1. Introduction


RCA stands for Root Cause Analysis.


As a supplier working with SCOT, you can inform Metro about the root causes (RCs) behind problematic deliveries directly in SCOT.


More precisely, for each article variant delivered late or not delivered, a Failed Order Line (FOL) is generated in SCOT in the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) section.

You will need to check each FOL and enter your own Root Cause (RCA2) and, optionally, a comment. Once submitted, Metro will check your feedback and approve it or provide their own Root Cause (RCA3).

Then, on the 8th of the next month, your delivery performance (OTIF - On time and In Full KPI) is automatically calculated by SCOT.


This is the root causes analysis (RCA) of problematic deliveries which is easily and transparently managed via SCOT.


2. Understanding Root Cause Analysis


Raw data regarding problematic deliveries coming from the sourcing system in SCOT is considered the Gross OTIF.

Then Failed Order Lines are analysed and root causes are identified. There are three root cause categories: RCA1, RCA2 and RCA3.

After root causes are assigned to FOLs, the Net OTIF is calculated (either automatically or manually by Metro) and this reflects entirely your delivery performance for a specific period of time.



RCA1 is the root cause automatically assigned by the system to FOLs in case the system identifies the Failed Order Lines (FOLs) on certain pre-defined criteria/rules which indicate Metro as being responsible for the faulty delivery. 

In the pre-calculation phase, RCA1 is assigned automatically to FOLs where Metro did not respect: Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ), Lead time, Agreed order and delivery schedule, Supplier holiday or Bank holiday when placing the order - provided that these "rules" are defined in the sourcing systems (for this, please refer to the Logistic Parameters section in SCOT).


However, FOLs are visible to you and you can comment your RCA2, which can be accepted or rejected by Metro based on their final analysis.


The below Root Causes (RCs) can be automatically assigned as RCA1 by the system:


21Order below agreed MOQ  
22Order does not respect lead time
23Order does not respect agreed order and delivery schedule
24Order does not respect Supplier Holiday
25Order does not respect Bank Holiday


RCA2 is the root cause that you, as a supplier, comment on the FOLs generated in SCOT in order to explain whether the delivery problem lies on your side or on Metro's side. By doing this, you actually submit those FOLs to Metro for final consideration.


RCA 3 is the final root cause belonging to Metro. What happens at this stage is that Metro checks the RCA1 assigned by system (if the case) and the RCA2 assigned by you in order to do the final validation in the system. If Metro agrees with your RCA2, they will approve it. If Metro considers that the delivery problem was due to another cause, they will reject your RCA2 and will enter their own RCA3.


In case you have not submitted any RCA2, Metro can enter RCA3 on FOLs anyway, thus "closing" the FOLs in the system. This means that once Metro has validated FOLs, you will not be able to edit them anymore - unless you contact Metro and they agree to re-open FOLs for you.


RCA3 reflects the final conclusion of the root cause analysis and Net OTIF will be calculated based on that.


3. Root Cause Tree


There are 41 root causes available in SCOT. Both you and Metro can choose any RC and assign it to your FOLs.


4. How to access the RCA section


You can access the Root Cause Analysis section in the left-side menu of SCOT, by clicking on the magnifying glass icon. The name of the section is also visible when you hover with your mouse over the icon.



You can also access RCA from the Operational Weekly Dashboard on Homepage, by clicking on the numbers under RCA - New FOL and Rejected FOL. Depending on your selected option, you are redirected to the RCA section with filters preselected to show either FOLs not commented by you (New FOL) or FOLs rejected by Metro (Rejected FOL).



5. Layout of the Root Cause Analysis page


The RCA page consists of the following sections:

  • Search (top section of the page) - gives you the possibility to search FOLs by using a large number of filters which can be personalised and saved for later use.


  • Failed Order Line (bottom section of the page) - shows the FOL results of your search, reflected as a customisable grid. Here you can assign you RCA2 and provide your comments using one of three existing possibilities for FOL updates: Line by Line, Bulk update and Excel upload.


NOTEYou can see three different colours in the FOL grid. Their meaning is explained if you click on "i" - Info button next to number of Records Found.



For a detailed presentation of each section, please click on the links below: