If you’re anything like me, you want to make sure that when you encounter a problem in your life or work, you get to the root of it and solve it for good. One tool that can help you with this is the 5 Whys method. This technique has been used by companies like Toyota to identify the true cause of problems and prevent them from happening in the future.
What is the 5 Whys Method?
The 5 Whys method is a way of drilling down to the root cause of a problem by asking “why?” five times. Each time you ask “why?” you go down another level until you uncover the underlying cause of the problem. The idea is that by asking “why?” multiple times, you get beyond the surface-level symptoms and identify the true cause.
To use the 5 Whys method, start with the problem you’re trying to solve and ask “why?” Once you’ve answered that question, ask “why?” again based on the answer you just gave. Keep repeating this process until you’ve asked “why?” five times, or until you’ve identified the root cause of the problem.
Why Use the 5 Whys Method?
The 5 Whys method is a powerful problem-solving tool because it helps you get to the root cause of a problem. Often, when we encounter a problem, we focus on the symptoms and try to solve those instead of the underlying cause. This can lead to temporary fixes that don’t address the real problem and may even make it worse.
By using the 5 Whys method, you can more effectively identify and solve the root cause of a problem. This can lead to long-term solutions that prevent the problem from happening again in the future.
How to Use the 5 Whys Method
Using the 5 Whys method is simple. Start by identifying the problem you’re trying to solve. Write it down so you can refer back to it as you go through the 5 Whys process.
Step 1: Ask “Why?”
Ask yourself why the problem is happening. This should be a simple question that helps you get to the surface-level symptoms of the problem.
Step 2: Ask “Why?” Again
Based on the answer to the first “why” question, ask “why?” again. This question should help you get a little deeper and identify a possible cause of the problem.
Step 3: Repeat the Process
Keep asking “why?” and answering the question until you’ve gone through the process five times. Each time you do this, you should be able to go a little deeper and identify the underlying cause of the problem.
5 Whys Template
One of the easiest ways to use the 5 Whys method is with a template. The template shown above is an example of what a 5 Whys template might look like.
The template has five different sections, one for each “why?” question. You can use this template to write down your answers to each question and keep track of your progress as you work through the process.
5 Whys Examples
To help you understand how the 5 Whys method works in practice, here are a few examples.
Example 1: Why is the website traffic low?
1. Why is the website traffic low? - Because people aren’t finding the site.
2. Why aren’t people finding the site? - Because it’s not showing up in search results.
3. Why isn’t it showing up in search results? - Because the site isn’t optimized for search engines.
4. Why isn’t the site optimized for search engines? - Because we didn’t have anyone who knew how to do it.
5. Why don’t we have anyone who knows how to optimize for search engines? - Because we haven’t invested in training for our employees.
Based on this example, the root cause of the low website traffic is a lack of investment in employee training.
Example 2: Why is production behind schedule?
1. Why is production behind schedule? - Because we’re short-staffed.
2. Why are we short-staffed? - Because several employees took time off during a busy period.
3. Why did so many employees take time off during a busy period? - Because they didn’t feel like they could take time off during a less busy period.
4. Why didn’t they feel like they could take time off during a less busy period? - Because they weren’t given clear guidelines on when it was okay to take time off.
5. Why weren’t they given clear guidelines on when it was okay to take time off? - Because the company doesn’t have a formal policy around time off.
Based on this example, the root cause of the production delay is a lack of a formal time-off policy.
Example 3: Why is customer satisfaction low?
1. Why is customer satisfaction low? - Because customers are waiting too long to get help.
2. Why are customers waiting too long to get help? - Because our customer service team is under-staffed.
3. Why is the customer service team under-staffed? - Because we haven’t hired enough people to keep up with demand.
4. Why haven’t we hired enough people to keep up with demand? - Because our budget for hiring has been cut.
5. Why has our budget for hiring been cut? - Because we didn’t hit our revenue targets last quarter.
Based on this example, the root cause of the low customer satisfaction is a cut in the hiring budget due to missed revenue targets.
Conclusion
The 5 Whys method is a powerful tool that can help you get to the root cause of a problem and solve it for good. By asking “why?” multiple times, you can uncover the underlying cause and address it directly. Whether you’re dealing with a personal problem or a business issue, the 5 Whys method can help you find a solution that works.
