THE 5 WHYs TECHNIQUE

Be it at home or at office, all of us constantly face problems in our lives. When a problem arises, we often tend to blame others or relate it to external causes. End result is that we get no way closer to the basic cause of that problem, even though the solution might just be right before our eyes. There is always a reason behind every action. Hence, every effect has a cause. In simple terms, every problem has a root cause. When looking around to resolve a problem, it’s always best to begin at the end result of a problem, reflect on what caused that, and then question the answer five times. Each question forms the basis for the next question. The five questions take you closest to the root cause of that problem.

5 WHYs technique is a systematic and effective problem solving method that progressively repeats the question “Why ?” to the answers that help explore and determine the root cause of a specific problem or defect. As per this technique, the 5 WHYs method can expose the root cause of any problem.

There is neither any stringent rule about the questions to be considered for an answer, nor is there a limit in time or depth to continue the search for additional root causes. Hence, different sets of people, analyzing a similar problem using the 5 WHYs method, could pursue different routes depending upon the knowledge and persistence of people involved in the brainstorming sessions.

There are three key elements to the effective use of the Five WHYs technique:

(i)             accurate and complete statement of problems,

(ii)            honesty in answering the questions,

(iii)           determination to dive deep into issues and get them resolved.

Remember that different problems have different causes and not all problems have a single root cause. Some problems have multiple causes and in such cases, the 5 WHYs method must be repeated, asking a different sequence of questions for each specific cause.

There are two primary techniques that are used to perform 5 WHYs analysis:

 1.   Fishbone (or Ishikawa) diagram, 
 2.   Tabular format (using EXCEL).

Above tools allow the branching of analysis for multiple root causes.

People Do Not Fail, Processes Do Fail

Keep in view the most important fact that in any 5 WHY exercise, "people do not fail, processes do".  Therefore in required conditions, instead of simply asking WHY, make it a sensible and relevant query. Untrained facilitators often end up with observations that point towards answers like: not enough time, not enough investments, or not enough manpower. These answers could be true, but they had been arrived at due to a misguided WHY.

Lets look at this interesting Aanalogy to the Cause-Effect relationship by George Herbert, an English poet.

For Want of a Nail

For want of a nail the shoe is lost;

For want of a shoe the horse is lost;

For want of a horse the rider is lost;

For want of a rider the battle is lost;

For want of a battle the kingdom is lost;

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

In the above analogy, end-effect problem is that the Kingdom is lost and root cause is the unavailability of a nail.

Examples of 5 WHY Analysis

1.        Problem (end-result) : The Wardrobe of John is in a mess.

( Lets start Questioning using the 5 WHYs )

1.        Why? (first why)

Answer :  John couldn’t iron his clothes.

2.        Why? (second why)

Answer : John returned home late night, during the entire week.

3.        Why? (third why)

Answer : John was busy on a Project that required him to meet deadlines.

4.        Why? (fourth why)

Answer  : The Project deadline was advanced by a week.

5.        Why? (fifth why, the root cause)

Cause 5 : Marketing the product was important. (The client considered project launch as per dates favourable to a positive market response)

In the above given example, questioning could be taken further to higher levels. But if you have a good look, after a WHY is asked 5 times, it becomes extensively sufficient to identify the root cause. Take a note of the fact that the fifth why reveals a Cause that happens to be a ‘broken workflow’ or ‘broken process’ or ‘an alterable behaviour’. It’s here that you get indications of having reached levels of identifying the root cause.

The fact that fifth WHY points to a ‘process’ becomes interesting because it is one of the most significant characteristic of the 5 WHY approach. This characteristic assumes that a real root cause should either point towards a process that is not working well or towards a desirable process that in reality does not exist.

2.        Problem (end-result) : Processing of jobs in an HR firm is getting delayed.

( Lets start Questioning using the 5 WHYs )

1.        Why? (first why)

Answer :  There is no computerized solution to handle job applications.

2.        Why? (second why)

Answer : There was staff resistance.

3.        Why? (third why)

Answer : They were not explained full benefits of the system.

4.        Why? (fourth why)

Answer : There was lack of communication.

5.        Why? (fifth why, a root cause)

Answer : Company assumed that the benefits were obvious.

HISTORY of 5 WHYs

Sakichi Toyoda, referred to as the King of Japanese Inventors and also called as the Japanese Thomas Edison, was the original developer of the 5 WHYs technique. It was used as a critical component of training in problem-solving within the Toyota Motor Corporation, during evolutionary stages of its manufacturing methodologies. The architect of the Toyota Production System, Taiichi Ohno, described 5 WHYs method as "the basis of Toyota's scientific approach . . . by repeating WHY five times, the nature of the problem as well as its solution becomes clear".

Since then, this tool has been used beyond Toyota, and is now widely practiced all over the world.