5 why analysis methodology

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Root Cause Analysis with 5 Whys Technique (With Examples)

By Sebastian Traeger

Updated: April 23, 2024

Reading Time: 7 minutes

What Is the 5 Whys Technique?

Example of the 5 whys technique, how to conduct a 5 whys analysis in 5 steps, when to use a 5 whys analysis, using 5 whys template, tips for mastering the 5 whys technique, frequently asked questions about 5 whys.

With over two decades in business – spanning strategy consulting, tech startups and executive leadership – I am committed to helping your organization thrive.

At Reliability, we’re on a mission to help enhance strategic decision-making and operational excellence through the power of Root Cause Analysis, and I hope this article will be helpful! 

Our goal is to help you better understand 5 whys techniques by offering insights and practical tips based on years of experience. Whether you’re new to doing RCAs or a seasoned pro, we trust this will be useful in your journey towards working hard and working smart.

The 5 Whys Technique is like peeling an onion – it helps you uncover the underlying reasons behind a problem, layer by layer. By repeatedly asking “why” at least five times, this method digs deep to reveal the root cause of an issue. It’s a simple yet powerful problem-solving approach that aims to get to the heart of the matter rather than just addressing surface-level symptoms.

5 Whys Technique: A method that involves iteratively asking “why” five times to unveil the fundamental cause of a problem.

In essence, the 5 Whys Technique is not just about fixing what’s broken on the surface; it’s about understanding and addressing the deeper issues that lead to problems in the first place.

The 5 Whys Technique is like a detective, uncovering the truth behind recurring problems. Let’s take a look at how this method works in two different scenarios.

Case Study: Manufacturing Defects

Imagine a company that keeps encountering the same manufacturing defects despite various attempts to fix them. By using the 5 Whys Technique, they discovered that the defects were not caused by faulty machinery, as previously assumed, but rather by human error due to unclear operating instructions. This realization led to improved training procedures and clear work guidelines, ultimately eliminating the defects.

Application in Service Industry

Now, consider a service industry struggling with frequent customer complaints and service failures. Through the 5 Whys Technique, it was revealed that these issues stemmed from inadequate staffing levels during peak hours. By addressing this root cause, such as hiring additional staff or adjusting schedules, the service quality can significantly improve, leading to higher customer satisfaction.

These examples illustrate how the 5 Whys Technique can be applied across different sectors to identify and address underlying issues effectively.

Step 1: Identify the Problem

Before diving into a 5 Whys analysis, it’s crucial to clearly identify the problem or issue at hand . This step sets the stage for the entire process and ensures that the focus remains on addressing the right concern. Take the time to gather relevant data, observe patterns, and consult with team members or stakeholders to gain a comprehensive understanding of the problem.

Step 2: Ask ‘Why’ Five Times

Once the problem is clearly defined, it’s time to start peeling back the layers. The process involves asking “why” five times, not necessarily limited to five questions but enough to delve deeper into the underlying causes of the problem . Each “why” serves as a gateway to uncovering additional factors contributing to the issue. This iterative approach helps in identifying not just one cause, but multiple interconnected elements that may be at play.

By consistently probing deeper with each “why,” you can reveal hidden complexities and nuances that may have been overlooked initially. This method allows for a more thorough understanding of the situation, paving the way for effective solutions that address root causes rather than surface-level symptoms.

This structured approach encourages critical thinking and enables teams to move beyond quick fixes towards sustainable improvements.

The 5 Whys Technique is a versatile problem-solving approach that can be applied in various scenarios to uncover root causes and drive continuous improvement. Here are two key situations where the 5 Whys Analysis can be particularly beneficial:

Recurring Issues

• The 5 Whys Technique is especially useful when dealing with recurring issues. Whether it’s a manufacturing defect that keeps resurfacing or a persistent customer complaint in the service industry, this method helps identify the underlying reasons behind these repetitive problems. By repeatedly asking “why,” it becomes possible to trace the issue back to its root cause, allowing for targeted solutions that prevent reoccurrence.

Process Improvement

• Organizations constantly strive to enhance their processes and workflows for increased efficiency and quality. When seeking to improve existing procedures, the 5 Whys Technique serves as a valuable tool. By systematically analyzing the factors contributing to inefficiencies or bottlenecks, teams can gain insights into how processes can be optimized at their core. This method enables organizations to make informed decisions about process improvements based on a deep understanding of the underlying issues.

In both cases, the 5 Whys Analysis offers a structured yet flexible approach to delve into complex problems, making it an indispensable tool for driving meaningful change and progress within organizations.

When it comes to conducting a 5 Whys analysis, utilizing a structured template can greatly facilitate the process and ensure a comprehensive investigation into the root cause identification. Using RCA software such as EasyRCA can benefit the team by streamlining your 5-why process. Here’s how organizations can benefit from using a template:

Benefits of Using a Template

• Streamlined Process: A well-designed 5 Whys template provides a clear framework for conducting the analysis, guiding teams through the iterative questioning process. This streamlines the investigation, making it easier to navigate and ensuring that no crucial aspects are overlooked.
• Thorough Investigation: By following a predefined template, teams are prompted to explore various facets of the problem systematically. This ensures that all relevant factors are considered, leading to a more thorough and insightful investigation into the underlying causes.
• Consistent Approach: Templates offer a standardized approach to conducting 5 Whys analyses within an organization. This consistency promotes uniformity in problem-solving methods across different teams or departments, enhancing overall efficiency and effectiveness.

Customizing the Template

Organizations have the flexibility to customize 5 Whys templates according to their specific needs and industry requirements. This adaptability allows for tailoring the template to address unique challenges and incorporate industry-specific considerations. Customization may include:

• Adding Industry-Specific Prompts: Tailoring the template by incorporating prompts or questions relevant to particular industries or types of issues being analyzed.
• Incorporating Visual Aids: Enhancing the template with visual aids such as flow charts or diagrams can help teams better understand and communicate complex causal relationships.
• Iterative Refinement: Regularly reviewing and refining the template based on feedback and evolving organizational needs ensures that it remains aligned with current processes and challenges.

Customizing the template empowers organizations to harness the full potential of the 5 Whys Technique in addressing diverse problems while aligning with their unique operational contexts.

Encouraging Open Communication

In mastering the 5 Whys Technique as a problem-solving method, creating an environment that fosters open communication is paramount. When team members feel comfortable expressing their perspectives and insights, it leads to a more comprehensive exploration of the underlying causes of a problem. Encouraging open communication allows for diverse viewpoints to be considered, providing a holistic understanding of the issue at hand.

By promoting an atmosphere where individuals are empowered to voice their observations and concerns, the 5 Whys analysis can benefit from a rich tapestry of ideas and experiences. This inclusive approach not only enhances the depth of the analysis but also cultivates a sense of ownership and collective responsibility for addressing root causes within the team or organization.

Continuous Improvement Mindset

A key aspect of mastering the 5 Whys Technique is embracing a continuous improvement mindset. Rather than viewing problems as isolated incidents, this approach encourages teams to see them as opportunities for growth and development. By instilling a culture of continuous improvement, organizations can leverage the insights gained from 5 Whys analyzes to drive positive change across various aspects of their operations.

Fostering a mindset focused on continuous improvement entails actively seeking feedback, evaluating processes, and implementing iterative enhancements based on the findings. It involves an ongoing commitment to learning from past experiences and leveraging that knowledge to proactively address potential issues before they escalate. Embracing this mindset ensures that the 5 Whys Technique becomes ingrained in the organizational ethos, leading to sustained progress and resilience in problem-solving efforts.

As we wrap up our exploration of the 5 Whys Technique, let’s address some common questions that may arise regarding this powerful problem-solving method.

What is the primary goal of the 5 Whys Technique?

The primary goal of the 5 Whys Technique is to uncover the root cause of a problem by iteratively asking “why” at least five times. This approach aims to move beyond surface-level symptoms and address the underlying issues that lead to recurring problems.

Is the 5 Whys Technique limited to specific industries or sectors?

No, the 5 Whys Technique is versatile and can be applied across various industries and sectors. Whether it’s manufacturing, healthcare, service, or technology, this method offers a structured yet flexible approach to identifying root causes and driving continuous improvement.

How does the 5 Whys Technique contribute to continuous improvement?

By delving into the fundamental reasons behind problems, the 5 Whys Technique provides organizations with valuable insights for driving continuous improvement. It not only helps in resolving immediate issues but also fosters a culture of ongoing enhancement and development within an organization.

Can the 5 Whys Technique be used for complex problems with multiple contributing factors?

Yes, while initially designed as a simple and straightforward method, the 5 Whys Technique can certainly be applied to complex problems with multiple interconnected factors. By systematically probing deeper into each layer of causality, this technique enables a comprehensive understanding of intricate issues.

I hope you found this guide to 5 whys technique insightful and actionable! Stay tuned for more thought-provoking articles as we continue to share our knowledge. Success is rooted in a thorough understanding and consistent application, and we hope this article was a step in unlocking the full potential of Root Cause Analysis for your organization.

Reliability runs initiatives such as an online learning center focused on the proprietary PROACT® RCA methodology and EasyRCA.com software. For additional resources, visit Reliability Resources .

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Article • 11 min read

Getting to the Root of a Problem Quickly

By the Mind Tools Content Team

5 Whys Root-Cause Analysis

Have you ever had a problem that refused to go away? No matter what you did, sooner or later it would return, perhaps in another form.

Stubborn or recurrent problems are often symptoms of deeper issues. "Quick fixes" may seem convenient, but they often solve only the surface issues and waste resources that could otherwise be used to tackle the real cause.

In this article and in the video, below, we look at the 5 Whys technique (sometimes known as 5Y). This is a simple but powerful tool for cutting quickly through the outward symptoms of a problem to reveal its underlying causes – so that you can deal with it once and for all.

Origins of the 5 Whys Technique

Sakichi Toyoda, the Japanese industrialist, inventor, and founder of Toyota Industries, developed the 5 Whys technique in the 1930s. It became popular in the 1970s, and Toyota still uses it to solve problems today.

Toyota has a "go and see" philosophy. This means that its decision making is based on an in-depth understanding of what's actually happening on the shop floor , rather than on what someone in a boardroom thinks might be happening.

The 5 Whys technique is true to this tradition, and it is most effective when the answers come from people who have hands-on experience of the process or problem in question.

The method is remarkably simple: when a problem occurs, you drill down to its root cause by asking "Why?" five times. Then, when a counter-measure becomes apparent, you follow it through to prevent the issue from recurring.

The 5 Whys uses "counter-measures," rather than "solutions." A counter-measure is an action or set of actions that seeks to prevent the problem from arising again, while a solution may just seek to deal with the symptom. As such, counter-measures are more robust, and will more likely prevent the problem from recurring.

When to Use a 5 Whys Analysis

You can use 5 Whys for troubleshooting, quality improvement, and problem solving, but it is most effective when used to resolve simple or moderately difficult problems.

It may not be suitable if you need to tackle a complex or critical problem. This is because 5 Whys can lead you to pursue a single track, or a limited number of tracks, of inquiry when, in fact, there could be multiple causes. In cases like these, a wider-ranging method such as Cause and Effect Analysis or Failure Mode and Effects Analysis may b e more effective.

This simple 5 Whys technique, however, can often direct you quickly to the root cause of a problem. So, whenever a system or process isn't working properly, give it a try before you embark on a more in-depth approach – and certainly before you attempt to develop a solution.

The tool's simplicity gives it great flexibility, too, and 5 Whys combines well with other methods and techniques, such as Root Cause Analysis . It is often associated with Lean Manufacturing , where it is used to identify and eliminate wasteful practices. It is also used in the analysis phase of the Six Sigma quality improvement methodology.

How to Use the 5 Whys

The model follows a very simple seven-step process: [1]

1. Assemble a Team

Gather together people who are familiar with the specifics of the problem, and with the process that you're trying to fix. Include someone to act as a facilitator , who can keep the team focused on identifying effective counter-measures.

2. Define the Problem

If you can, observe the problem in action. Discuss it with your team and write a brief, clear problem statement that you all agree on. For example, "Team A isn't meeting its response time targets" or "Software release B resulted in too many rollback failures."

Then, write your statement on a whiteboard or sticky note, leaving enough space around it to add your answers to the repeated question, "Why?"

3. Ask the First "Why?"

Ask your team why the problem is occurring. (For example, "Why isn't Team A meeting its response time targets?")

Asking "Why?" sounds simple, but answering it requires serious thought. Search for answers that are grounded in fact: they must be accounts of things that have actually happened, not guesses at what might have happened.

This prevents 5 Whys from becoming just a process of deductive reasoning, which can generate a large number of possible causes and, sometimes, create more confusion as you chase down hypothetical problems.

Your team members may come up with one obvious reason why, or several plausible ones. Record their answers as succinct phrases, rather than as single words or lengthy statements, and write them below (or beside) your problem statement. For example, saying "volume of calls is too high" is better than a vague "overloaded."

4. Ask "Why?" Four More Times

For each of the answers that you generated in Step 3, ask four further "whys" in succession. Each time, frame the question in response to the answer you've just recorded.

What Is a 5 Whys Template?

The diagram, below, shows an example of 5 Whys in action, following a single lane of inquiry.

Figure 1: 5 Whys Example (Single Lane)

The 5 Whys method also allows you to follow multiple lanes of inquiry. An example of this is shown in Figure 2, below.

In our example, asking "Why was the delivery late?" produces a second answer (Reason 2). Asking "Why?" for that answer reveals a single reason (Reason 1), which you can address with a counter-measure.

Similarly, asking "Why did the job take longer than expected?" has a second answer (Reason 2), and asking "Why?" at this point reveals a single reason (Reason 1). Another "Why?" here identifies two possibilities (Reasons 1 and 2) before a possible counter-measure becomes evident.

There is also a second reason for "Why we ran out of printer ink" (Reason 2), and a single answer for the next "Why?" (Reason 1), which can then be addressed with a counter-measure.

Figure 2: 5 Whys Example (Multiple Lanes)

Step 5. Know When to Stop

You'll know that you've revealed the root cause of the problem when asking "why" produces no more useful responses, and you can go no further. An appropriate counter-measure or process change should then become evident. (As we said earlier, if you're not sure that you've uncovered the real root cause, consider using a more in-depth problem-solving technique like Cause and Effect Analysis , Root-Cause Analysis , or FMEA .)

If you identified more than one reason in Step 3, repeat this process for each of the different branches of your analysis until you reach a root cause for each one.

6. Address the Root Cause(s)

Now that you've identified at least one root cause, you need to discuss and agree on the counter-measures that will prevent the problem from recurring.

7. Monitor Your Measures

Keep a close watch on how effectively your counter-measures eliminate or minimize the initial problem. You may need to amend them, or replace them entirely. If this happens, it's a good idea to repeat the 5 Whys process to ensure that you've identified the correct root cause.

Appreciation

A similar question-based approach known as "appreciation" can help you to uncover factors in a situation that you might otherwise miss.

It was originally developed by the military to assist commanders in gaining a comprehensive understanding of any fact, problem or situation. But you can also apply it in the workplace.

Starting with a fact, you first ask the question, "So what?" – in other words, what are the implications of that fact? Why is this fact important?

You then continue asking that question until you've drawn all possible conclusions from it.

The major difference between this and the 5 Whys technique is that appreciation is often used to get the most information out of a simple fact or statement, while 5 Whys is designed to drill down to the root of a problem.

Tips for Using the 5 Whys Technique

• Try to move quickly from one question to the next. That way, you'll have the full picture before you jump to any conclusions.
• The "5" in 5 Whys is really just a " rule of thumb ." In some cases, you may need to ask "Why?" a few more times before you get to the root of the problem. In other cases, you may reach this point before you ask your fifth "Why?" If you do, make sure that you haven't stopped too soon, and that you're not simply accepting "knee-jerk" responses.
• Know when to stop! The important point is to stop asking "Why?" when you stop producing useful responses.

Frequently Asked Questions About 5 Whys

1. what is the 5 whys technique.

The 5 Whys Technique is a problem-solving method involving repeatedly asking "why?" It's a way of quickly getting to the root cause of a situation.

2. Who Invented 5 Whys?

The 5 Whys technique was invented in the 1930s by Sakichi Toyoda, the Japanese industrialist, inventor, and founder of Toyota Industries.

5 Whys Infographic

See our infographic on the 5 Whys and use it to get to the root of your problems!

Bear in mind that appreciation can restrict you to one line of thinking. For instance, once you've answered your first "So what?" question, you might follow a single line of inquiry to its conclusion. To avoid this, repeat the appreciation process several times over to make sure that you've covered all bases.

The 5 Whys strategy is a simple, effective tool for uncovering the root of a problem. You can use it in troubleshooting, problem-solving, and quality-improvement initiatives.

Start with a problem and ask why it is occurring. Make sure that your answer is grounded in fact, and then ask the question again. Continue the process until you reach the root cause of the problem, and you can identify a counter-measure that will prevent it from recurring.

Bear in mind that this questioning process is best suited to simple or moderately difficult problems. Complex problems may benefit from a more detailed approach, although using 5 Whys will still give you useful insights.

[1] Pojasek, R. (2000). 'Asking "Why?" Five Times,' Environmental Quality Management , Volume 10, Issue 1, 79–84. Available here . [Accessed July 1, 2022.]

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Root Cause Analysis – The 5 Whys Technique

This elementary and often effective approach to problem-solving promotes deep thinking through questioning, and can be adapted quickly and applied to most problems. For example, asking “Why?” may be a favorite technique of your three-year-old child in driving you crazy, but it could teach you a valuable problem-solving technique.

“If you don’t ask the right questions, you don’t get the right answers. A question asked in the right way often points to its answer. Asking questions is the ABC of diagnosis. Only the inquiring mind solves problems.” – Edward Hodnett

The “5 Whys” is a simple problem-solving technique that helps you to get to the root of a problem quickly, which was originally developed by Sakichi Toyota. It was used within the Toyota Motor Corporation during the evolution of its manufacturing methodologies. It is a critical component of problem-solving training, delivered as part of the induction into the Toyota Production System.

How to Conduct 5 Whys Analysis?

When you’re looking to solve a problem, start at the result and work backward (toward the root cause), continually asking: “Why?” You’ll need to repeat this over and over until the root cause of the problem becomes apparent.

The 5 Whys strategy involves looking at any problem and asking: “Why?” and “What caused this problem?” Very often, the answer to the first “why” will prompt another “why” and the answer to the second “why” will prompt another and so on; hence the name the 5 Whys strategy.

The 5 Whys exercise is vastly improved when applied by a team and there are five basic steps to conducting it:

• Write down the specific problem. Writing the issue helps you formalize the problem and describe it completely. It also helps a team focus on the same problem.
• Ask “Why” the problem happens and write the answer down below the problem.
• If the answer you just provided doesn’t identify the root cause of the problem that you wrote down in Step 1, ask “Why” again and write that answer down.
• Loopback to step 3 until the team is in agreement that the problem’s root cause is identified. Again, this may take fewer or more times than five Whys.
• After settling on the most probable root cause of the problem and obtaining confirmation of the logic behind the analysis, develop appropriate corrective actions to remove the root cause from the system.

Edit this Diagram

5 Whys Example

The vehicle will not start. (The problem)

• Why? – The battery is dead. (First why)
• Why? – The alternator is not functioning. (Second why)
• Why? – The alternator belt has broken. (Third why)
• Why? – The alternator belt was well beyond its useful service life and not replaced. (Fourth why)
• Why? – The vehicle was not maintained according to the recommended service schedule. (Fifth why, a root cause)

Note: A 5 Whys analysis sometime could be taken further to a sixth, seventh, or higher level, but five iterations of asking why are generally sufficient to get to a root cause.

5-Whys Criticisms

Here are each of the criticisms as listed on the Wikipedia:

• Stopping at symptoms, not the root cause
• Limited by the investigator’s knowledge.
• Not asking the right Why questions.
• Not repeatable – Different people build different 5 Whys.
• The tendency to isolate a single root cause

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What are 5 Whys?

The 5 Whys method is an iterative interrogative technique pioneered at Toyota Motor Corporation in the 1930s to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a specific problem. By working back the cause of one effect to another up to five times, designers can expose root causes and explore effective solutions.

“Be ahead of the times through endless creativity, inquisitiveness and pursuit of improvement.” — Sakichi Toyoda, Japanese industrialist and inventor who formulated the 5 Whys method

See why 5 Whys is such a valuable tool.

• Transcript loading…

Dig Deep to the Root Cause with 5 Whys

To ask why something happened is a natural, effective way to uncover a problem, be it a high bounce rate on a website, a marketplace failure or anything else you may want to know about users, etc. However, cause-and-effect chains can be long and complex . Whether they occur in the natural or human world, end-result events rarely happen in isolation with only one cause to trigger them. The effects of one action or condition can be so far-reaching that it’s easy to jump to conclusions when you look at the end result. The greater the number of removes —or steps in a cause-and-effect chain— the more effort and insight it will take to work your way back to what actually started the whole sequence of events that ultimately resulted in the problem at hand. If you overlook any factors involved, you might end up making assumptions—and it’s essential to discard assumptions in user experience (UX) design .

The 5 Whys method was developed to work back to a root cause of a mechanical problem by a total of five removes. Toyota’s famous example illustrates the simple nature but immense power of the technique:

Why did the robot stop? The circuit overloaded, making a fuse blow.

Why? There was insufficient lubrication on the bearings, so they locked up.

Why? The oil pump on the robot wasn’t circulating enough oil.

Why? The pump intake was clogged with metal shavings.

Why? There was no filter on the pump .

In UX design—for example service design —system failures can be far more intricate than this. Users are humans who act in complex contexts, and their behaviors (and reasons for these) can be difficult to decipher, especially with so many channels and parts of their user journeys for you to examine. Most of what we first see when we look at an apparent problem (or, rather, its end result) is just on the surface. Symptoms can be misleading. On that note—and even more importantly for modern designers—the 5 Whys is an essential tool to dig down to root causes on a bigger scale. As cognitive science and user experience expert Don Norman advises in his 21st century design , human-centered design and humanity-centered design approaches, designers who want to effect real change in solving complex global-level problems need to get beneath the symptoms and apparent causes to discover and address what’s really going on. If you don’t solve the right problem—and work with the root cause—the symptoms will just come back.

You can use 5 Whys anytime in your design process, but it’s particularly helpful early on when you need to understand the problem facing your users, customers and/or stakeholders. As such, it’s a valuable aid in design thinking . When you conduct user research , the answers you can get by asking “why” repeatedly can arm your design team with many insights from users—insights which you can leverage to identify the real or underlying problem, and then iteratively gear your ideation efforts more accurately around it. You can use 5 Whys to:

Determine what’s important from the user’s/customer’s/stakeholder’s viewpoint.

Explore why users/customers/stakeholders think, feel and do what they do.

Analyze the information.

© Daniel Skrok and Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY-SA 3.0

How to Use 5 Whys to Find the Root Cause

Five Whys is especially helpful to use in the empathize stage of design thinking, when you’re gathering the information you need so you can proceed to define the problem to address. It’s exactly as it sounds: you:

Base the first question on the apparent end result.

Form the second question on the answer to this.

Form the third question on the answer to the second question.

Form the fourth question on the answer to the third.

Form the fifth question on the answer to the fourth.

For example : “Not as many customers are subscribing to the website’s newsletter after the design changed.”

Why? Most of them click the subscription-related button within two seconds after it appears.

Why? Because they’re used to seeing subscription-prompting pop-ups.

Why? Because the internet is full of these.

Why? Because organizations have grown used to deploying these with an automatic opt-in dark pattern for users to find it harder not to subscribe.

Why? Because automatic opt- out buttons or allowing users to freely think about newsletter subscriptions (i.e., without guiding them with a design pattern) mean fewer subscriptions.

Here, it appears the designer failed to use the automatic opt-in design pattern.

You can frame your “why” questions with different wording (e.g., “What do you think made that happen?”).

Keep asking until you get to the root cause of why your users feel or behave a certain way. For example, if they say, “Because I felt like doing that,” try to prompt them to evaluate their statement (without annoying them).

You can ask fewer (or more) questions, whatever works.

Ask “Why?” even if you think you already know the answer: you may be surprised what insights you can evoke.

© Olya Kobruseva, CC0

Learn More about the 5 Whys

Take our 21st Century Design course , featuring the 5 Whys template. If you want to know more about how you can apply the 5 Whys and many other humanity-centered design tools to help solve the world’s biggest problems you can take our course Design for a Better World with Don Norman .

Read the inspiring book on how you can implement your design skills and knowledge to help solve complex global problems such as climate change, hunger and inequity. Norman, Donald A. Design for a Better World: Meaningful, Sustainable, Humanity Centered . Cambridge, MA, MA: The MIT Press, 2023. You can use 5 Whys anytime in your design process. It’s particularly helpful early on when you need to understand the problem facing your users, customers and/or stakeholders. As such, it’s a valuable aid in the first phase of the design thinking process. Take our design thinking course and learn how to benefit from the 5 Whys method.

Read this UX Planet piece for in-depth insights on 5 Whys.

Answer a Short Quiz to Earn a Gift

When was the 5 Whys method developed?

What is the primary goal of the 5 Whys method?

• To determine user preferences
• To explore cause-and-effect relationships
• To increase sales and marketing effectiveness

In the context of UX design, why is it important to discard assumptions?

• To focus on aesthetic design
• To ensure functionality
• To avoid solving the wrong problem

At which stage of the design thinking process is the 5 Whys method particularly helpful?

• Empathize stage
• Ideate stage

According to the text, what can be misleading when looking at a problem?

• The root cause
• The design process

Better luck next time!

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Literature on 5 Whys

Here’s the entire UX literature on 5 Whys by the Interaction Design Foundation, collated in one place:

Learn more about 5 Whys

Take a deep dive into 5 Whys with our course Design for a Better World with Don Norman .

“Because everyone designs, we are all designers, so it is up to all of us to change the world. However, those of us who are professional designers have an even greater responsibility, for professional designers have the training and the knowledge to have a major impact on the lives of people and therefore on the earth.” — Don Norman, Design for a Better World

Our world is full of complex socio-technical problems:

Unsustainable and wasteful practices that cause extreme climate changes such as floods and droughts.

Wars that worsen hunger and poverty .

Pandemics that disrupt entire economies and cripple healthcare .

Widespread misinformation that undermines education.

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• Guide: 5 Whys

Daniel Croft

Daniel Croft is an experienced continuous improvement manager with a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and a Bachelor's degree in Business Management. With more than ten years of experience applying his skills across various industries, Daniel specializes in optimizing processes and improving efficiency. His approach combines practical experience with a deep understanding of business fundamentals to drive meaningful change.

• Last Updated: May 9, 2023
• Learn Lean Sigma

5 Whys is a problem-solving technique used to get to the root cause of problems by asking the question of Why multiple times, but often 5 times giving it the name “5 Whys”. This allows people to address the root cause of issues instead of the symptoms of the root causes which is often what is seen as the problem. 

Like a doctor diagnosing an issue such as neck pain, a painkiller will only address the symptoms of the neck pain and not the root cause of the pain. By getting to the root cause you can ensure a long-term fix to the root cause of the neck pain which could be caused by seating positions and not taking painkillers which is a short-term fix.

Table of Contents

What is the 5 whys.

The 5 Whys is a root cause analysis problem-solving technique that aims to identify the root cause of a problem by repeatedly asking the question “Why?” five times or until the core issue is unveiled. Developed within the Toyota Production System , it’s one of fundamental tools in the Lean Six Sigma methodology.

Here’s how it works:

• Begin with a clear and concise problem statement.
• Ask “Why?” the problem occurred. Document the answer.
• If this answer doesn’t identify the root cause, ask “Why?” again and document the subsequent answer.
• Continue this process until you’ve either asked “Why?” five times or the root cause has been identified.

Lets go through an example, let’s say a machine stopped working:

• Why? – The machine’s fuse blew.
• Why? – The machine was overloaded.
• Why? – There wasn’t adequate training on machine capacity.
• Why? – Training materials were outdated.
• Why? – There’s no review process for updating training materials.

In this case, the root cause is the lack of a review process for training materials, and addressing this will prevent similar issues in the future. Only treating the symptom in this situation would have been to change the fuse, for it then to regularly blow and cause additional downtime.

This is a good example where a machine stopping working’s root cause is cause by an issue what would not be obvious is first glace at the symptom of the problem and provides a clear example that root cause analysis is important to ensure that solutions are not jumped to before a through root cause analysis is conducted. 

Why is the 5 Whys Important?

Understanding the 5 Whys is important because identifying symptoms of a problem is not the same as uncovering its root cause. If you only address symptoms this provides only temporary solution to the problem. However, understanding and resolving the root cause can prevent the issue from reoccurring.

The 5 Whys Problem-Solving technique is also useful for:

• Problem Prevention: By identifying the root cause of the problem, businesses can implement long-term solutions, leading to more robust systems and processes and prevent the problem reoccurring.
• Cost-Efficiency: Addressing root causes is often more cost-effective in the long run as it prevents recurrence and the associated costs of repeated problem-solving which usually involves the same people constantly firefighting the same issues such as repeated machine breakdowns.
• Improved Processes: Regular use of the 5 Whys to identify the root causes of problems can highlight weaknesses in processes, leading to continuous improvement and optimization processes.
• Empowerment: The use of 5 Whys by individuals a positive culture that promotes a deeper understanding of systems and processes, empowering teams to take ownership and responsibility in addressing issues.

How to Conduct a 5 Whys Root Cause Analysis?

Step 1: define the problem.

This is an important step as if the problem is not defined effectively it could result in focusing in the wrong problem. A good method for this could be to use the 5W1H Is/Is Not Problem solving technique to gain a common understanding of that the problem is.

When stating the problem you are going to conduct a 5 Whys on it is important to be specific about the issue and avoid ambiguous descriptions. Additionally, where data and information is available this should be collected and used as evidence that points to the actual problem rather than opinions of the problem. 

Step 2: Ask the First “Why?”

Now you have a clear problem definition you should ask the question “Why did that happen?” This should be done to understand the problem without making assumptions and should be done with supporting facts and data that backs up the initial answer to the question.

Step 3: Continue to Ask Why?

Now you should have an answer to the first why. This should form the next step and ask why did that happen. This ensures you dont settle for the inisital surface-level answer or symptoms of the real problem and pushes you to understand the underlying issues.

When you continue to ask why you should:

• Continuously question the previous answer
• Challenge answer that seem like assumptions and lack evidence to support them to avoid going down the wrong route. 

Step 4: Continue the Process

• Keep the questioning focused on the problem
• If you feel the questioning is going off track revert back to what the initial problem definition.
• Ensure each answer provided logically leads to the next “Why?”
• The 5 Whys process then concludes when further questions leads to no further valuable answers are given or the when the root cause of the issues becomes clear.

Step 5 Implement Solutions

Once you have identified the root cause the you need to address it by implementing a solution to prevent the problem reoccuring.

This should be a case of developing an actionable solution that address the root cause of the issue and not preventing the symptoms as addressing the symptom will likely cause the issue to reappear elsewhere.

Make sure you test the solutions to ensure they are effective in addressing the root cause, you should then continue to monitor the process over time to confirm the problem did not reappear in the same place or elsewhere.

If the problem does not re appear congratulations you have solved the problem!

An Example of 5 Whys Analysis

Below is a good example of a 5 Whys analysis done in a situation where there was a production downtime.

To summarize, the 5 Whys process is an effective problem-solving tool that can assist businesses in identifying the root cause of a problem and developing effective solutions. Teams can delve deep into underlying issues and develop targeted solutions that address the root cause of the problem by asking “why” multiple times.

The five steps of the 5 Whys process – defining the problem, asking “why” once, asking “why” more times, developing a solution, implementing the solution, provide a clear framework for problem-solving and can help ensure that the problem is effectively resolved. The 5 Whys process encourages teams to think critically and systematically, resulting in long-term solutions that are effective, targeted, and sustainable.

• Benjamin, S.J., Marathamuthu, M.S. and Murugaiah, U., 2015. The use of 5-WHYs technique to eliminate OEE’s speed loss in a manufacturing firm.   Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering ,  21 (4), pp.419-435.

A: The 5 Whys technique is a problem-solving method that involves asking “why” multiple times to uncover the root cause of a problem or issue.

A: The 5 Whys technique involves repeatedly asking “why” to identify the underlying cause of a problem. After asking “why” five times or until the root cause is revealed, you can develop effective solutions to address the issue.

A: The primary purpose of the 5 Whys technique is to identify and address the root cause of a problem. It helps organizations and individuals go beyond surface-level symptoms and understand the deeper issues affecting their processes or systems.

A: The 5 Whys technique is best used when you encounter a problem or issue that needs to be resolved. It is particularly useful for complex problems, recurring issues, or situations where multiple factors contribute to the problem.

A: Yes, the 5 Whys technique can be applied to any industry or field. It is commonly used in manufacturing, engineering, healthcare, software development, project management, and various other sectors.

A: While the technique is called the “5 Whys,” the number of “whys” you need to ask may vary. The goal is to keep asking “why” until you reach the root cause of the problem, which may require more or fewer than five iterations.

A: Yes, there are a few limitations to consider when using the 5 Whys technique. It relies on the skill and knowledge of the people involved, and it may oversimplify complex problems. Additionally, it assumes a linear cause-and-effect relationship, which may not always be accurate.

A: Yes, the 5 Whys technique can be used in a group setting. In fact, involving multiple perspectives can enhance the effectiveness of the technique and lead to more comprehensive problem-solving.

Daniel Croft is a seasoned continuous improvement manager with a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. With over 10 years of real-world application experience across diverse sectors, Daniel has a passion for optimizing processes and fostering a culture of efficiency. He's not just a practitioner but also an avid learner, constantly seeking to expand his knowledge. Outside of his professional life, Daniel has a keen Investing, statistics and knowledge-sharing, which led him to create the website learnleansigma.com, a platform dedicated to Lean Six Sigma and process improvement insights.

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5 Whys: Examples, explanations, and how to find the causes of problems

At some point, we’ve all experienced a problem with a process or strategy at work. But figuring out why the problem exists can be a daunting task. When you sit your teammates down for a discussion, emotions run high and miscommunication is common.

The 5 Whys is a powerful, easy-to-use technique for getting at the root of a problem. It empowers you and your team to understand why a problem persists and to decide on a path forward.

• What is the 5 Whys framework?

The 5 Whys is a popular problem-solving method that individuals and teams use to understand the potential causes of a specific issue. Years ago, Toyota developed the approach to help them get at the heart of complex mechanical issues, so you know it’s legitimate! The technique is easy to use: you ask why a problem happened, and then you ask four more times. By asking “why” on a step-by-step basis, you can get to the root cause of a defect, failure, challenge, or malfunction.

• When and Why the 5 Whys Analysis is Used

The 5 Whys framework is useful in a variety of situations. People love it because it helps you have a focused discussion and avoid getting distracted by other topics. You just start with a problem statement, ask why the problem exists, and keep moving through the exercise until you’ve uncovered the problem.

Here are some scenarios where you might find the 5 Whys approach to be useful.

Working on complex products

Remember, the 5 Whys technique was originally developed by Toyota. The car manufacturer needed a clear-cut way of dealing with a product that has thousands of parts. But that doesn’t mean the technique only works for large physical goods. Many organizations use the 5 Whys approach when software malfunctions, when a key deliverable with many moving parts doesn’t work properly, or when a multi-step process breaks down.

Solving complex problems

When a problem is so complex that engineers, designers, or decision-makers are scratching their heads, the 5 Whys approach may serve you well. Maybe your complicated marketing strategy didn’t hit your targets, or an important API isn’t working. Instead of getting overwhelmed, the 5 Whys framework helps you wrap your head around the problem.

Dealing with consistent problems

Maybe the problem doesn’t seem complex, but it keeps coming up. Or maybe you’ve tried multiple solutions and none seem to work. Rather than burning precious time and money on yet another risky bandaid, try the 5 Whys to finally discover what’s going on.

• How to conduct a 5 Whys analysis in 6 steps

One of the great things about the 5 Whys framework is that it’s easy to understand. Unlike many other problem-solving techniques, which can be difficult to grasp, you can explain the 5 Whys to your team in minutes. Follow these guidelines any time you need to use the approach.

Step 1 – Form your problem statement.

Start by asking your team what problem you’re about to analyze. Everyone should get a chance to articulate the problem so you’re all on the same page. Sometimes, you might find yourself using the 5 Whys approach to uncover the root of a difficult or charged obstacle. If that’s the case, give your team the time and space to be honest with each other and to have difficult conversations. Write down the problem statement for everyone to reference.

Step 2 – Ask “why has this happened?” 5 times.

Don’t be too literal with it. Feel free to amend the “why” statement to something like “Why does this keep happening?” or “Why are we having this problem?” Keep going until you’ve asked “why” five or more times. It might feel unnatural, but eventually, you’ll push through any awkwardness to uncover the root of the problem.

Step 3 – Jot down logical causes.

Okay, now you have a pretty good handle on your problem. Write down any logical causes that have followed from your 5 Whys analysis. Regardless of whether those causes came from your first “why” or your fifth, make a detailed note of them. Discuss the causes with your team and make sure you’re all agreed.

Step 4 – Hypothesize an answer.

Now that you have your logical cause, it’s time to come up with some potential solutions. At this stage, you’re just having a conversation. You don’t need to come up with the perfect solution in this meeting. Have everyone go around the room and say (or write down) a possible solution. Ask everyone to vote on the most actionable one.

Step 5 – Test your hypothesis.

Put your solution to the test with some experiments. If you’ve decided that a marketing campaign failed because you didn’t choose the correct target audience, then maybe you can come up with some A/B tests to vet possible solutions. Aim for low-stakes tests that you can use to draw meaningful conclusions.

Step 6 – Repeat until solved.

Iterate until you’ve solved the problem! Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t happen right away. Sometimes, it might take multiple rounds of “whys” followed by many rounds of testing to uncover a solution. Keep an open line of communication among your teammates and don’t give up.

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• A simple 5 Whys example

The 5 Whys is an adaptable, easy-to-use framework for uncovering the root of a problem. Organizations and teams of all sizes use the framework to overcome complex, high-stakes challenges. Here’s a quick example to help you bring this method of analysis to your own team.

Let’s say your team has been working on an app for many months. You rolled out a beta version late last quarter. You were supposed to ship the app to the rest of your users at the beginning of this quarter, but a problem arose: a bunch of your early users complained of a fatal error that caused the app to crash. As a result, you couldn’t ship it, and your customers were disappointed.

Step 1 — Write down your problem statement. 

As we mentioned above, the first step in following the 5 Whys framework is to clearly and succinctly define what problem you’re trying to solve. The entire group should be clear about this issue. In this case, the problem statement is: your app wasn’t ready to ship to your customers.

Step 2 — Start with the broadest possible question.

Start with the broadest possible question. Then aim to answer it. Why wasn’t the app ready for your customers? It wasn’t ready because there was a bug in the code that caused it to crash.

Drill down into that question. Why was there a bug in the code that caused it to crash? There was a bug in the code because the engineers didn’t get user feedback in time to fix it.

Keep drilling down. Why didn’t the engineers get that user feedback? They didn’t get the feedback because the development team didn’t provide an easy way for users to submit their feedback.

Continue drilling down, asking more and more precise questions as you get closer to the answer. Why didn’t the development team provide an easy way for users to leave feedback? They didn’t provide an easy way for users to leave feedback because they weren’t clear on deadlines for the project.

Ask “why” at least one more time. Why wasn’t the development team clear on deadlines for the project? They weren’t clear on deadlines because they weren’t meeting with stakeholders often enough to know when the timeline changed.

Step 3 – Write down logical issues.

Now you have enough information to write down logical causes. It seems that this problem stemmed from a lack of communication between stakeholders. That caused the development team and engineering team to become misaligned.

Step 4 – Once you’re ready, you can come up with a possible solution to this problem.

Once you’re ready, you can come up with a possible solution to this problem. In the future, internal stakeholders will hold weekly check-ins to make sure they’re aligned on where the project is headed.

Step 5 – Put that hypothesis into action.

Here’s where you get to test out your hypothesis and see what effects it has. Moving forward, start holding weekly check-ins and see what happens. If miscommunication and confusion goes down, you’ll know you’re on the right track.Step 6 – Adjust your strategy, if needed

Resist the urge to consider a problem “solved” and move on immediately. It’s important to revisit how the solution is functioning in the weeks ahead, continually checking in with everyone on the team to see how they’re feeling about it. You may need to tweak your strategy over time.

• How 5 Whys helped solve the problem

This example clearly showcases the power of the 5 Whys. What looked like a problem with code turned out to be a symptom of miscommunication.

Although this is just a hypothetical, we all know stuff like this happens every day. But it’s often difficult to uncover the root causes of a problem without months and months of exploration. With the 5 Whys, you can overcome costly challenges in a much shorter amount of time.

• Try the 5 Whys template for free

Clearly, asking “why?” isn’t just a technique used by persistent 4-year-olds – it’s actually a quick and easy way to identify a root cause. Countless teams across different industries have had great results using this framework. Save time, collaborate with your team, and solve hard problems with Miro’s free 5 Whys template .

• How Miro helps distributed teams collaborate

Working with a remote team can be challenging — but it also offers unparalleled opportunities for creativity and collaboration. Miro’s online whiteboard helps teams overcome cultural divides, communication silos, geographic barriers, and micro-cultures to empower you to stay connected and do great things.

Miro has a variety of templates and tools for teams to help you and your team:

• Create a mind map
• Manage a scrum board
• Create user story maps and customer journey maps
• Work with sticky notes, even if you aren’t in the same room
• Generate flow charts and diagrams
• Run brainstorming sessions

And lots more… try Miro for remote collaboration today!

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How to Conduct a 5 Whys Analysis

Lucid Content

Reading time: about 6 min

It’s an exciting time to be alive. We have answers to conceivably any question, and they all can be accessed in a matter of seconds from a device no larger than our hand.

And yet, despite endless resources, even the best plans go awry—problems still exist that baffle even the strongest of teams. When an unexpected challenge arises, it’s difficult to locate the root of the problem.

Luckily, there’s a solid technique for locating the origin of any difficulty, and it’s called the 5 whys. The 5 whys analysis is a proven technique used by some of the world’s largest companies, and all it requires is a bit of thought (and potentially a Lucidchart template).

The beginning of the 5 whys

The five whys analysis was developed by Taiichi Ohno, the pioneer of the Toyota Production System in the 1950s. He details his method of problem solving in his book, Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production . The technique Ohno developed was so effective that Toyota uses it to this day. Ohno saw a problem not as a negative but as an opportunity in disguise.

When approaching a problem in this manner, it becomes an investigative journey and not a barrier. It’s a way to find hope in circumstances that seem dire or overwhelming. Here’s an example of a time Ohno used the five whys to discover the reason for a robot stopping on the assembly room floor:

• "Why did the robot stop?" The circuit has overloaded, causing a fuse to blow.
• "Why is the circuit overloaded?" There was insufficient lubrication on the bearings, so they locked up.
• "Why was there insufficient lubrication on the bearings?" The oil pump on the robot does not circulate sufficient oil.
• "Why does the pump not circulate sufficient oil?" The pump intake is clogged with metal shavings.
• "Why is the intake clogged with metal shavings?" Because there is no filter on the pump.

As you can see in this example, the five whys helped Ohno reach the root cause of the issue: The team needed to add a filter to the oil pump on the robot. You can use the same process to reach the root cause and implement lasting change.

When to use the 5 whys

The five whys can be used for most problems, but it’s most effective for simple to semi-difficult problems. If you’re attempting to solve for complicated difficulties, you’ll find that the root causes split into separate tracks of inquiry that have their own root causes.

In other words, don’t try to solve the reasons for global poverty by asking five questions—it’s much too complex an issue.

Instead, whittle larger problems into smaller ones and solve the root causes of those problems. Use the five whys for manufacturing problems, product release problems, team issues, or organizational problems.

What are the 5 whys?

Every journey comprises steps—at its core, the five why analysis involves asking “Why?” five times, but we recommend adding two additional steps, covered in the next section. This process will enable you to discover the root cause of a problem. 

Use Lucidchart to visualize the five whys and keep track of the root causes throughout the investigative process. Our five why diagram can be used again and again to solve whatever small- to medium-sized problems you may experience.

How to use the 5 whys

Though the core of five whys problem solving is only asking five questions, we recommend a few additional steps to bring the brainpower of your team members together and take action on the root causes you find. Use the following method for your five why approach:

1. Gather your team

It’s true that the five whys can be used to solve everyday problems, but you’ll most likely use the five whys in a business setting, so assemble together everyone who is immediately affected by the problem. We’re not talking about an all-hands meeting: Just include those who care most about the solution and can help brainstorm.

2. Define the issue

This step may be easier said than done: sometimes, it’s hard to narrow down exactly what the main problem is. Once you’ve determined the problem, write it down in a one-sentence statement that your team agrees on. Put this sentence in the white bubble at the top of the five whys Lucidchart template.

3. Ask “Why?”

This is where it gets tricky. With your team’s help, ask what’s causing the main problem. These questions need to address concrete problems, not just theories. If you use the Lucidchart template, write this first question in the left-most blue circle.

4. Ask “Why?” four more times

Following the template above in the single lane on the left, ask “why” for each answer. Here’s an example of what that could look like:

Problem: The website wasn’t launched in time.

Answer 1: The developers didn’t have the content they needed.

Answer 2: The copywriter didn’t provide the content.

Answer 3: The copywriter was waiting on approval from the VP of marketing.

Answer 4: The VP of marketing forgot to approve the content.

Answer 5: He was on a business trip.

Solution: A possible solution could be authorizing someone else to approve the content or directing the VP of marketing to set aside time for content approval.

5. Stop at a good solution

In some instances, your team may need to keep asking more “whys.” Sometimes you may need to split into more root causes. But knowing when to stop is a valuable part of the process; otherwise, you’ll find yourself lost and without fixable root causes.

6. Fix the root cause of the problem

Once you know what the root cause of the problem is, you can implement solutions to it. Discuss the best solutions with your team and decide how to proceed.

7. See how it works!

After you’ve implemented your solutions to the root causes, see how it works. Sometimes it’s perfect, and you’ve solved a major problem. Other times, you may need to tweak your “why” questions and their answers. In those instances, just rework the whys, find the root causes, and identify more solutions. The solutions should be targeted and measured and should directly impact the root causes of the whys.

The beauty of the five why process isn’t that it’s perfect: It’s that it gives you a method to rationally find solutions to baffling problems. It’s a way to find calm in a storm of issues. And, frankly, if it worked for Toyota and for a host of other massive companies, it could be the right path for your team.

Learn more about how Lucidchart can help you identify and improve your processes.

About Lucidchart

Lucidchart, a cloud-based intelligent diagramming application, is a core component of Lucid Software's Visual Collaboration Suite. This intuitive, cloud-based solution empowers teams to collaborate in real-time to build flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, customer journey maps, and more. Lucidchart propels teams forward to build the future faster. Lucid is proud to serve top businesses around the world, including customers such as Google, GE, and NBC Universal, and 99% of the Fortune 500. Lucid partners with industry leaders, including Google, Atlassian, and Microsoft. Since its founding, Lucid has received numerous awards for its products, business, and workplace culture. For more information, visit lucidchart.com.

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5 Whys in Root Cause Analysis: A Detailed Explanation

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• Certified IT Service Manager (CITSM) Certification
• ITIL® 4 Specialist: Create Deliver and Support Certification
• ITIL® 4 Foundation Certification Course
• Root Cause Analysis
• ITIL® 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan and Improve Training

The 5 Whys strategy involves asking “Why?” multiple times to strip away the superficial layers of symptoms and apparent causes, leading to a profound comprehension of the primary problem 

Are you eager to delve deeper into the 5 Whys technique within RCA to foster ongoing improvement? This blog will help you grasp the essence of the 5 Whys in Root Cause Analysis. You will discover how to apply it effectively and understand its advantages and potential drawbacks.

Table of Contents  

1) 5 Whys Root-Cause Analysis – An introduction

2) When to use a 5 Whys Analysis?

3) How to conduct the 5 Whys Root Cause Analysis?

4) What is a 5 Whys Template?

5) Advantages and limitations of the 5 Whys methodology

6) 5 Why Examples

7) Tips for using 5 Whys in Root Cause technique

8) Conclusion

5 Whys Root-Cause Analysis – An introduction

The “5 Whys” technique is a robust tool for problem-solving in Root Cause Analysis (RCA). It seeks to identify the root cause of a problem by asking a sequence of “Why?” questions.

Originating from the manufacturing sector, this method has gained widespread acceptance in various fields for its simplicity and efficacy. It operates on the principle that problems are typically not standalone occurrences but are linked to related factors.

This method works on a simple rule: pose the question “Why?” repeatedly for any given issue. This process enables organisations to drill down to the factors that contribute to the problem’s existence. Additionally, the 5 Whys approach assists in retracing the sequence of events to pinpoint the core cause.

Employing the 5 Whys allows individuals and organisations to gain a deeper insight into intricate issues, paving the way for more precise interventions.

When to use a 5 Whys Analysis?

5 Whys is a tool for finding the root cause of a problem by asking “why” five times. It works best for simple or moderate problems, not complex or critical ones. To solve complex problems, you may need other methods like Cause-and-Effect Analysis or Failure Mode and Effects Analysis.

Use 5 Whys when something goes wrong with a system or process. It can help you fix the problem quickly and effectively. Don’t start with a solution in mind but follow the logic of the questions.

5 Whys is simple but flexible. It is often used in Lean Manufacturing to reduce waste and improve quality. It is also part of the Six Sigma approach to problem solving. 

How to conduct the 5 Whys Root Cause Analysis?

Step 1: Define the problem  

Begin by pinpointing the exact problem that requires analysis. Clarify the issue to ensure that your analysis is targeted and effective. This initial step is crucial as it lays the groundwork for the entire investigative process, steering all subsequent actions towards discovering the root cause.

Step 2: Assemble a team 

Form a team with a direct connection to or knowledge of the issue. Incorporating a variety of viewpoints can enhance the analysis, leading to a more thorough understanding. Moreover, a team approach ensures a multifaceted examination of the problem.

Step 3: Ask the first "Why?" 

Kick off the inquiry by posing the initial question: “Why did this problem arise?” Aim to concentrate on the direct cause of the issue. Encourage all team members to engage in brainstorming and contribute their perspectives. The objective here is to unearth the most evident cause of the problem.

Step 4: Dig deeper with additional "Why?" questions 

Following each response from Step 3, continue the inquiry by asking “Why?” again, connecting each query to the preceding response. Continue this line of questioning to peel back the layers of causation.

While aiming to reach a minimum of five levels of questioning, the actual number may fluctuate based on the problem’s intricacy. This iterative questioning process is designed to reveal underlying causes, moving past immediate and apparent factors.

Step 5: Analyse the root cause

After progressing through the iterative “Why?” questions, scrutinise the final response you’ve arrived at following the fifth inquiry. This response indicates the fundamental cause—the primary factor whose resolution can avert the recurrence of the issue. Delve into an in-depth analysis of this fundamental cause, assessing its influence on the problem and identifying recurring patterns, linkages, or systemic issues.

Step 6: Verify the root cause

To validate the accuracy of the identified fundamental cause, corroborate it with empirical data, firsthand observations, or other pertinent evidence. This step is essential as it offers authenticity and assurance to your analysis. Cross-checking the fundamental cause against trustworthy sources is crucial for substantiating its legitimacy.

Step 7: Develop corrective actions 

 Utilising the insights derived from your analysis, engage in brainstorming to formulate suitable corrective measures. These measures should be designed to confront the fundamental cause directly. They should aim to eradicate or diminish its effects.

Focus on devising practical and achievable interventions that can effectively address the fundamental cause and forestall similar issues in the future. Adhering to this structured guide will help you adeptly implement the 5 Whys technique in Root Cause Analysis. It’s important to include key stakeholders in the process, foster transparent and candid dialogue, and embrace a philosophy of ongoing enhancement.

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What is a 5 Whys Template?

The 5 Whys Template is a foundational tool in Root Cause Analysis and problem-solving endeavours.  An iterative questioning approach facilitates the exploration of cause-and-effect relationships underlying specific issues. Beginning with a problem statement, teams engage in a series of "why" inquiries, typically repeated five times, to uncover the Root Cause systematically. The following are some of the commonly used templates for resolving issues easily:

Single Lane Template

The Single Lane Template, within the 5 Whys framework, represents a streamlined approach where a single team or individual conducts the analysis. This template guides users through a linear progression of questions, maintaining a focused trajectory toward identifying the root cause of a singular issue. Analogous to a single-lane road, it ensures traffic flows in a single direction without the complexity of multiple lanes or pathways.

Multiple Lane Template

The Multiple Lane Template introduces complexity, often depicted through a swimlane diagram.  The process is segmented into multiple lanes, representing distinct departments, teams, or organisational facets.

This structure enables a comprehensive analysis of multifaceted problems involving various stakeholders. Swimlane diagrams aid in visualising and organising tasks, responsibilities, and workflows across different entities. They help facilitate the identification of inefficiencies and areas for enhancement.

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Advantages and limitations of the 5 Whys methodology 

Advantages of 5 Whys methodology 

The following are the advantages of using 5 Whys method in RCA: 

a) Simplicity: The 5 Whys approach is straightforward and user-friendly. It eschews the need for intricate tools or in-depth training, making it accessible to team members at every level within an organisation.

b) Cost-effective: This method is economical as it doesn’t necessitate a substantial financial outlay. It depends mainly on the collective skills and insights of the analysis team.

c) Identifies Root Causes: Through persistent inquiry into the “Why?” behind a problem, this method digs into the causal chain to pinpoint the root cause, moving past the apparent symptoms to the core issues.

d) Promotes collaboration: The iterative questioning process fosters a collaborative environment where team members can offer diverse viewpoints and expertise, leading to a more thorough analysis.

e) Prevents recurrence: By focusing on and resolving the root cause, the 5 Whys method in RCA formulates specific corrective actions designed to avert future recurrences, thereby improving solution efficacy and minimising the risk of similar problems arising again.

Limitations of 5 Whys methodology 

The following are the limitations of using the 5 Whys method in RCA: 

a) Subjectivity: The success of the 5 Whys method is highly dependent on the team’s capacity to pose appropriate questions and objectively interpret the responses. Subjective biases or preconceptions can skew the analysis, potentially leading to flawed or incomplete findings.

b) Singular focus: The 5 Whys approach concentrates on a solitary issue at a time, which may not be effective for multifaceted problems with numerous interconnected causes that demand a wider analytical approach.

c) Limited scope: This technique might not reveal every contributing factor to a problem, particularly when external factors outside the immediate analytical boundary are at play.

d) Dependence on knowledge and experience: The quality of the questions and the accuracy of the root cause identification are contingent upon the knowledge and experience of the participants. A deeper understanding of the subject matter can enhance the ability to pinpoint precise root causes.

e) Lack of quantitative data: The 5 Whys method predominantly utilises qualitative data and subjective evaluations. Without ample quantitative data to bolster the analysis, the conclusions’ precision and dependability may be compromised.

5 Whys example

Here's an example showing how 5 Whys in Root Cause Analysis works:

Problem Statement: The latest software updates newsletter wasn’t dispatched as scheduled.

5 Whys Analysis:

a) Why was the newsletter delayed? The software updates were not ready by the deadline.

b) Why weren’t the updates ready? The development team was still finalising new features.

c) Why were new features incomplete? A new developer was not familiar with the necessary procedures.

d) Why did the new developer lack knowledge of the procedures? They received inadequate training.

e) Why was the training insufficient? The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) believes that hands-on experience, rather than formal training, is more beneficial for new hires.

This analysis reveals the initial technical issue as a procedural problem, underscoring the importance of considering human factors in problem-solving. The 5 Whys technique delves deep into an issue to uncover its origin. Remember, the number “5” is not fixed; continue asking “Why” until you’ve thoroughly addressed the problem and can implement a viable solution.

Tips for using the 5 Whys in Root Cause Analysis technique

Here are some tips for effectively using the 5 Whys technique:

a) Consistent questioning tempo: Keep a consistent rhythm in your questioning to fully grasp the issue before reaching any conclusions.

b) Flexibility in application: The number “5” in the 5 Whys is merely a benchmark. Depending on the complexity of the problem, it may be necessary to delve deeper with additional “Why?” questions to identify the Root Cause.

c) Judicious conclusion: Determine the appropriate moment to end the inquiry. Cease the “Why?” questions when you have collected enough relevant information, thus avoiding premature conclusions and ensuring a meticulous evaluation. 

Conclusion 

The 5 Whys in Root Cause Analysis is a powerful yet simple technique that promotes deep inquiry and collaborative problem-solving. While its limitations include potential subjectivity and a narrow focus, its simplicity and cost-effectiveness makes it a valuable first step in identifying and addressing the underlying causes of issues to prevent their recurrence.

 Learn how to identify and manage Root Cause issues successfully with our Root Cause Analysis Training ! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Organisations can foster a culture of using the 5 Whys for continuous improvement by promoting open communication, providing training and resources, recognising and rewarding problem-solving efforts, and integrating the technique into standard operating procedures and performance evaluation processes.

The 5 Whys Analysis can be used in practice by identifying the root cause of problems, implementing effective solutions to prevent recurrence, improving processes and systems, enhancing decision-making, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and driving organisational success.

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5 Whys Root Cause Analysis (Toyoda)

5 Whys Root Cause Analysis: this article explains the 5 Whys Root Cause Analysis , or 5 Whys Technique , developed by continuous improvement guru Sakichi Toyoda in a practical way. It covers an introduction to the method, the application and an example. After reading you will understand the basics of this powerful root cause analysis and problem solving tool.

Introduction of the 5 whys process analysis

Although problems are not welcome in any organization, they appear in organizations of all kinds. For every problem there is a solution and problems are a reason to start up improvement projects.

But what is the best method to find effective solutions? Effective solutions can only be found by searching for the root cause in a structured and controlled manner, for instance using the 5 whys analysis.

Root cause of the problem

By looking for the root cause of the problem (a root cause analysis ), repetition of the problem can be prevented.

The problem has to be nipped in the bud. When problems are dealt with systematically, an organization and individual team members can find the root cause of the problem and deal with this effectively.

5 whys analysis

In the Japanese 5 whys exercise analysis the question ‘why’ is asked five times.

The 5 whys analysis was originally developed by Sakichi Toyoda, and was used to reach the root cause of the problems within the manufacturing process of Toyota Motors.

Today, the 5 whys analysis is frequently used within LEAN Manufacturing , Gemba Kaizen and Six Sigma .

This 5 whys analysis makes it relatively simple to identify the root cause of the problem. The problem-solving journey starts with a clear formulation of what exactly is going on. Therefore, the firs step is to define the problem.

Once the root cause has been identified in a problem statement, there is no more need for the ‘why’ questions. The root cause is often closely associated with previously identified parts of the initial problem. Corrective actions can now be taken.

Example of the 5 Whys Root Cause Analysis

A garage business is dealing with a bad delivery of car tyres. Normally, the delivery takes place within 24 hours, but the delays are now running up to three working days.

The garage runs the risk that customers will use the services of another garage that can fit their new tyres within 24 hours. The quality department of the garage business decides to start up an expensive checking system to prevent delays. Transport company G is also involved in this process.

Eventually, the transport company decides to search for the root cause of the problem using the 5 whys analysis.

• Not able to deliver tyres within 24 hours – Why?
• Supplier has insufficient stock – Why?
• Supplier depends on exporter; cargo boats are delayed – Why?
• The cargo boats are waiting for freight to fill op their holds – Why?
• In times of crisis freight boats get fewer orders and therefore collect different freights that can be transported in one journey – Why?

This is how the root cause of the problem is identified and it enables a company to find a solution. The solution cannot be provided by the transport company or the supplier.

The crisis is the cause for the fact that freight boats wait until their holds are filled before they leave port. The garage can now try and find another (temporary) solution with the supplier and consider buying the tyres somewhere else.

Repeating why five times

The strength of the 5 whys analysis lies in the repetition of the question. This prevents that people start from assumptions and classic root causes of problems such as lack of time, lack of money and manpower shortage. Naturally, these factors might be causes too.

By repeating the ‘why’ question, people are forced to identify different causes that may be responsible for the problem. In order to look for the cause more specifically, the ‘why’ question can be extended with for example asking the question ‘why has the process failed’ .

Now It’s Your Turn

What do you think? Is the 5 whys analysis still applicable in today’s modern companies? Have you ever used this method to get to the nature of the problem? Do you recognize the practical explanation or do you have more additions? What are your success factors for the good 5 whys analysis? Do you know scientific approaches to problem solving?

Share your experience and knowledge in the comments box below.

More information

• Becker, R. M. (1998). Lean manufacturing and the Toyota production system . Encyclopedia of World Biography.
• Feld, W. M. (2002). Lean manufacturing: tools, techniques, and how to use them . CRC Press.
• Martin, J. (2006). Lean six sigma for supply chain management . McGraw Hill Professional.
• Motwani, J. (2003). A business process change framework for examining lean manufacturing: a case study . Industrial Management & Data Systems, 103(5), 339-346.

How to cite this article: Mulder, P. (2012). 5 Whys Root Cause Analysis (Toyoda) . Retrieved [insert date] from Toolshero: https://www.toolshero.com/problem-solving/5-whys-analysis/

Original publication date: 09/19/2012 | Last update: 11/02/2023

Add a link to this page on your website: <a href=”https://www.toolshero.com/problem-solving/5-whys-analysis/”>Toolshero: 5 Whys Root Cause Analysis (Toyoda)</a>

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Patty Mulder

Patty Mulder is an Dutch expert on Management Skills, Personal Effectiveness and Business Communication. She is also a Content writer, Business Coach and Company Trainer and lives in the Netherlands (Europe). Note: all her articles are written in Dutch and we translated her articles to English!

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What are the Five Whys? A Tool For Root Cause Analysis

What are the five whys.

Five whys (5 whys) is a problem-solving method that explores the underlying cause-and-effect of particular problems.

The primary goal is to determine the root cause of a defect or a problem by successively asking the question “Why?”. The number ‘5’ here comes from the anecdotal observation that five iterations of asking why is usually sufficient enough to reveal the root cause.

In some cases, it may take more or fewer whys, depending on the depth of the root cause.

Why The Five Whys?

The main benefit of the Five Whys is that it is one of the most powerful assessment methods of all non-statistical analyses. It can uncover and trace back to problems that were not very clear or obvious.

It is simple, and it works.

The Benefits of Five Whys

• Helps identify the root cause of a problem
• Understand how one process can cause a chain of problems
• Determine the relationship between different root causes
• Highly effective without complicated evaluation techniques

When Should You Use This Method?

• For simple to moderately difficult problems
• More complex problems may require this method in combination with some others
• When problems involve human factors or interactions. So any time human error is involved in the process.

How to Complete a Five Whys Root Cause Analysis

• Begin with a specific problem. What is it that you are having an issue with? This can also help the team focus on the same problem.
• Ask why the problem happened and write the answer down below the specific problem you listed in step one.
• Keep asking “ why” to each of the successive answers you write down until you reach the root cause of the problem.
• Again, this may take more or less than five “ why”s . Make sure your team sees eye-to-eye with each of the questions being answered as well as the final root cause.

Key Things to Keep in Mind

• Distinguish causes from symptoms or causal factors
• To make sure that you are attributing the correct answer to each “ why” , try working backwards. (Answer to the “ Why?” + “and therefore” + the Problem Identified for that Question)
• You can break down your answers as much as you like. The more the better.
• Answers should always be based on facts and data
• Last but not least, assess the process, not the people.

Toyota Five Whys

The Five Whys method was originally developed by Sakichi Toyoda , the founder of Toyota Industries. This method became widely used in Toyota Motor Corporation and is still used frequently to this day. Taiichi Ohno, the architect of the Toyota Production System, describes the five whys as “the basis of Toyota’s scientific approach.”

Along with their other “go and see” philosophies, the five whys method is used along with other famous concepts such as kaizen , poka-yoke , and jidoka .

Five Whys Example

Here’s an example of how this works:

The Root Cause reveals the source of the problem. By coming up with a solution for the root cause, there is a high chance that all of the whys leading up to the final answer will naturally get resolved.

Five Whys Tools

The simplest way of conducting the Five Whys test is to simply write it down on a piece of paper. However, the fishbone, or the Ishikawa diagram , can help during the initial process of identifying problems. The diagram can reveal problems that may need the five whys for a deeper look. Then, you can gather all of the root-cause-effect relationships and evaluate which of them had the greatest impact on the original problem.

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Root Cause Analysis, Ishikawa Diagrams and the 5 Whys

Published: June 11, 2018 by Matthew Barsalou

Root cause analysis (RCA) is a way of identifying the underlying source of a process or product failure so that the right solution can be identified. RCA can progress more quickly and effectively by pairing an Ishikawa diagram with the scientific method in the form of the well-known plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle to empirically investigate the failure. Often, failure investigations begin with brainstorming possible causes and listing them in an Ishikawa diagram. This is not necessarily wrong, but often the ideas listed do not clearly contribute to the failure under investigation.

Write a Problem Statement

Once a problem-solving team has been formed, the first step in an RCA is to create a problem statement. Although critical for starting an RCA, the problem statement is often overlooked, too simple or not well thought out. The problem statement should include all of the factual details available at the start of the investigation including:

• What product failed
• The failure observations
• The number of failed units
• The customer’s description of the failure

The customer’s description does not need to be correct; it should reflect the customer’s words and be clear that it is a quote and not an observation. For example, a problem statement may start as, “Customer X reports Product A does not work.” The rest of the problem statement would then clarify what “does not work” means in technical terms based upon the available data or evidence. A good problem statement would be: “Customer X reports 2 shafts with part numbers 54635v4 found in customer’s assembly department with length 14.5 +/-2 mm measuring 14.12 mm and 14.11 mm.”

Create an Ishikawa Diagram

An Ishikawa (or fishbone ) diagram should be created once the problem statement is written and data has been collected. An Ishikawa diagram should be viewed as a graphical depiction of hypotheses that could explain the failure under investigation. It serves to quickly communicate these hypotheses to team members, customers and management. Hypotheses that have been investigated can also be marked on the Ishikawa diagram to quickly show that they are not the cause of the failure (Figure 1).

How Did the Failure Happen?

Elements in the Ishikawa diagram should be able to explain how the failure happened. For example, “lighting” is a typical example under “environment”; however, it is seldom clear how lighting could lead to the failure. Instead, the result of bad lighting should be listed and then empirically investigated. In this example, lighting could cause an employee to make a mistake resulting in a part not properly installed. Therefore, the part not properly installed would be listed in the Ishikawa diagram. Simply investigating the lighting could take time and resources away from the investigation so the first step would be to see if a part is installed.

Causes of a part not being installed can be listed as sub-branches, but the priority should be on determining if the part was installed or not. If a part is not correctly installed, then use the 5 Whys on that part of the Ishikawa diagram for investigation. The lighting may be a contributing cause, but it should not be the first one investigated. The Ishikawa diagram should be expanded each time 5 Whys is used. For example, the branch may end up as: material → part not installed → employee skipped operation → work environment too dark → poor lighting → light bulbs burned out.

In this example, the use of 5 Whys led to the true cause of the failure – the light bulbs burned out. Had the 5 Whys not been used, then the employee may have been retrained, but the same employee or somebody else may have made the same or a different mistake due to the poor lighting. Each time a cause is identified, the 5 Whys should be used to dig deeper to find the true underling cause of the failure. Failing to use the 5 Whys risks a recurrence of the failure – the corrective action may only address symptoms of the failure.

Other Potential Causes

Potential causes that do not directly explain the failure, but theoretically could have caused it, can be listed in the Ishikawa. This ensures they will not be forgotten; however, better explanations should be prioritized for investigation. Tracking and monitoring investigation are related actions can be facilitated by copying the Ishikawa items into a spreadsheet such as the one shown in Figure 2.

Here, each hypothesis from the Ishikawa diagram is prioritized and the highest priority hypotheses are assigned actions, a person to carry them out and a due date. This makes it easier for the team leader to track actions and see the results of completed actions. Such a tracking list can also be used to communication the team’s progress to management and customers. New insights may be gained as the investigation progresses. For example, somebody checking the length of a part may have observed damage. This damage could then be entered into an updated Ishikawa diagram and then transferred to the tracking list.

The Scientific Method

The scientific method should be used when investigating the failure. According to biophysicist John R. Platt’s Strong Inference , the scientific method consists of:

• Devising alternative hypotheses
• Devising a crucial experiment (or several of them) with alternative possible outcomes, each of which will, as nearly is possible, exclude one or more of the hypotheses
• Carrying out the experiment so as to get a clean result
• Recycling the procedure, making sub-hypotheses or sequential hypotheses to refine the possibilities that remain and so on

Each item in the Ishikawa diagrams should be viewed as a hypothesis that could explain the cause of the failure under investigation. A good hypothesis should be simple, general, avoid making too many assumptions and should be able to make refutable predictions. A simpler hypothesis is more likely to be correct. In general, it is best to look for the cause closest to the problem and then work back from there using the 5 Whys. The ability to make predictions is essential for testing the hypothesis ; a hypothesis that can’t be tested should not be trusted as there is no way to be sure that it is correct. As Dutch psychologist and chess master Adriaan de Groot said, “Where prediction is impossible, there is no knowledge.”

Integrate the Scientific Method

The scientific method can be integrated into RCA by using cycles of PDCA . The planning phases consist of describing the problem, collecting data and forming a hypothesis.

• P : Whether freshly formed or taken from an Ishikawa diagram, the hypothesis should make some form of prediction (or plan ), such as “measurement deviation” predicting “parts will be measured out of specification.”
• D : The next step is do – where the hypothesis is evaluated. This could be as simple as measuring a part or as elaborate as designing a new type of test method.
• C : The check phase is where the results are evaluated and conclusions are formed.
• A : Act is where the conclusions are acted upon. A hypothesis may be rejected or modified based on new evidence or the results of the testing, or a plan may be created to confirm a supported hypothesis.

If the hypothesis is not supported, then the next one in the prioritized tracking list should be selected and evaluated.

Using Ishikawa diagrams and the scientific method can serve as a standalone methodology for RCA or be used as part of any RCA process that uses Ishikawa diagrams. This approach is completely compatible with methodologies such as 8D and A3 reports.

• de Groot, Adriaan D. 1969. M ethodology: Foundations of Inference and Research in the Behavioral Sciences . The Hague: Mouten.
• Platt, John R. 1964. “Strong Inference.” Science 146, no. 3642: 347-353.
• Quine, W.V. and J.S. Ullian. 1978. The Web of Belief . (10th ed.), New York: Random House.

About the Author

Matthew Barsalou

The 5 Whys Approach for Root-Cause Analysis: Definition, Example, and Template

Fahad Usmani, PMP

February 4, 2024

You often face a problem and conduct a simple brainstorming session to find a solution. You find the solution and implement it, but a little later, the problem resurfaces again with probably more intensity.

Such problems require a more in-depth analysis to find the root causes of the problems and tackle them permanently. The 5 Whys Approach (often referred to as “5Y”) is useful when finding solutions for recurring or difficult problems. 

Today’s article will discuss the 5 Whys Approach and provide examples and templates.

Historical Background of the 5 Whys Approach

The 5 Whys Approach was developed by the Toyota Motor Corporation and popularized in the 1930s by Sakichi Toyoda, a Japanese industrialist and creator of Toyota Industries. Taiichi Ohno was also one of the founders of the technique. In Ohno’s book, Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production, he said, “By saying ‘why’ 5 times, the essence of the issue and its solution become evident.”

It evolved and became more popular in the 1970s.

Toyota follows a “go and see” philosophy, where they make decisions based on an in-depth understanding of what is “really” happening on the shop floor rather than someone sitting in the meeting room and assuming what might have happened.

The 5 Why technique follows this philosophy, and it is the most effective when you get answers from people who have experience with the issues or the problem at hand. 

What is the 5 Whys Approach?

The 5 Whys Approach is a problem-solving technique that helps identify the root cause of an issue by asking “why” 5 times to dive deeper into the layers of the problem. 

The 5 Whys Approach is useful in all industries. A study published in the International Journal of Advanced Research in Management and Social Sciences shows how the 5 Whys Approach reduces defects and improves overall quality. The iterative nature of the questioning process helps uncover underlying issues rather than just addressing surface-level symptoms.

By continuously asking “Why?” 5 times, you can get to the source of the problem.

The 5 Hows technique then identifies a solution to the fundamental cause(s). The 5 Whys and 5 Hows are mutually beneficial. You find the root cause using the 5 whys approach, and then you find the solution with the 5 Hows method.

The 5 Whys and 5 Hows technique can help you get to the bottom of a problem and find a solution.

The 5 Whys dig into the issue, and the 5 Hows are used to flesh out the solution. 

When Can You Use the 5 Whys Approach?

You can use the 5 Whys Approach when you have recurring problems. You can also use it to improve product and/or process quality.

This technique is useful for simple to moderate problems or issues as the 5 Why technique leads to a single cause, though a complex problem may have multiple root causes. In such situations, you can use other techniques such as cause and effect analysis , failure mode and effect analysis, etc.

The 5 Whys Approach is a straightforward, adaptable strategy. Even on the first try, you can uncover the root cause swiftly. You should use this method before using more advanced techniques.

As this technique requires time, you should use this method for the problems that affect the project most. You can use Pareto analysis to separate the most recurring issues, then use the 5 Whys Approach to identify a solution to these pressing concerns.

You can use this technique with any framework or methodology. You can use it in project management , lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, etc.

How to Use the 5 Whys Approach

Use the following steps to conduct the 5 Whys Approach :

1. Gather the Experts and Explain the Problem

Bring in people involved with the problem or issue for a brainstorming session. If you are not involved with the problem, get involved before participating in the session. You should also invite some experts who have experience solving similar problems.

Define the problem, write it on a whiteboard or a sheet of paper. Make sure that it is a straightforward problem statement , then write “why” 5 times vertically. Leave enough space between two whys, so you can write questions around them.

2. Ask the First “Why”

Ask the attendees why the problem occurred in the first place. Ensure that the attendees provide factual answers. Don’t allow participants to express their opinions or thoughts.

The attendees should only answer what has happened. This ensures that your assumptions are not included in the problem. This stops collecting a vast number of answers and stops becoming a process of guessing.

Record answers around the first “why.”

3. Ask “Why” Four More Times

You will turn the answer received in the first “why” to a “why” question and ask participants to answer this why again.

You can add why to the answer received from the previous response to make it another “Why.”

4. Stop When the Root Cause is Discovered

When you receive a satisfactory response or the root cause of the problem, there is no need to ask more whys, as it will waste your time.

For example, if you find the root cause of the problem after three whys, don’t go for the fourth why.

If you find more than one cause for the problem, do the same for different branches until you find the root cause for each reason.

The number 5 in 5 Whys is only a rule of thumb . You will often need to stop on the third or fourth why, and sometimes you may need more than 5 whys. As you continue the process, you will know when it is the right time to stop.

5. Determine and Implement Corrective Actions

After identifying the root cause(s), conduct another brainstorming session . You should list approved corrective activities to eradicate the issue’s root cause. You can use the 5 Hows method to figure out the answer. For example, “How can this problem be avoided?” Continue to ask “how” until you find a solution that eliminates the root cause.

6. Monitor the Solution

After implementing the solution, you must monitor it to ensure the solution is effective and the problem is solved entirely. Based on the feedback from the shop floor workers, you can update or modify the solution to make it more robust.

5 Whys Template

Below is an example template for the 5 Whys Approach.

5 Whys Approach Examples

Let’s review the 5 Whys examples to understand this technique better.

Problem Statement 

The client declined to pay the interim payment.

Why does the client refuse to make the advanced payment? 

We didn’t finish the activities on time.

Why didn’t we finish the activity on time? 

Because the action took longer than expected.

What led to the action taking longer than expected? 

First, we didn’t have enough materials for the exercise.

Why didn’t we have enough supplies with us?

We didn’t buy the materials in time.

Why didn’t we buy the materials sooner? 

We didn’t look at the job timetable.

Failure to analyze the job timetable is the root cause of the problem. 

Corrective Actions

To minimize the lack of communication and coordination, the project team should establish strong communication channels and hold regular progress meetings.

Problem Statement

Children don’t go outside to play

Benefits of the 5 Whys Approach

• They encourage each team member to submit suggestions for ongoing improvements.
• They are a highly effective, easy-to-use tool.
• They allow you to find the root cause of the problem instead of its symptoms.
• They avoid acting before you determine whether you’ve found the root cause of the problem.
• They create a culture that values continual improvements.

Limitations of the 5 Whys Approach

The following are a few limitations of the 5 whys approach:

• This technique often oversimplifies complex issues, thus leading to a superficial understanding of the problem.
• This technique depends on the quality of the questions. If the questions are not good enough, the analysis may not provide an effective solution.
• This exercise can become a blame game if it is not approached with a collaborative, non-judgmental mindset.
• The 5 Whys are ineffective when dealing with problems that have multiple, interrelated causes.

Q1: What is the 5 Whys Approach?

The 5 Whys Approach is a problem-solving technique that asks “why” repeatedly to get to the root cause of an issue. It helps find the underlying factors contributing to a problem rather than just addressing the symptoms.

Q2: How does the 5 Whys Approach work?

The technique involves asking “why” 5 times in succession to delve deeper into the causes of a problem. Each successive “why” helps identify the immediate cause and pushes towards understanding the fundamental root cause of the issue.

Q3: When should I use the 5 Whys Approach?

The 5 Whys Approach is most effective for addressing recurring problems, complex issues, or situations in which the root cause is not immediately apparent. It’s also valuable for continuous improvement and preventing problems from reoccurring.

The 5 Whys are a problem-solving method to find the root causes of issues. They ask “why” 5 times to dig deeper into problems. They help uncover hidden reasons that allow you to find effective solutions. They are easy to use and can solve various problems, which will prevent them from recurring.

I am Mohammad Fahad Usmani, B.E. PMP, PMI-RMP. I have been blogging on project management topics since 2011. To date, thousands of professionals have passed the PMP exam using my resources.

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• What Are The 5 Whys?

Problem-solving is the bread and butter of most factories today, but not all organisations solve their problems the same way.

Today, we dissect the operating principles behind the 5 Whys method, exploring its advantages, use cases, and relevance.

What do the 5 Whys mean?

By definition, 5 Whys is a problem-solving technique that uses Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to understand the problem in detail and solve it permanently. It’s considered one of the most effective problem-solving techniques in lean management , and it works best to solve simple problems.

This method was developed by Sakichi Toyoda, founder of Toyota, and incorporated into the Toyota Production System (TPS).

The 5 Whys work best to solve relatively simple issues, as anything too complex will need more robust problem-solving tools such as 8D, Cause Effect Analysis, or QRQC .

How do the 5 Whys work?

This method is relatively straightforward. All you have to do is identify the problem and then ask why five times .

Sometimes, you might find the root cause before you reach your fourth line of inquiry.

Sometimes, you might have to ask why a few more times to reach the root cause.

To make the 5 Whys method really successful, there is a process you need to follow, and it goes like this:

Step 1 — Create a team

The more relevant people you include to find a solution to the problem, the faster and more effective the resolution will be.

When you’ve decided who will be part of your team, you should appoint a leader to guide the process and keep everyone on track.

This person is known as the 5 Whys Master .

Step 2— Identify the problem

The problem needs to be identified and clarified beyond any reasonable doubt . Your team should define the problem and explain it in a specific statement. 

This keeps everyone focused on the problem, giving them a concise account of the situation.

Step 3 — Ask Why? five times

The first Why? is on your team.

The other four, on your 5 Whys Master .

Essentially, the team starts asking the first question, and then the 5 Whys Master leads the process through the rest of the questions.

Sometimes, you might need more than five whys to solve the issue.

Sometimes, you might need less.

However long it takes, you need to reach the root cause of the issue , which will always be linked to a management issue or a design flaw.

STEP 4 — Correct the problem

When the problem is identified, your team discusses actions or countermeasures to solve the issue.

The 5 Whys Master will then decide who does what, delegating responsibility among the team members.

STEP 5 — Keep track of your results & share them

Monitoring helps you see if the countermeasures you take to solve the issue are working.

It also gives you great insight into what you’re doing right, and what could be done better.

You also need to share your findings so that everybody can access them and learn from the process.

To make sure you’re using the 5 Whys method to its fullest extent, you need to make sure that you/your team:

• Know when to stop asking Why → when the answers you’re getting are no longer useful or don’t bring anything else to the process, you need to stop asking further whys and take another approach instead.
• Address the root cause(s)   → finding the root cause it’s great, but not enough. Once you find it, you need to make sure you’re taking the appropriate measures to fix the issue and prevent it from happening again.
• Monitor your measures → once you take measures to address the issue, it’s fundamental that you monitor how the measures impact the issue. Are they effective? Could they be even more effective? When you monitor how your measures are performing, you’ll be able to solve the root cause faster and more efficiently.
• Share your results → keeping your results a secret helps nobody. When you find the root cause, you address it, and you fix it, you need to share your results with everybody, so they can learn from it. Even when the root cause isn’t fixed, you need to share your results to keep everybody on track regarding the issue and its current status.

5 Whys in real life

Here’s what a 5 Whys method looks like in real life:

In this particular instance, after finding the root cause, we then come up with a solution. In this case, it could be to make sure we train the workers on the standards regarding changing the pipes.

This example shows how easy and cost-effective it is to set up this problem-solving method to find the root cause of a problem in your factory.

Advantages of the 5 Whys methodology

This method brings with it a good number of advantages, and it might be exactly what you need to implement in your factory, some of which are: 

• It helps your teams find, understand, and correct the root cause of the problem
• It fosters teamwork
• It’s very easy and flexible to implement
• You can use it alongside other problem-solving methods, such as Root Cause Analysis or Six Sigma
• It can be templated — just create a set structure and prompts that can be used whenever this method needs to come into play

mlean ® and the 5 Whys method

The 5 Whys method is a great problem-solving technique that helps you find the root cause of an issue and take measures to correct it quickly and efficiently.

But sometimes, this method alone isn’t enough to solve your problem.

Our mlean® Production System includes a wide range of problem-solving methods to ensure your issues are always dealt with using the right tools .

Our software is the most complete toolkit for digital industrial operations, integrating a variety of lean philosophies and processes like Kaizen or Hoshin Kanri .

mPS digitalises your factory processes, increases your workers’ safety and motivation, and increases revenue.

Book a demo and see for yourself!

Request a Demo Today

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