- Uncategorized
- Course Overview
- Lesson 1 - Overview
- Lesson 2 - What is 5 Whys Techniques?
- Lesson 3 - Steps for 5 Whys Method
- Lesson 4 - Benefits of 5 Whys
- Lesson 5 - Limitation for 5 Whys
- Lesson 6 - Using 5 Whys for RCF
- Lesson 7 - When not to use 5 whys?
- Lesson 8 - Examples of 5 Whys
- Lesson 9 Incident Case
- Lesson 10 Apply 5 Whys
- Reading Material
- Course Certificate
5 Whys technique – dig deep to find the root cause
The 5 Whys is an analytical technique that helps you to explore cause-and-effect relationships when trying to find the root cause of an incident.
The name comes from the idea that when a problem is encountered, asking the question “why?” 5 times will uncover the devil in the details and expose the root cause of the issue, so it can be solved once and for all.
The rules to follow when performing the 5 whys analysis
The main point of using the 5 Whys analysis when you are investigating and incident is to avoid common logical traps (such as jumping to conclusions), avoid wasting time on discussions based on wrong assumptions, and to avoid ignoring the essence of why the incident is has happened.
The 5 Whys technique also helps investigating team to stop playing the blame game. The basic proposition when performing a 5 Whys analysis is that people do not fail, but processes do.
Thus the 5 Whys analysis should be directed towards digging deep to find a fault in the processes and to identify causality between the root cause and consequences or effects, later usually seen as more obvious problems.
Here are a few particularly important rules when you perform the 5 whys analysis:
Rules fo using 5 Whys analysis effectively
Involve managers, decision makers, and everyone affected by the incident in the process
Make sure everyone understands the incident well
Know the difference between causes and effects, as that is part of understanding the problem.
Use a whiteboard for brainstorming and for identifying the root cause (visualize everything)
Don’t jump to conclusions, rather perform a step-by-step analysis
Be as precise as possible in finding the root cause
Focus on facts, knowledge, and processes, don’t blame people
Make sure the root cause is identified and the results are measured
Dedicate a “5 whys masters” in your organisation
Many managers are familiar with the 5 whys technique, but forget to apply it when necessary. Although it’s a simple technique to use, it can be hard to implement. That’s why it’s good to have a trained team who can act as the “5 Whys masters”- the identify the root cause when an incident happens.
This team should be responsible for regular investigation of incident and use of the 5 whys technique, and also to make sure that the corrective actions are implemented.
If you are enthusiastic about becoming the “5 whys master”, here are the steps to professionally perform the 5 Whys analysis every time you want to identify the root cause:
5 Whys master approach.
- The 5 Whys master writes down exactly what happened.
- The 5 Whys master makes sure that everyone affected agrees with the incident statement. As mentioned, part of the team should be decision makers with firsthand experience.
- All the data and facts that illustrate the incident are then presented – proof, history of knowledge, different data and points of view, past solutions etc.
- The dedicated group performs the 5 Whys analysis.
- The group finds and agrees on the root cause identified. The solution should be sought in every step after the “why” question is asked.
- The management or the 5 Whys master assigns responsibilities for the implementation of the corrective action found at the end of the process.
- The corrective actions are tested, and after the results are measured everybody in the company is notified about the implemented corrective action.
As you can see, the 5 Whys methodology really is simple, effective, comprehensive, flexible, engaging, and inexpensive - all you have to do is to make sure you don’t mistake symptoms for root causes.
Sometimes there is more than one root cause to search for, so you shouldn’t settle for the first obvious solution, but dig deep and flesh out all the possibilities so you can truly identify the root causes. And you should absolutely avoid the blame game and instead focus on the process.
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