Picture yourself: Frustrated with the problem in front of you, it feels like running into a wall. Something isn’t working. Product development flops. Calculations aren’t adding up. Manufacturing is slow. You lift your metaphorical fist to the sky and cry: “Why!?”. Without realising, you just took your first step to root cause analysis. Congratulations.
What are the Five Whys?
The five whys are known as the root cause analysis. It aims to trace the problem back to where the issue arises and identify the culprit for the overall problem.
The five whys technique originated in Japan, just like the Kanban system. The founder and inventor of Toyota Industries, Sakichi Toyoda, developed the 5 Whys technique in the 1930s. Born from their “go and see” philosophy, it solved many problems and is still used today. After its popularity increased among the rest of society, during the 1970s, it has proved itself to deliver an in-depth understanding of what’s actually happening on the ground, not just based on assumptions by executives.
The technique is most effective when it is asked by someone who has hands-on experience with the process that the questions are being asked about. It forces the problem-solver to think of the problem before finding a solution. Multiple team members can participate to bring various ideas that drive change to the table
When to Use the Five Whys
This technique is incredibly simple and flexible, making it ideal for a variety of contexts. These include manufacturing, engineering, healthcare, education, and food services. It helps to solve problems regarding troubleshooting, quality improvement, and moderately difficult issues.
How to Use the Five Whys
To start your questioning, you can write down the Five Whys, and their following answers on a piece of paper.
Step 1: Assemble a team of interdepartmental and cross-functional members who are familiar with the process. Include a facilitator who will focus the team and guide the process. This ensures unique viewpoints and thorough knowledge of the process.
Step 2: Define the problem that is being observed so a brief but clear problem statement can be written. Discussing it with the team before writing will ensure that the scope of the issue is well-understood
Step 3: Take your statement and ask your first “Why?”. Guide the team in giving you specific answers. Every answer should be based in fact, not emotion. Take note that there might be multiple causes, but attempt to only find one.
Step 4: Ask why four more times (or as much as it takes). In some cases, it can take less than five questions to find the answer. However, there might be a few questions more than five, but generally, asking why five times gets you the answer.
Record every answer and follow the answer with a why.
Step 5: Act on the result and address the root cause. It is a good idea to implement measures that will prevent the cause from occurring in the future.
Step 6: Monitor the effects to determine if the solution was correct and implemented correctly. If it isn’t working, repeat the five steps again until the problem is solved.
Example Problem to Solve
When implementing the five whys to solve a problem in your business, you can use the following example to see how the process is supposed to work.
Let’s use the example of a bakery where a batch of muffins that are part of a big order cannot be delivered on time.
Problem: The order cannot be delivered on time.
Why 1? Why was the order not delivered on time?
Answer: Because the last batch of muffins had to be rebaked.
Why 2? Why did they need to be remade?
Answer: Because the batch burnt.
Why 3? Why did the muffins burn?
Answer: It wasn’t removed from the oven on time.
Why 4? Why wasn’t the muffins removed from the oven when the baking time was over?
Answer: The head baker had too many batches that were done at the same time.
Why 5: Why were there so many batches the head baker had to take care of alone?
Answer: The only other staff member was sick.
Solutions to implement to solve the problem can include hiring more staff, or ensuring there is always someone to step in when a worker is absent.
If the above example had multiple causes, it could for instance be that not only was someone ill, but a huge delivery was taken on short notice. Future solutions can include setting a minimum to the time between taking and delivering the order, batch limits or ensuring that emergency staff is available when huge orders are being made.
Asking why shouldn’t make you feel like a failure. In fact, it is key to your success. It helps determine the root cause of your issues, making problem-solving a breeze.
