What is the purpose of cross-case synthesis in root cause analysis?

• A. To ignore similarities and focus on individual incidents.
• B. To identify common root causes or systemic failures affecting multiple incidents by synthesizing data across cases.
• C. To determine the fastest way to close the case.
• D. To document only the most recent incident.

Answer: (B)

Cross-case synthesis in root cause analysis is about looking across multiple incidents to reveal patterns that point to underlying systemic issues. By gathering and comparing data from different cases, investigators can identify recurring root causes or organizational weaknesses that affect more than one incident—things like flawed processes, training gaps, policy shortcomings, equipment design flaws, or cultural factors. This broader view helps move from fixing a single event to strengthening the system to prevent future occurrences. For example, if several incidents involve mislabeled controls that look similar across devices, cross-case synthesis would highlight a design or labeling problem rather than blaming individual operators. This is not about ignoring similarities, or about closing cases as quickly as possible, or about documenting only the most recent incident.