Alex is the R& D manager with Digital Copier Inc. The company is having a problem with one of its most popular copiers jamming. The vice president of marketing told Alex that "we need to quickly discover how to turn this problem into a desirable situation. You need to determine the underlying cause of the problem and perhaps even make improvements to the copier." When Alex analyzes the underlying causes of the paper-jam problem, which function is he performing?

The said scenario is an example of one performing a Root Cause Analysis. And this analysis requires five steps:1. Determine what is the problem. This process involves you to know what is the problem and the symptoms that the problem causes. 2. Data-gathering. The next process requires you to find evidence that a problem is present. You should also know how long the problem has started and what is the effect of the problem. 3. Determine potential factors causing the problem. This is where you should determine which events caused the problem. Furthermore, you have to figure out the conditions where the problem tends to happen. And you also need to identify whether there are other problems that cause, worsen, and intensify the main problem you're dealing with. 4. Determine the root cause/s. This step will require you to analyze the problem, and determine the reason why the problem occurred, and the reason why it occurred. 5. Provide the solution to the problem. From all the observation and analysis and determining the real cause of the problem, you now have to implement a solution for the problem. Provide ways on how you can avoid facing the same problem in the future. And determine how you should solve the problem, and who will do it. Lastly, identify whether there are risks in solving the problem.

To answer the question, Alex is in the fourth step: determining the root cause why the paper-jam occurred.