How to use Chain of Custody for Root Cause Analysis

In this solo episode of the Everyday Business Problems podcast, Dave Crysler takes a fresh look at root cause analysis through the lens of chain of custody. Borrowed from legal and logistics contexts, this concept helps leaders trace every handoff, touchpoint, and variable to get to the bottom of complex or intermittent problems that never seem to stay solved.

Dave shares how he first learned about chain of custody, how it connects to real-world problem-solving in manufacturing and service environments, and the five-step approach you can use to uncover and eliminate hidden process issues for good.

What You’ll Discover:

• What “chain of custody” means, and why it’s a powerful mindset for operational problem-solving.

• Why intermittent problems are the hardest to solve (and how this approach helps).

• The five steps to apply chain of custody thinking to your root cause analysis process.

• How to build visibility across inputs, outputs, and controls to pinpoint hidden gaps.

• When to use manual data collection vs. automated systems for smarter troubleshooting.

• How this approach strengthens cross-functional collaboration and continuous improvement.