Prerequisites

PROACT® RCA Methodology and Certification

This course provides an in-depth understanding of RCI’s RCA Methodology. The course is designed to provide a detailed comprehension of how to perform RCA to achieve the maximum bottom-line results

Individual Training

Train Your Team

CEU Eligible

Topics Covered:

Identify restraining paradigms and how they can prohibit finding the solution(s) to problems

Link problems and opportunities to chronic and sporadic events

Write concise failure definitions that provide a single focus point for an analysis

Identify techniques used in the preservation of event data using the 5 P’s (Parts, Position, People, Paper and Paradigms)

Develop a team charter and critical success factors for the analyzed event

Develop the top box of the logic tree by describing the event and modes

Analyze the undesirable event down to its root levels utilizing the logic tree and hypothesis verification technique

Determine the physical, human and latent roots of the undesirable event

Form an analysis team by selecting members based on synergy and whole brain thinking

Determine the physical, human and latent roots of the undesirable event

Obtain recommendation acceptance criteria from management

Develop team recommendations based on analysis results and findings

Communicate findings of the analysis and recommendations for resolution to identified causes (roots) in a meeting with management

Write a complete analysis report including a description of the event, how the analysis was conducted and learned from the analysis

Identify the techniques to review the progress of recommendations selected for implementation

Advocate a paradigm that promotes proactive continuous improvement, using RCA as a tool

Course Description:

For over 50 years, PROACT® RCA Logic Tree and FMEA analysis has been the gold standard in capturing ROI with RCA. PROACT® RCA Certification Training will provide your team with a deep expertise in leveraging PROACT® methods to maximize the value of your reliability program.

PROACT® Root Cause Analysis (RCA) training provides problem solving skills and techniques to properly investigate, analyze and prevent failures. Upon completion of this course, you will have the skill to complete a thorough and fact-driven RCA.

Course Objective:

Upon completion of this course the attendee will:

Identify restraining paradigms and how they can prohibit finding the solution(s) to problems
Link problems and opportunities to chronic and sporadic events
Write concise failure definitions that provide a single focus point for an analysis
Identify techniques used in the preservation of event data using the 5 P’s (Parts, Position, People, Paper and Paradigms)
Form an analysis team by selecting members based on synergy and whole brain thinking
Develop a team charter and critical success factors for the analyzed event
Develop the top box of the logic tree by describing the event and modes
Analyze the undesirable event down to its root levels utilizing the logic tree and hypothesis verification technique
Determine the physical, human and latent roots of the undesirable event
Obtain recommendation acceptance criteria from management
Develop team recommendations based on analysis results and findings
Communicate findings of the analysis and recommendations for resolution to identified causes (roots) in a meeting with management
Write a complete analysis report including a description of the event, how the analysis was conducted, what was learned from the analysis and correction of identified problems
Identify the techniques to review the progress of recommendations selected for implementation
Advocate a paradigm that promotes proactive continuous improvement, using RCA as a tool

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, you will learn:

Problem solving, dynamic learning with real case histories, multimedia presentations and course manual.
Comprehensive RCA course reference materials, hands-on projects and mentoring.

Individual Training

Train Your Team

Next Steps on Your RCA Journey

Connect with an Advisor

Schedule a 15-minute intro session with one of our RCA advisors.

Review Your Goals

A short, no-pressure conversation on your facility's current RCA program and goals.

Define Your Path

We'll identify the right RCA expert to help you explore the perfect solutions for your team.

Contact Us About Our RCA Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

PROACT® RCA certification is a formal credential issued by Reliability Center, Inc. confirming that a practitioner can conduct a thorough, fact-driven root cause analysis using the PROACT® methodology. It is recognized across asset-heavy industries as a mark of investigative rigor — covering logic tree construction, hypothesis verification, and identifying physical, human, and latent root causes.

PROACT® is the only widely used RCA methodology developed by the same organization that offers the certification — RCI created PROACT® over 50 years ago and has refined it continuously since. Most RCA certifications teach a generic methodology; PROACT® certification teaches the specific, evidence-based framework that has produced documented results including $70 million in savings at ADM and large-scale deployments at PepsiCo, CMC Steel, and International Paper.

Physical roots are the tangible failure mechanism — the part that broke or the process that deviated. Human roots are the decision or action that caused the physical failure. Latent roots are the organizational systems, policies, or cultural gaps that allowed the human error to occur. Most RCA methods stop at the physical level. PROACT® requires all three, because fixing only the physical root leaves the conditions for recurrence intact.

PROACT® certification demonstrates that a reliability engineer can conduct investigations that reach systemic root causes — the level where durable prevention and measurable ROI actually occur. It is recognized by employers across oil and gas, manufacturing, power, chemicals, and food and beverage as evidence of advanced investigative capability, and positions certified analysts to lead high-stakes investigations and build organizational RCA programs.