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Causelink® Help

Listed below you will find a detailed description of Causelink® ’s features.  If you need additional assistance, call Sologic® at (800) 375-0414.

Saving
You will notice that there is not a Save button in the toolbar or a Save menu item under the File menu.  That is because Causelink uses a local database to store your RCAs.  

Home Screen
The home screen provides access to each of your RCAs.  They are listed with the most recently saved RCA at the top.  A thumbnail image is created for each RCA, which represents the current structure of the chart.  To open an RCA, simply click on the thumbnail image or anywhere within the RCA record.

Deleting an RCA
If you delete an RCA, it is removed from your default home screen, but is not yet permanently deleted.  Clicking delete places the RCA in the “Deleted  RCAs” folder.  If you would like to permanently delete an RCA, open the Deleted RCAs folder and click to delete the RCA.

Sharing an RCA
If you would like to share an RCA with someone who also has Causelink, simply open the analysis and in the top menu click File > Export.  Choose a location to save your exported .srca file and it will be ready to share.

If someone has shared a file with you, click File > Import, and browse to select the .srca file.  You will then see this imported RCA available on your Home screen.

Undo/Redo
This feature allows you to undo changes that you have made to your RCA.  Undo and Redo are available on a per session basis - you cannot undo changes that were made after an RCA has been closed.  When you close an RCA, and then open it again, the Undo/Redo history starts over.  

Sidebar 
The sidebar is located on the right side of the application.  It contains summary information about your RCA and provides a quick way to navigate to specific sections of the report or chart.  If you would like to close the sidebar, click the icon on the left border of the sidebar.  To open the sidebar, click this same icon.

Toolbar 
Causelink has two modes:  Report and Chart.  You can toggle between them by clicking the options for each located in the toolbar.  As you toggle between them, the main workspace changes.  Notice that some toolbar options change depending on the mode selected.  Toolbar constants are Home,  Undo, Redo, Print, Sidebar and appear on the left.

Key Commands
The following keyboard shortcuts are available in Causelink;

  • crtl + any of the 4 arrow keys = on the chart this allows you to change the cause box that is highlighted.
  • tab = in the report this allows you to move the cursor focus to the next field
  • shift + tab = in the report this allows you to move the cursor focus to the previous field
  • ctrl + c = copy
  • ctrl + v = paste
  • ctrl + x = cut
  • ctrl z = undo
  • ctrl y = redo

 

Problem Statement
This is the first page of the Report and the first thing you will see when you open an RCA.  The Problem Statement allows you to define the Focal Point as well as the When, Where, and Impact items.  

Charting

  • Adding New Causes – roll over the top, bottom, or right side of an existing cause and the + icon will appear.  Click this icon to add a new cause to that side of the original cause.
  • Cause Details – You can add details to each cause on the chart except for the Focal Point.  Details include Risk (on a scale of 0-5, with 5 representing the highest risk), Disproved, Evidence, Solutions, Notes, and Actions.  After you input each item, make sure to hit Enter to save your addition.  Note:  If there are no Solutions entered for a cause, the Cause Details icon will be displayed as an empty triangle (no fill color).  However, when you have added a solution, the Cause Details icon changes to a solid gray triangle.
  • Unconnected Causes – Sometimes you may not know where a cause fits on the chart.  You can leave these causes unconnected on the workspace, but as the chart grows you may find that it becomes cluttered.  Another option is to store these unconnected causes in a common location until you are ready for them.  This is accomplished by dragging the cause to the sidebar.  This action opens the sidebar to the Causes tab.  Drop the cause here and it will appear in the Unattached Causes list.  When you are ready to use the cause, simply drag it onto the workspace and drop it where it belongs.
  • Cause Types – The Sologic RCA Method defines four cause types:  Transitory, Transitory-Omission, Non-Transitory,  and Non-Transitory Omission.  When you create a new cause, the cause type is not set.  Click the icon in the upper left of the cause to set its cause type.  It can be changed at any time.  A legend displaying each cause type and its corresponding symbol can be found in the bottom left corner of the workspace.
  • Alerts – Alerts help you manage Chart Quality.  As you add new causes to the chartan orange alert symbol will appear on the right side.  The presence of an alert means the cause is missing any or all of the following:  Evidence, Cause Type, and Termination.  To make the alert go away, add evidence, select the cause type, and either terminate the cause or add a new cause to the right.  Roll over the alert to see a tooltip describing the items that need to be addressed for that cause.
  • Zoom – the zoom tool is located in the upper left of the chart.  It allows you to increase or decrease the size of the chart and cause boxes.  The zoom feature centers on the cause currently in focus.
  • Highlight Cause Path – A cause path can be highlighted by clicking a cause and then selecting the Highlight checkbox on the toolbar.  This will highlight all causes to the right of the cause selected. 
  • Legend – A legend displaying each cause type and its corresponding symbol can be found in the bottom left corner of the workspace.  This legend can be toggled on or off.
  • Delete a Cause – Click to highlight a cause and then click the “Delete” button in the toolbar to delete it.  If you accidentally delete the wrong cause, click Undo to recover the deleted cause.
  • And/OR – click the lines which connect two causes in order to change the relationship from “And” to “Or” or “And/Or”.  Once this is done you can drag/drop new causes onto the Or/And Or symbol in order to add causes to that relationship.  Click the Or/And Or icon in order to change the relationship.


Printing
Causelink allows you to separately print the Report and Chart.  The Print setup window is located in the lower right corner of the sidebar.  You must first define your page orientation and page size before selecting a printer so that Causelink can prepare your document.  Once you have defined your print settings, you must ensure that the same definitions are set in the print dialog window that will appear after you click Print.

The print setup window will display print options for the mode you are currently in – either Report or Chart.  Be sure to use print preview before printing to ensure that your settings have been set correctly.

  • Report – You can choose to print all or parts of the report.  
  • Chart –  In general you will find that the landscape option will fit more causes on fewer pieces of paper.