Five Whys

Continuous Improvement Toolkit
5 Whys
WHY?
WHY? WHY? WHY?
WHY?
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5 Whys
5 Whys is one of the common techniques for problem-
solving and root cause analysis.
Also, one of the simplest techniques and easiest to put

into practice.
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5 Whys
Used in everyday business situations to identify the
possible causes underlying a specific problem.
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5 Whys
Introduced and made popular by Toyota as part of
their Toyota Production System.
Toyota found that Why needs to be asked successively

multiple times to reach the root cause of a problem.
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5 Whys
Widely used within Lean and Six Sigma frameworks.
Used in the Used in Lean to

Analysis phase identify and
of Six Sigma eliminate
DMAIC wasteful
methodology activities
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5 Whys
One of the cause-and-effect analysis tools that helps
to identify the possible sources of variation in a
process.
Should be combined with other root cause discovery

methods.
Why? Why? When? Why?

How
Why? What? Where?
much?
Why? Why? Who? How?
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5 Whys
It is so simple that can be implemented without

collecting data and without the need for advanced
statistical techniques.
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5 Whys
Only requires to ask, “Why does this happen?” several
times over a problem, waste or defect.
The answer to each question then forms the basis of

the next question.
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5 Whys
Asking Why multiple times will help to drill down to
the core of the problem and closer to the solution.
The root cause of your problem

will become more apparent.
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5 Whys
Once the true root cause is identified, the chance for
an effective solution will greatly increase.
Find the root cause

that is the reason
for all others
causes
Possible causes Root cause Solution options
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5 Whys
This is often illustrated with the following simple
example . . .
PROBLEM I have just got caught speeding by a speed camera
WHY? I drove fast because I was late for work Assumed cause
WHY? Because I got up late
WHY? Because my alarm clock didn’t work Possible causes
WHY? Because the batteries were flat
WHY? Because I forgot to replace them Root cause
5 Whys
This is often illustrated with the following simple
example . . .
PROBLEM I have just got caught speeding by a speed camera
WHY? I drove fast because I was late for work
WHY? Because I got up late
WHY? Because my alarm clock didn’t work ACTION

Replace batteries
WHY? Because the batteries were flat
at set intervals
before they run
WHY? Because I forgot to replace them out
5 Whys
Normally, asking Why 5 times in a row is enough to get
you quite close to the root cause.
Five seems to be is a good starting point (a good rule of thumb)

5 Whys
However, you may find that you need to ask Why
more or less times depending on the situation.
The goal is to get to a place where you can approach

the core of the problem.
5 Whys
The key with finding the root cause is to keep looking,
you will eventually get to the true cause which you can
act on right away.
Avoid jumping to a solution that looks great because

you think it has never been tried before
5 Whys
As you dig down deeper, you may
produce different solution ideas that
could be part of the final solution. Why does
that happen?
Capture your ideas as soon as they
enter your mind.
Do not stop unless you reach to an

answer that points to a system error,
business process or corporate policy.
This is probably the root cause of your
problem.
5 Whys
Sometimes when you cannot answer the Why
question, you are probably at the root cause. That is
the problem to be solved!
5 Whys
Once you have discovered why a problem occurs, you
then need to take corrective actions to solve the
problem.
You need to find a permanent solution to the problem.
5 Whys
Remember that each Why answer is a hypothesis that can
be validated by testing the process.
Validating the truth of every answer will help finding the
true root cause.
Or at least, make sure you are supporting your answers
with evidences and data.
In some situations, this may be sufficient, in others, you need to

perform some data collection and testing
5 Whys
BENEFITS
01 02 03
Allows finding the root Encourages deep thinking Allows to look beyond
cause of a problem quickly symptoms and assumptions
04 05 06
Helps engaging operators in Gives more depth to the Helps understanding how
the process improvement problem-solving process one process can cause a
chain of problems
5 Whys
Especially useful for shop

floor and manufacturing
problems.
Less useful when it

comes to understanding
behavioral gaps and
failure modes.
5 Whys
How to Use the 5 Whys?
With your team, write a clear and specific problem statement
Ask “Why the problem occurs?”. Write the answer down below the problem
Ask Why again for the generated answer and write the answer down
Keep asking Why until the team identify the root cause of the problem
Or until you get the answer “I don’t know”
Once you are finished, discuss and agree on the corrective actions that
will permanently correct the problem
5 Whys
Tips on How to Use the 5 Whys Approach . . .
Ensure your Don't stop at what

problem is relevant appears to be the
and solving it will true cause, keep
make a difference asking Why
Challenge each root

Keep in mind that
cause further and
people do not fail,
always try to get to
processes do
5th Why
The success of theof5the

The success Whys approach
5 Whys approach depends
depends onon
thethe quality
quality of theof the answers
answers
5 Whys
Avoid vague or broad answers even though they may
be true. Answers must be specific enough to help
solve the problem.
Lack of Lack of
communication teamwork
Poor Awful
management suppliers
5 Whys
5 Whys can be used individually or as part of a cause-

and-effect analysis.
It can be more effective when it is used in combination with other

methods and techniques such as fishbone, brainstorming and RCA.
5 Whys
Sometimes, you may have more

than one factor that
contributes to the problem.
Other times, the problem is too

complex to be analyzed in a
straightforward manner.
5 Whys
When there is more than one factor contributing to a
single problem, a fishbone diagram can be used to
helps identify and arrange all possible causes.
5 Whys
Once all possible causes are identified on the fishbone
diagram, you can use the 5 Whys to drill down to the
root causes for each possible cause.
The more branches

there are, the more PROBLEM
difficult it will be!
2 3
CATEGORY Possible cause 1
5 Whys
5 Whys is usually best suited for simple problems with

few or even one possible root cause.
It is usually best with problems that probably have

only a single root cause.
5 Whys
Complex problems often need more advanced
analytical techniques
One cause Multiple causes
5 Whys with data More advanced analysis

Complex techniques
collection and testing 5 Whys can still give useful insights
5 Whys in combination
Simple 5 Whys
with other methods
5 Whys
Example – Maintenance Department
PROBLEM It is too cold in the room
WHY? Because the window is open
WHY? Because it was too hot

ACTION
WHY? Because the heating is too high
Maintenance
WHY? Because it is still at the winter settings should have a
schedule for
Because nobody told maintenance to change to routine activities
WHY?
summer settings Source: Smallpeice
Because maintenance department does not have a Enterprises
WHY? www.smallpeice.co.uk
schedule for routine activities
5 Whys
Example - Delayed Test Results
Customers complain about the delayed test results at

PROBLEM
our laboratory
WHY? Because our laboratory has too much workload
Because more requests for COVID-19 testing continue

WHY? ACTION
to come in
Hire more
WHY? Because more people need to be tested for the virus
medical staff to
help with COVID-
WHY? Because the country is facing a new wave of the virus 19 testing
Only 4 Whys were required to get to what looks to be the root cause
5 Whys
Example – Sales Figures
PROBLEM Sales figures are getting worse day by day
WHY? Because we are selling less
WHY? Because our customers do not prefer our products
Because our competitors have better products with

WHY? ACTION
lower price
Because we have not produced good products for a Consider
WHY? increasing the
while
research budget
WHY? Because we significantly reduced research investment
5 Whys
Example – Call Center
Customers complain about waiting too long to get
PROBLEM
connected to staff during lunch hours
WHY? Because backup operators take longer to connect callers
Because backup operators don’t know the job as well as

WHY?
regular operators
Because there is no special training nor job aids to make
WHY? ACTION
up for the gap in experience
Consider setting
WHY? Because our company has not recognized this need up a system to
Because our company has no system to identify training identify training
WHY? needs
needs
Source: Orange Telecom (www.orange.fr)
5 Whys
5 Whys can be done in a team setting or on an
individual basis.
In case it is a team exercise,

participants need to be aware
of the problem which makes
the exercise more productive
even if there are multiple
perspectives.
5 Whys
5 Whys will be more effective when the participants
consist of front-end operators and Subject Matter
Experts.
Always involve people who are experienced in the process and seek
help when needed
5 Whys
People often don't like been

question Why as it is viewed
as a threatening question.
They take it as personal

criticism rather than a fact
finding and a problem-
solving approach.
5 Whys
Avoid seeing the capabilities of people as the only
source of the problem.
Because he is Because he
not good . . needs training
Because Because he
of him! did it wrong!
Any mistake made by an employee is often due to lack of training,

lack of time, lack of tools, overwork, or other organizational causes
5 Whys
What about the following answers?
Why? CEO
It is the fault declared cost
of HR savings to be
our priority
CFO dislikes
It is the fault of
maintenance
the Company
cost
5 Whys
5 Whys Template
5 Whys
Describe the problem: 1st Why?
2nd Why?
3rd Why?
4th Why?
5th Why?
Continue until you get to the root cause of the problem!
5 Whys
Further Information
Asking Why is an essential way we all began to learn!

Children often ask Why all the time.
5 Whys
Further Information
5 Whys is not only a problem-solving method, but it
can also be used in troubleshooting and in preventing
problems from happening in the first place (process
design).
5 Whys
Further Information
After completing a 5 Whys exercise, you may use the
Therefore Test to check the validity of the answers.
I forgot to replace the batteries
Therefore the batteries were flat
Therefore my alarm clock didn’t work
Therefore I got up late
Therefore I was late for work
Therefore I have just got caught speeding by a speed camera
5 Whys
Further Information
5 Whys can also be used to identify the underlying
root cause of a behavior.
Why do you use social media

more than personal face-to-
face communication?
Asking Why many times will help to understand the emotions behind
a behavior which will help us to deal with it more effectively
5 Whys
Made with by
CITOOLKIT
The Continuous Improvement Toolkit
www.citoolkit.com
© Copyright Citoolkit.com. All Rights Reserved.
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Continuous Improvement Toolkit

WHY? WHY? WHY?

Also, one of the simplest techniques and easiest to put

Toyota found that Why needs to be asked successively

Widely used within Lean and Six Sigma frameworks.

Used in the Used in Lean to

Should be combined with other root cause discovery

Why? Why? When? Why?

It is so simple that can be implemented without

The answer to each question then forms the basis of

The root cause of your problem

Find the root cause

Possible causes Root cause Solution options

WHY? Because I got up late

WHY? Because my alarm clock didn’t work Possible causes

WHY? Because the batteries were flat

WHY? Because I forgot to replace them Root cause

WHY? I drove fast because I was late for work

WHY? Because I got up late

WHY? Because my alarm clock didn’t work ACTION

Five seems to be is a good starting point (a good rule of thumb)

The goal is to get to a place where you can approach

Avoid jumping to a solution that looks great because

Do not stop unless you reach to an

You need to find a permanent solution to the problem.

In some situations, this may be sufficient, in others, you need to

Especially useful for shop

Less useful when it

With your team, write a clear and specific problem statement

Ensure your Don't stop at what

Challenge each root

The success of theof5the

5 Whys can be used individually or as part of a cause-

It can be more effective when it is used in combination with other

Sometimes, you may have more

Other times, the problem is too

The more branches

CATEGORY Possible cause 1

5 Whys is usually best suited for simple problems with

It is usually best with problems that probably have

5 Whys with data More advanced analysis

WHY? Because the window is open

WHY? Because it was too hot

Customers complain about the delayed test results at

WHY? Because our laboratory has too much workload

Because more requests for COVID-19 testing continue

PROBLEM Sales figures are getting worse day by day

WHY? Because we are selling less

WHY? Because our customers do not prefer our products

Because our competitors have better products with

WHY? Because backup operators take longer to connect callers

Because backup operators don’t know the job as well as

In case it is a team exercise,

People often don't like been

They take it as personal

Any mistake made by an employee is often due to lack of training,

What about the following answers?

Continue until you get to the root cause of the problem!

Asking Why is an essential way we all began to learn!