CAPM Practice: Demonstrate an understanding of common problem-solving tools and techniques

Following the chain of whys leads to the absence of cross-project resource planning visibility as the root cause. This systemic issue in resource management is what ultimately caused the cascade. Addressing the developer's unavailability (level 1) or the reassignment (level 2) would only treat symptoms; fixing the resource planning process addresses the true root.

**Why not A:** The project manager's failure to track the developer's availability is a proximate cause or symptom, not the root cause. Even with better tracking, the fundamental problem of lacking cross-project resource planning visibility would still cause similar issues on other projects.

**Why not B:** The other project's staffing emergency is an intermediate cause in the chain, not the root cause. The staffing emergency itself occurred because the resource plan was not shared across projects, meaning the emergency was a symptom of the deeper systemic issue.

**Why not D:** The developer's unavailability is the most immediate and surface-level cause in the chain. It is the direct trigger for the late deliverable but not the root cause. Addressing only the unavailability would not prevent similar problems from recurring in the future.