Method · Problem solving

Five whys: how to run it

Ask “why?” about a problem, then about the answer, and keep going — usually around five times — until you reach a cause you can actually fix.

30 minutes4 stepsProblem solving
Other methods

When it helps

Use it after something went wrong and the obvious explanation (“someone made a mistake”) does not tell you how to stop it happening again. It needs no special tools and works in any team.

When to use something else

Skip it for complex failures with many causes at once — a single chain of whys can miss them; map several branches, or use a fuller root-cause analysis.

How to run it, step by step

  1. State the problem precisely5 min
    • What happened, when, and how much damage? One sentence.
  2. Ask why, and write the answer15 min
    • Keep asking why about each answer. Check each answer against evidence before moving on.
  3. Stop at something you can change5 min
    • Stop when the answer points to a process or system you control.
  4. Agree the fix5 min
    • One or two changes, each with an owner and a date.

What comes out — an example

Made up, to show the shape.

Problem. 200 customers were charged twice on 3 March.

Why? The payment job ran twice. Why? It was restarted after a timeout. Why? The restart does not check what already ran. Why? The job was never designed to be restarted.

Fix. Make the job safe to run twice (Ana, by the 20th); refund everyone today (Leo).

Where it comes from

The method comes from Toyota’s production system, where it was used to trace manufacturing problems back to their causes.

Questions

What is the five whys technique?

A way to find the cause of a problem by asking “why?” about it and each answer in turn, usually about five times, until reaching a cause that can be fixed.

Do you always ask exactly five whys?

No — five is a guide. Stop when you reach a cause you can change; sometimes that is three whys, sometimes seven.

What are the limits of the five whys?

It can follow a single chain and miss other causes, and it depends on answers being checked against evidence rather than assumed.

Other methods

PremortemBefore starting a project, imagine it has already failed and have everyone write down why — then change the plan to prevent the likeliest causes.Walk the boardRun a team stand-up by going through the work board from right to left — what is nearly done first — instead of person by person, so the talk is about finishing work.Parking lotA visible list where topics that come up but do not belong in this meeting are written down, so they are not lost and the meeting stays on track.TimeboxingGive each part of a meeting or task a fixed amount of time, and stop when it runs out — then decide whether to continue, move on, or come back to it.Lean CoffeeA meeting with no agenda until it starts: everybody writes topics, the group votes, and you talk about the most popular ones in short, timed rounds.Fishbowl discussionA few people talk in an inner circle while everyone else listens from around them; listeners can step in by taking an empty chair, so a large group can hold one real conversation.

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