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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 with 5 Whys Technique (With Examples)

By Sebastian Traeger

Updated: March 21, 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:

Screenshot of 5 Why Root Cause Analysis Software - EasyRCA 5 Why 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 .

Root Cause Analysis /

What is the 5 Whys framework?

Use the 5 whys to transform your problem-solving approach.

The 5 Whys framework is a problem-solving technique used to identify the root cause of a problem . It’s a simple but powerful way to uncover the underlying reasons behind a problem by asking the question “why” repeatedly. By doing so, you can delve beyond the symptoms and surface-level causes of a problem and reach the fundamental cause that is contributing to the issue. And by addressing the root cause, you have a better chance of implementing effective solutions and preventing the problem from recurring.

Dive into the 5 Whys: Origins, basics, and benefits

Let's demystify the 5 Whys and discover:

What is it?

How does it help identify the root cause of problems?

How does it lead to more effective resolutions?

We'll highlight the benefits that it brings to the table after we provide you with the origins.

Origins of the 5 Whys: From Toyota to today

The 5 Whys technique, a cornerstone in the Toyota Production System, was initially employed to zero in on the root cause of manufacturing issues. The ultimate aim of the approach was to eliminate waste, increase efficiency, and improve quality in manufacturing processes.

With applications beyond the realm of manufacturing, many different industries have adopted the 5 Whys technique over time, demonstrating its powerful ability to drill down to the heart of problems.

Potential of the 5 Whys: Benefits and impact

Incorporating the 5 Whys technique into your problem-solving arsenal brings many benefits, including enhanced efficiency and amplified productivity. It also fosters a proactive problem-solving attitude within your team.

Using the 5 Whys approach is especially beneficial as it hones in on the root cause of issue, which helps prevent its recurrence in the future. By taking corrective actions at the source, businesses can avoid repeatedly dealing with the same issue.

Mastering the 5 Whys: Step-by-step guide

Embarking on a 5 Whys journey is akin to mining for gold — digging through layers to unearth the precious nugget — the root cause of your problem.

Here's your step-by-step guide to ensure a successful excavation with the 5 Whys template .

Step 1: State your problem

Your journey with the 5 Whys begins by clearly stating your problem. This crucial first step lays the groundwork for the entire analysis.

Step 2: Ask your first Why?

Now it's time to get to work. With your problem defined, pose your first "Why" question. The question should address the problem you've just stated.

Step 3: Probe deeper with more Whys

Don't stop there! Keep probing with more "Why" questions. Each question should be a response to the previous answer. Per the classic technique, you'll typically ask five times. Remember, the goal is to dig deeper into the root cause.

Step 4: Unearth the root cause

You'll know you've hit the root cause when your "Why" questions no longer produce meaningful responses. More than likely, you’ve found the core issue that, if addressed, will prevent the problem from recurring.

Step 5: Develop and implement your solution

It's time to take action with the root cause in your sights. Develop a solution that tackles the root cause directly rather than just dealing with surface-level symptoms. And remember, the proof is in the pudding. Implement your solution and observe the effects.

5 Whys in action: Real-world applications and examples

To truly appreciate the 5 Whys, you have to see it in action. We'll explore how the 5 Whys technique is used for root cause analysis in UX Design by delving into a detailed example, demonstrating how to navigate user experience challenges.

UX Design case study: Navigating user experience challenges

Let's take a hypothetical scenario where we encounter a UX Design problem that'll benefit from using the 5 Whys method.

Initial problem : Our latest app design needs to improve user navigation.

Application of the 5 Whys method:

Why is navigation difficult? Users need help finding the search function.

Why are users having trouble finding the search function? The search function needs to be more easily visible.

Why isn't the search function easily visual? Because it's located within a menu, not on the main screen.

Why is it placed on a menu? We wanted to keep the main screen uncluttered.

Why'd we want to keep the main screen uncluttered? It'd enhance the user experience.

Solution implemented: We added a prominent search bar on the app's main screen.

Outcome: user complaints about navigational difficulties were reduced by 50%, leading to an increase in app usage and user satisfaction

Software development: Debugging with precision

For developers, the 5 Whys is a powerful tool for debugging. Let's walk through a hypothetical situation where code goes rogue.

Problem statement:

A recently launched app crashes whenever users try to sign up.

Question: Why does the app crash when users try to sign up?

Answer: Because there's an unhandled exception in the sign-up module

Second Why?

Q: Why is there an unhandled exception in the sign-up module?

A: Because it doesn't handle a case where a new user's email is already in the database.

Q: Why doesn't it handle the case where a new user's email is already in the database?

A: Because there's a missing condition, check for duplicate emails in the code.

By identifying and fixing these common missteps and pitfalls, you'll enhance your usage of the 5 Whys technique. This'll lead to precise root cause detection and practical solutions that address the issues.

Amplifying the 5 Whys with Fishbone Diagrams

You can amplify the 5 Whys by pairing it with a fishbone diagram , also known as the Ishikawa Diagram. This combination enhances problem-solving by mapping cause-and-effect relationships, aiding understanding and decision-making in complex projects.

To combine these methodologies, start by creating a fishbone diagram and map the different categories related to the main problem and their potential causes. For each potential cause, use the 5 Whys technique to explore the underlying reasons and identify the root cause for each branch on the diagram. The 5 Whys analysis will help you to challenge assumptions and discover the fundamental reasons driving each cause in a structured manner.

Miro has an easy-to-customize fishbone diagram template that can help you get started.

Perfecting your 5 Whys approach

To fully harness the power of the 5 Whys, it's crucial to adopt best practices and dodge common pitfalls.

Follow these best practices to perfect your use of the 5 Whys:

Be consistent

Consistency in the 5 Whys lies in persistent probing. Don't stop at initial reasons — repeatedly maintain your Why inquiries. This diligent uncovering of layers helps reveal the root cause.

Beware of assumptions

Assumptions can compromise the 5 Whys effectiveness. Stay on path and validate each Why with data. This grounding ensures your conclusions are fact-based, not assumption-driven.

Keep the big picture in mind

It's crucial to zero in on the problem, but don't let this tunnel vision distract you from the broader perspective. Effective solutions shouldn't only tackle the immediate problem, but they should also seamlessly blend with your overarching objectives and strategies.

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

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Problem Solving using the 5 Whys

This post is also available in: German

The 5 Whys template is a simple, yet powerful tool used for root cause analysis. Based on the technique developed by Sakichi Toyoda , it takes an iterative approach to problem-solving. Starting with an initial problem statement, a question beginning with ‘why’ is asked 5 times in order to zero in on the root cause.

Along with the Fishbone Diagram , the 5 Whys template is a seminal technique for problem-solving through a deeper understanding of causal relationships. Let us understand this method in a little more detail. Or directly use the template .

What is the 5 Whys root cause analysis?

The 5 Whys problem-solving method was originally developed for Toyota Motor Corporation’s production facility. The technique starts with a single problem and asks a ‘why’ question based on the answer to the previous question.

The iterative process of asking ‘why’ ensures that each step is logically connected to the previous by a cause and effect relationship. Each ‘why’ takes you one step closer to finding the root cause.

5 Whys analysis in six sigma

Six sigma is all about waste reduction, process optimization and quality improvements. The simplicity of the 5 Whys method lends itself well to the analysis stage of six sigmas. Since the technique eschews complex statistical methods, individuals from across functions and departments can participate in the process. It’s a great technique for driving process improvements and ensuring past mistakes do not reoccur.

How to use the 5 Whys template

Since a 5 Whys session is in essence a brainstorming session, it is important to work with a whiteboard and sticky notes. Mapping out the process on an online whiteboard helps people better visualize what happened. Multiple stakeholders can work on Conceptboard’s collaborative template in real time and add their ideas on digital sticky notes . The template is completely editable.

Steps to using the 5 whys template

Asking the right question – Before you embark on a 5 whys analysis, it is important to start with the right question. Here, a problem statement template can come in handy.
Gather the right people – All key stakeholders and especially decision makers should be involved in the session.
Assign a moderator – It is important for the moderator to drive the conversation, ensure each of the steps are followed and assumptions avoided
Prepare the board in advance – Load the template by clicking the ‘+’ button and choosing ‘Insert template’. Drag and drop the 5 Whys template and share the board with the team.
Add sticky notes and write down your comments for each round of the process.
Once the analysis is complete, identify the action points and export the board as a PDF or print it out.

5 Whys Example

Here’s an example of the 5 Whys process and the solutions that came up from the analysis.

Why was the hospital’s new health care app delayed by 4 weeks? Answer : Additional complexities were revealed in the testing phase.
Why did additional difficulties come up? Answer : The creation phase did not include a solution for a major use case.
Why did the creation phase miss a major use case? Answer : The original brainstorming sessions did not include employees from the department.
Why were key employees missing from the brainstorming sessions? Answer : The brainstorming session was led by a particular department. In this case, additional departments were brought in later in the development process.
Why is this process managed by a particular department? Answer : This is how it’s always been done.

Solutions found:

Create a new process that builds on the strengths of all departments and encourages interdepartmental collaboration. Ensure key employees from every department are present in all brainstorming sessions throughout all phases.

If you’ve like this template, we’ve also rounded up 15 of our favourite brainstorming techniques and templates that help you generate new ideas and drive innovation. For additional problem-solving templates, you can use our A3 problem-solving template . Also check out our list of retrospective ideas and templates you can use today with your team.

Use the free template with your team & customize as you go!

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2 comments . leave new.

I disagree with your statement “Six sigma is all about waste reduction, process optimization and quality improvements.”

Six-Sigma is all about “variation reduction” using statistical tools and techniques and pioneered by Motorola.

Lean is all about “Waste reduction” using Lean tools and techniques as part of Lean Manufacturing/the Toyota Production System developed by Toyota.

(1) The example solution is not a solution, it is the recognition that something new needs to happen, followed by requirements on how that is to be achieved.

(2) A single thread down (one answer per question) is insufficient for most difficult problems (i.e. ones that require a 5-why’s!) Each question will generate several answers, each of which is drilled down on. Then answers to different questions that are the same are linked into a lattice. If you are lucky it all comes together into a single item at the bottom of the diagram. One ends up with several dominant threads from top to leaf nodes, each of which has to be dealt with.

(3) The 5-why’s identifies several possibly independent causes. These must be dealt with using a problem solving method — which 5-why’s is not. It is a problem identification method.

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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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Root Cause Analysis

The 5 Whys technique is a simple yet effective problem-solving method as part of the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) tool kit that involves asking “why” five times to identify the root cause of a problem. The 5 Whys technique was created by Toyota founder Sakichi Toyoda to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the company’s manufacturing processes. It is now applied in a variety of settings, including manufacturing, the service sector, and other businesses.

The method can be applied in a variety of situations, encourages teamwork and collaboration, and is simple to use. The 5 Whys technique can help organizations increase efficiency, and productivity, reduce waste and reduce costs by locating and addressing the root causes of issues.

What is the 5 whys technique.

The 5 Why technique is a problem-solving method that involves repeatedly asking “why” five times to determine the source of a problem. “Why-why analysis” is another term that is sometimes used to describe the 5 Why technique. It was initially created by Sakichi Toyoda, the company’s founder, as a way to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the business’s manufacturing processes.

How it works:

Identify the problem that you want to solve. Make sure to clearly define the problem and understand its impact on your organization or project.
Ask “why” five times to get to the root cause of the problem. For each “why,” come up with a possible cause of the problem. You may need to do some research or gather data to help identify the causes of the problem.
Keep asking “why” until you reach a root cause that can be addressed or resolved. The root cause is the underlying cause of the problem that can be addressed or resolved to prevent the problem from recurring in the future.
Come up with a solution to the root cause. Once you have identified the root cause of the problem, brainstorm possible solutions to address it. Choose the best solution based on its effectiveness, feasibility, and impact.
Implement the solution. Put your chosen solution into action and monitor the results to ensure that the problem has been effectively resolved.

Below is an example of how the 5 Whys technique can be applied to problems:

We were able to identify the issue’s root cause, a lack of communication regarding the maintenance schedule—and identify a fix using the 5 Whys method (posting the schedule in a visible location). This solution addresses the root cause of the issue, which is likely to be more effective than just treating the problem’s symptoms (equipment failures).

Symptom vs Root Cause

A problem or issue reveals itself physically as a symptom. Although it is the result or effect that is seen, it does not always reveal what the root cause of the issue is.

For example, a strange noise coming from a car’s engine is a sign that something is wrong. Although it is the problem’s obvious indication, it does not always provide information about its root cause. The leading cause of the issue could be anything from a loose belt to an engine component that is broken.

The root cause, on the other hand, started the problem in the first place. It is the underlying reason the issue is occurring. Finding and fixing a problem’s root cause can help prevent it from happening again in the future.

A loose belt, for instance, might be to blame for an odd noise coming from a car’s engine. The immediate issue might be resolved if we simply replace the belt, but the underlying issue (the loose belt) will still not be resolved. The issue will probably recur if the root cause is not addressed.

It’s important to differentiate between symptoms and root causes because, in the long run, dealing with a problem’s root cause is most often more effective and efficient than dealing with its symptoms alone. We can stop the issue from occurring again and potentially save time and resources in the long run by locating and addressing the root cause.

Why is the 5 Whys technique so effective?

There are many benefits to using 5 Whys that make it so effective:

Simple to Use by anyone in the business: 5 Why is one of the most simple tools to use in business to solve problems and can be done by anyone in the business. With some basic training supported by examples, anyone in the business can identify the root causes of problems and identify solutions; this does not require someone with years of experience or a Lean Six Sigma belt to master and benefit from using it.

It promotes a methodical method of problem-solving: The 5 Whys method promotes a methodical, step-by-step approach to problem-solving, which can help guarantee that all relevant factors are taken into account and that the problem’s root cause is found.

It can be used in a variety of situations: The 5 Why’s technique can be used to solve problems in a variety of contexts, including manufacturing, service industries, and other business settings.

It can increase productivity and efficiency: The 5 Whys technique can assist organisations in increasing productivity and efficiency while lowering waste and costs by identifying and addressing the root causes of issues.

It can identify unlikely root causes with ease: In many situations, the root cause may be obvious once you start the 5 Whys analysis, but that is not always the case. For example, with the Jefferson Memorial, the solution to stop the monument from eroding was not an obvious one. Example below:

The Jefferson Memorial was disintegrating. Why? because harsh chemicals are used to clean it.

Why are harsh chemicals used to clean it? to clean pigeon droppings.

Why are there so many pigeons at the memorial? Because the pigeons eat spiders and there are lots of spiders at the memorial.

Why are there so many spiders at the memorial? Because they eat insects, and there are a lot of insects at the memorial.

Why are there so many insects at the memorial? because they are attracted by the lights on the memorial at dusk.

Solution: Turn the lights on later in the evening. As you can see from this example, at first glance, it did not seem logical that turning the lights on later would have any relationship to stopping the memorial from disintegrating. The added benefit of this root cause analysis was also a cost saving in the lights being turned on later and a reduced cleaning cost. So the benefits also went above and beyond the initial expectations. Video for reference: YouTube Video Link

In conclusion, the 5 Whys technique is a useful tool for identifying and resolving the root causes of issues in an organisation. The technique works to get at the root of a problem rather than just treating its symptoms by asking “why” repeatedly. The 5 Whys method can be used in a variety of situations, is easy to apply, and encourages teamwork and collaboration. Organizations can increase effectiveness, and productivity, cut waste and lower costs by using the 5 Whys technique to solve problems. The 5 Whys technique is a useful and effective tool for problem-solving in any organisation.

Card, A.J., 2017. The problem with ‘5 whys’. BMJ quality & safety , 26 (8), pp.671-677.
Voehl, F., 2016. The 5 whys . The Innovation Tools Handbook , 2 .
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.

Daniel Croft

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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Introducing the 5 Whys Technique of Problem Solving

February 3, 2021 - 7 min read

What do you do when you and your team run into a problem?

Do you try to find the quickest fix to keep things moving? Get through and assume it was a fluke that won’t happen again? Shift blame to circumstances that were beyond your control?

There’s a better way to diagnose and even solve your problems. It’s called the five whys.

What is the five whys method?

The five whys method is a problem-solving technique that helps you get to the root cause of a problem. Using this technique, you’ll uncover cause and effect relationships and ultimately uncover how processes and projects can be improved in the future.

The premise of the five whys is fairly straightforward: You’ll ask “why?” five times in a row.

Maybe your team didn’t complete a major project by the deadline. Why? Because a team member was late submitting their piece of the project. Why? Because the end client was delayed in getting her the feedback she needed. Why? ...and so on.

Sound like overkill? Or maybe something a curious toddler would do? We get it. However, this technique is surprisingly beneficial.

When you and your team are brainstorming or problem-solving, it’s tempting to jump right into identifying solutions — without realizing you don’t quite understand the extent of the problem yet. The five whys technique keeps you and your team zoned in on the challenge so you can identify the most impactful solution.

A five whys analysis is helpful for understanding the inner workings of problems, but it’s not without its flaws. Let’s cover a few pros and cons of this approach.

Benefits of the five whys method

It’s simple to use : As far as problem-solving tools and analyses go, the five whys technique is one of the most straightforward and intuitive.
It uncovers the root cause : It pushes teams to go beyond their gut feeling or their first answer to think critically about the real source of their issues.
It encourages conversation : “Why?” is an open-ended question , which can encourage candid and valuable discussions between your team members. It can also expose them to roadblocks or areas of confusion they didn’t realize others were experiencing.

Challenges of the five whys method

It’s subjective : One team member might think your project was delayed because a colleague dropped the ball, while another thinks it’s because the original deadline was unrealistic. Conflicting opinions are common, which can present some roadblocks for the effectiveness of this technique.
It’s limiting : Despite the name, you might need to ask “why?” more than five times to get to the heart of a problem. Additionally, there may be more than one root cause for an issue, which this technique doesn’t easily address or accommodate.
It requires visibility : Your team is smart, but they don’t know everything. When asking “why?” you might run into some instances where the only answer you can come up with is, “I don’t know.” That means this technique is at a standstill.

Why does the five whys technique benefit project management?

Ask yourself this: When’s the last time you had a project go off without a hitch? Everything went exactly according to plan, and you didn’t experience a single hiccup along the way.

Has it been a while? That’s normal. Collaboration is complicated, and even the most successful project managers will admit that even the most carefully-planned projects sometimes run off course. In one report from the Project Management Institute ( PMI ), respondents said that only 69% of their project s met their original goals—implying that 31% of projects fell short.

When that happens, it’s tempting to grit your teeth, get through the muck, and then move on. However, the best thing to do is to reflect on those project problems , drill down to their root causes, and identify how you can fix those for future projects.

That’s why the five whys technique is important for project management: It will help you and your project team identify how you can collaborate more effectively, proactively navigate risks and problems, and deliver more winning projects.

The five whys example: How it applies to project management

Want to see a five whys analysis in action? Let’s continue with the example that we set up at the beginning:

The Problem: Our team was two weeks late in finalizing a client’s keyword research report.

Why? Maggie was late in delivering the section on keyword opportunities.
Why? The end client took too long to get the audience personas she requested.
Why? We didn’t get the information we needed at the start of the project.
Why? We don’t have a streamlined process for collecting the client information we need.
Why? We haven’t created a work intake form.

Now you know what you need to do to ensure you don’t hit the same snag on your next projects: You need to create an intake form so that your team is equipped with the must-have information they need from your clients — before they even start any work.

See how it works? By doing nothing more than asking, “Why?” five times in a row, you identified a relatively simple fix (particularly if you’re using a project management platform like Wrike that has dynamic request forms ) that will yield huge results for your team and your projects.

And you owe all of that to the five whys technique—proof that problem-solving methods don’t need to be complicated to be effective.

Wrike gives you and your team visibility into your work processes so that you have an easier time leveraging the five whys method. Start your two-week free trial now .

Kat Boogaard

Kat is a Midwest-based contributing writer. She covers topics related to careers, self-development, and the freelance life. She is also a columnist for Inc., writes for The Muse, is Career Editor for The Everygirl, and a contributor all over the web.

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The 5 Whys is a problem-solving technique used to identify the root cause of a problem by asking "why" five times. Product Glossary 5 Whys Also called: Five Why Analysis, 5 Why Technique, 5 Why Root Cause Analysis, 5 Why Problem Solving, and 5 Why Methodology See also: Assumptions Collection , Fishbone Diagram , Five Whys , Starbursting , Why-How Laddering Relevant metrics: Number of Problems Identified, Number of Root Causes Identified, Number of Solutions Implemented, Number of Problems Resolved, and Time to Resolve Problems In this article 5 Whys: A Problem-Solving Tool for Root Cause Analysis

The 5 Whys is a problem-solving tool used to identify the root cause of a problem. It is a simple yet effective technique that can be used to identify the underlying cause of a problem, allowing for the development of an effective solution. The 5 Whys is a process of asking “why” five times in order to get to the root cause of a problem.

The 5 Whys is a useful tool for problem-solving and root cause analysis. It can be used in a variety of situations, such as when trying to identify the cause of a customer complaint, a production issue, or a quality issue. It can also be used to identify the root cause of a problem in a process or system.

The tool can work very well in identifying the root cause of a problem quickly and efficiently. By asking “why” five times, it allows for a deeper understanding of the problem and its underlying causes. This understanding can then be used to develop an effective solution.

Being useful to quickly identify the root cause of a problem in a variety of situations and in turn develop an effecting solution, it is both simple and effective. Asking “why” five times allows for a deeper understanding of the problem and its underlying causes.

Example of applying the 5 Whys

Where did 5 whys come from.

The term 5 Whys is a problem-solving technique developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation. It is a simple yet effective tool used to identify the root cause of a problem. The technique involves asking “why” five times in order to get to the root cause of the problem. The idea is that by asking “why” five times, the problem can be identified and solved more quickly and efficiently. The 5 Whys technique is based on the idea that most problems can be solved by asking “why” five times. This technique is used in many industries, including manufacturing, engineering, and software development. It is also used in the fields of quality management and process improvement.

Applying the 5 Whys Method for Problem-Solving

The premise of the 5 Whys method is that asking “why” five times will lead to the root cause of the problem. Its effectiveness however, depends on the questions you ask. Be thorough, open-minded, consider alle possible causes, and ask questions that are relevant to the problem. Patience can help, as can take time to ask the necessary questions.

Step 1 of the 5 Whys is to identify the problem. This can be done by asking questions such as “What is the problem?” or “What is the issue?”
Step 2 is to ask “Why?” and answer the question. This is done by asking “Why is this happening?” or “What is causing this problem?”
Step 3 is to repeat the process until the root cause is identified. This is done by continuing to ask “Why?” until the underlying cause of the problem is identified.

Benefits of Implementing the 5 Whys

Increased Efficiency . The 5 Whys technique helps to quickly identify the root cause of a problem, allowing teams to focus their efforts on the most effective solutions. This can help to reduce the amount of time and resources spent on solving the issue.
Improved Problem-Solving . By asking “why” five times, teams can gain a better understanding of the underlying cause of a problem. This can help to ensure that the right solutions are implemented, leading to better outcomes.
Improved Communication . The 5 Whys technique encourages teams to communicate more effectively. By asking “why” five times, teams can gain a better understanding of the issue and come to a consensus on the best solution.
Improved Teamwork . The 5 Whys technique encourages teams to work together to identify the root cause of a problem. This can help to foster collaboration and improve team morale.
Improved Quality . By identifying the root cause of a problem, teams can ensure that the right solutions are implemented. This can help to improve the quality of products and services, leading to better customer satisfaction.

Challenges of Implementing the 5 Whys

Time . The process can be time-consuming, as it requires a deep dive into the root cause of a problem. This can be difficult to do in a short amount of time, especially if the problem is complex.
Resources . The right people, data, and tools available might be necessary for the method to be successful. Without the right resources, it can be difficult to discover the rights questions to ask.
Communication . The 5 Whys process requires effective communication between team members to be successful - it is a collaborate method where participants build on each others input.
Focus . The 5 Whys process requires focus and discipline to be successful. Without focus, it can be difficult to get to the root cause of a problem.

The 5 Whys technique is not a substitute for other problem-solving techniques, such as brainstorming or root cause analysis. It should be used in conjunction with other problem-solving techniques to ensure that the root cause of a problem is identified and addressed.

In the early 2000s, Toyota used the 5 Whys technique to identify the root cause of a problem with the accelerator pedal in some of its vehicles. By asking “why” five times, Toyota was able to identify that the problem was caused by a design flaw in the accelerator pedal.

Microsoft used the 5 Whys technique to identify the root cause of a problem with its Windows operating system. By asking “why” five times, Microsoft was able to identify that the problem was caused by a bug in the software code.

Amazon used the 5 Whys technique to identify the root cause of a problem with its online shopping website. By asking “why” five times, Amazon was able to identify that the problem was caused by a design flaw in the website’s user interface.

Apple used the 5 Whys technique to identify the root cause of a problem with its iPhone. By asking “why” five times, Apple was able to identify that the problem was caused by a hardware issue with the phone’s battery.

What is the problem that needs to be solved?
What is the root cause of the problem? Hint The root cause of the problem is the underlying cause of the issue.
What are the potential causes of the problem? Hint The potential causes of the problem could be related to the environment, technology, processes, people, or other factors.
What data or evidence do I have to support my hypothesis? Hint The data or evidence needed to support the hypothesis could include surveys, interviews, observations, or other forms of data collection.
What are the potential solutions to the problem? Hint The potential solutions to the problem could include changes to the environment, technology, processes, people, or other factors.

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The Lean Post / Articles / Clarifying the ‘5 Whys’ Problem-Solving Method

Problem Solving

Clarifying the ‘5 Whys’ Problem-Solving Method

By Lean Enterprise Institute

July 19, 2018

This brief animation offers a detailed explanation of one way to discover a problem's root cause.

To help lean thinkers apply this powerful approach to overcoming work obstacles, LEI Senior Advisor John Shook guides lean thinkers through a detailed example from Taiichi Ohno’s Toyota Production System : Beyond Large-Scale Production . Find a transcript below.

Let’s take a look at the problem-solving method known as the “ five whys ” or also “causal chains.” Let’s take a look first of all at how that relates to the problem-solving funnel as a frame where we began with a high-level problem—it might be something vague that we don’t fully understand, but it’s the problem coming at us on a day-to-day, moment-to-moment basis.

What we want to do is break the problem down to understand it, get some data, get some facts, and look for patterns. And from there, that means understanding the work, which is certainly a primary characteristic of lean problem-solving, which is to go and deeply observe and understand the work. From there, we can identify a point of occurrence, sometimes called the direct cause and also can be thought of as a problem on its own.

Now we can do the fun part, which is to start asking the five whys. We can put on our investigative hats and ask why, why, why is this occurring? That will lead us to a root cause regarding which we can attach a countermeasure.

To look at this part of the problem-solving process , the five whys or a causal chain, let’s look at the famous example from Taiichi Ohno of Toyota and the one he used starting in the 1950s of a machine breaking down.

The problem that he saw as the machine shop manager is that machines would often break down, and his people would often just attach a Band-Aid. They would only stop it at the first level of cause, meaning that the problems would recur; they would come back. So, he trained himself and his people then always to ask the five whys, sometimes three, sometimes eight, the point being to follow the causal chain all the way down to a root cause.

In this example, he looked at a machine that had stopped working and identified with the first why that it had blown a fuse in the control box because it was overloaded. The overload caused the fuse to blow. But, he didn’t stop there and asked why again, and recognized that insufficient lubrication was getting to the bearing. So, the bearing, therefore, was causing the overload on the machine.

Not stopping there, he went to the next cause and, asking why, found that the pump was not drawing lubricant. So, the lubricant, then, would not be sent to the bearing.

Still not stopping there. Why, again, was the pump not drawing lubricant? Because the shaft was worn, causing it to rattle and not function properly.

Now, another why there led him to a root cause, which was that there was no strainer, which allowed metal chips to enter and damage the pump. So, with the damaged shaft, that would mean the pump wasn’t drawing lubricant, so that there wasn’t enough lubrication going to the bearing, which overloaded the machine and blew a fuse, which stopped the machine from working.

So, he’s got a five-why causal chain going down to the root, and you can check that with the “therefore chain” going up as well.

Now he knows if he applies a countermeasure here, which is to make sure there’s a strainer, then the problem will be solved so that it doesn’t come back.

So, this is what you can accomplish with a fairly simple way of thinking so that we’re not just putting Band-Aids on symptoms—that we’re solving problems at the root cause.

Good luck with your problem-solving attempts.

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Do You Understand the Problem You’re Trying to Solve?

To solve tough problems at work, first ask these questions.

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Problem solving skills are invaluable in any job. But all too often, we jump to find solutions to a problem without taking time to really understand the dilemma we face, according to Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg , an expert in innovation and the author of the book, What’s Your Problem?: To Solve Your Toughest Problems, Change the Problems You Solve .

In this episode, you’ll learn how to reframe tough problems by asking questions that reveal all the factors and assumptions that contribute to the situation. You’ll also learn why searching for just one root cause can be misleading.

Key episode topics include: leadership, decision making and problem solving, power and influence, business management.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: The Secret to Better Problem Solving (2016)
Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org .

HANNAH BATES: Welcome to HBR on Leadership , case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, hand-selected to help you unlock the best in those around you.

Problem solving skills are invaluable in any job. But even the most experienced among us can fall into the trap of solving the wrong problem.

Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg says that all too often, we jump to find solutions to a problem – without taking time to really understand what we’re facing.

He’s an expert in innovation, and he’s the author of the book, What’s Your Problem?: To Solve Your Toughest Problems, Change the Problems You Solve .

In this episode, you’ll learn how to reframe tough problems, by asking questions that reveal all the factors and assumptions that contribute to the situation. You’ll also learn why searching for one root cause can be misleading. And you’ll learn how to use experimentation and rapid prototyping as problem-solving tools.

This episode originally aired on HBR IdeaCast in December 2016. Here it is.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: Welcome to the HBR IdeaCast from Harvard Business Review. I’m Sarah Green Carmichael.

Problem solving is popular. People put it on their resumes. Managers believe they excel at it. Companies count it as a key proficiency. We solve customers’ problems.

The problem is we often solve the wrong problems. Albert Einstein and Peter Drucker alike have discussed the difficulty of effective diagnosis. There are great frameworks for getting teams to attack true problems, but they’re often hard to do daily and on the fly. That’s where our guest comes in.

Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg is a consultant who helps companies and managers reframe their problems so they can come up with an effective solution faster. He asks the question “Are You Solving The Right Problems?” in the January-February 2017 issue of Harvard Business Review. Thomas, thank you so much for coming on the HBR IdeaCast .

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Thanks for inviting me.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, I thought maybe we could start by talking about the problem of talking about problem reframing. What is that exactly?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Basically, when people face a problem, they tend to jump into solution mode to rapidly, and very often that means that they don’t really understand, necessarily, the problem they’re trying to solve. And so, reframing is really a– at heart, it’s a method that helps you avoid that by taking a second to go in and ask two questions, basically saying, first of all, wait. What is the problem we’re trying to solve? And then crucially asking, is there a different way to think about what the problem actually is?

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, I feel like so often when this comes up in meetings, you know, someone says that, and maybe they throw out the Einstein quote about you spend an hour of problem solving, you spend 55 minutes to find the problem. And then everyone else in the room kind of gets irritated. So, maybe just give us an example of maybe how this would work in practice in a way that would not, sort of, set people’s teeth on edge, like oh, here Sarah goes again, reframing the whole problem instead of just solving it.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: I mean, you’re bringing up something that’s, I think is crucial, which is to create legitimacy for the method. So, one of the reasons why I put out the article is to give people a tool to say actually, this thing is still important, and we need to do it. But I think the really critical thing in order to make this work in a meeting is actually to learn how to do it fast, because if you have the idea that you need to spend 30 minutes in a meeting delving deeply into the problem, I mean, that’s going to be uphill for most problems. So, the critical thing here is really to try to make it a practice you can implement very, very rapidly.

There’s an example that I would suggest memorizing. This is the example that I use to explain very rapidly what it is. And it’s basically, I call it the slow elevator problem. You imagine that you are the owner of an office building, and that your tenants are complaining that the elevator’s slow.

Now, if you take that problem framing for granted, you’re going to start thinking creatively around how do we make the elevator faster. Do we install a new motor? Do we have to buy a new lift somewhere?

The thing is, though, if you ask people who actually work with facilities management, well, they’re going to have a different solution for you, which is put up a mirror next to the elevator. That’s what happens is, of course, that people go oh, I’m busy. I’m busy. I’m– oh, a mirror. Oh, that’s beautiful.

And then they forget time. What’s interesting about that example is that the idea with a mirror is actually a solution to a different problem than the one you first proposed. And so, the whole idea here is once you get good at using reframing, you can quickly identify other aspects of the problem that might be much better to try to solve than the original one you found. It’s not necessarily that the first one is wrong. It’s just that there might be better problems out there to attack that we can, means we can do things much faster, cheaper, or better.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, in that example, I can understand how A, it’s probably expensive to make the elevator faster, so it’s much cheaper just to put up a mirror. And B, maybe the real problem people are actually feeling, even though they’re not articulating it right, is like, I hate waiting for the elevator. But if you let them sort of fix their hair or check their teeth, they’re suddenly distracted and don’t notice.

But if you have, this is sort of a pedestrian example, but say you have a roommate or a spouse who doesn’t clean up the kitchen. Facing that problem and not having your elegant solution already there to highlight the contrast between the perceived problem and the real problem, how would you take a problem like that and attack it using this method so that you can see what some of the other options might be?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Right. So, I mean, let’s say it’s you who have that problem. I would go in and say, first of all, what would you say the problem is? Like, if you were to describe your view of the problem, what would that be?

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: I hate cleaning the kitchen, and I want someone else to clean it up.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: OK. So, my first observation, you know, that somebody else might not necessarily be your spouse. So, already there, there’s an inbuilt assumption in your question around oh, it has to be my husband who does the cleaning. So, it might actually be worth, already there to say, is that really the only problem you have? That you hate cleaning the kitchen, and you want to avoid it? Or might there be something around, as well, getting a better relationship in terms of how you solve problems in general or establishing a better way to handle small problems when dealing with your spouse?

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: Or maybe, now that I’m thinking that, maybe the problem is that you just can’t find the stuff in the kitchen when you need to find it.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Right, and so that’s an example of a reframing, that actually why is it a problem that the kitchen is not clean? Is it only because you hate the act of cleaning, or does it actually mean that it just takes you a lot longer and gets a lot messier to actually use the kitchen, which is a different problem. The way you describe this problem now, is there anything that’s missing from that description?

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: That is a really good question.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Other, basically asking other factors that we are not talking about right now, and I say those because people tend to, when given a problem, they tend to delve deeper into the detail. What often is missing is actually an element outside of the initial description of the problem that might be really relevant to what’s going on. Like, why does the kitchen get messy in the first place? Is it something about the way you use it or your cooking habits? Is it because the neighbor’s kids, kind of, use it all the time?

There might, very often, there might be issues that you’re not really thinking about when you first describe the problem that actually has a big effect on it.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: I think at this point it would be helpful to maybe get another business example, and I’m wondering if you could tell us the story of the dog adoption problem.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Yeah. This is a big problem in the US. If you work in the shelter industry, basically because dogs are so popular, more than 3 million dogs every year enter a shelter, and currently only about half of those actually find a new home and get adopted. And so, this is a problem that has persisted. It’s been, like, a structural problem for decades in this space. In the last three years, where people found new ways to address it.

So a woman called Lori Weise who runs a rescue organization in South LA, and she actually went in and challenged the very idea of what we were trying to do. She said, no, no. The problem we’re trying to solve is not about how to get more people to adopt dogs. It is about keeping the dogs with their first family so they never enter the shelter system in the first place.

In 2013, she started what’s called a Shelter Intervention Program that basically works like this. If a family comes and wants to hand over their dog, these are called owner surrenders. It’s about 30% of all dogs that come into a shelter. All they would do is go up and ask, if you could, would you like to keep your animal? And if they said yes, they would try to fix whatever helped them fix the problem, but that made them turn over this.

And sometimes that might be that they moved into a new building. The landlord required a deposit, and they simply didn’t have the money to put down a deposit. Or the dog might need a $10 rabies shot, but they didn’t know how to get access to a vet.

And so, by instigating that program, just in the first year, she took her, basically the amount of dollars they spent per animal they helped went from something like $85 down to around $60. Just an immediate impact, and her program now is being rolled out, is being supported by the ASPCA, which is one of the big animal welfare stations, and it’s being rolled out to various other places.

And I think what really struck me with that example was this was not dependent on having the internet. This was not, oh, we needed to have everybody mobile before we could come up with this. This, conceivably, we could have done 20 years ago. Only, it only happened when somebody, like in this case Lori, went in and actually rethought what the problem they were trying to solve was in the first place.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, what I also think is so interesting about that example is that when you talk about it, it doesn’t sound like the kind of thing that would have been thought of through other kinds of problem solving methods. There wasn’t necessarily an After Action Review or a 5 Whys exercise or a Six Sigma type intervention. I don’t want to throw those other methods under the bus, but how can you get such powerful results with such a very simple way of thinking about something?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: That was something that struck me as well. This, in a way, reframing and the idea of the problem diagnosis is important is something we’ve known for a long, long time. And we’ve actually have built some tools to help out. If you worked with us professionally, you are familiar with, like, Six Sigma, TRIZ, and so on. You mentioned 5 Whys. A root cause analysis is another one that a lot of people are familiar with.

Those are our good tools, and they’re definitely better than nothing. But what I notice when I work with the companies applying those was those tools tend to make you dig deeper into the first understanding of the problem we have. If it’s the elevator example, people start asking, well, is that the cable strength, or is the capacity of the elevator? That they kind of get caught by the details.

That, in a way, is a bad way to work on problems because it really assumes that there’s like a, you can almost hear it, a root cause. That you have to dig down and find the one true problem, and everything else was just symptoms. That’s a bad way to think about problems because problems tend to be multicausal.

There tend to be lots of causes or levers you can potentially press to address a problem. And if you think there’s only one, if that’s the right problem, that’s actually a dangerous way. And so I think that’s why, that this is a method I’ve worked with over the last five years, trying to basically refine how to make people better at this, and the key tends to be this thing about shifting out and saying, is there a totally different way of thinking about the problem versus getting too caught up in the mechanistic details of what happens.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: What about experimentation? Because that’s another method that’s become really popular with the rise of Lean Startup and lots of other innovation methodologies. Why wouldn’t it have worked to, say, experiment with many different types of fixing the dog adoption problem, and then just pick the one that works the best?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: You could say in the dog space, that’s what’s been going on. I mean, there is, in this industry and a lot of, it’s largely volunteer driven. People have experimented, and they found different ways of trying to cope. And that has definitely made the problem better. So, I wouldn’t say that experimentation is bad, quite the contrary. Rapid prototyping, quickly putting something out into the world and learning from it, that’s a fantastic way to learn more and to move forward.

My point is, though, that I feel we’ve come to rely too much on that. There’s like, if you look at the start up space, the wisdom is now just to put something quickly into the market, and then if it doesn’t work, pivot and just do more stuff. What reframing really is, I think of it as the cognitive counterpoint to prototyping. So, this is really a way of seeing very quickly, like not just working on the solution, but also working on our understanding of the problem and trying to see is there a different way to think about that.

If you only stick with experimentation, again, you tend to sometimes stay too much in the same space trying minute variations of something instead of taking a step back and saying, wait a minute. What is this telling us about what the real issue is?

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, to go back to something that we touched on earlier, when we were talking about the completely hypothetical example of a spouse who does not clean the kitchen–

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Completely, completely hypothetical.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: Yes. For the record, my husband is a great kitchen cleaner.

You started asking me some questions that I could see immediately were helping me rethink that problem. Is that kind of the key, just having a checklist of questions to ask yourself? How do you really start to put this into practice?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: I think there are two steps in that. The first one is just to make yourself better at the method. Yes, you should kind of work with a checklist. In the article, I kind of outlined seven practices that you can use to do this.

But importantly, I would say you have to consider that as, basically, a set of training wheels. I think there’s a big, big danger in getting caught in a checklist. This is something I work with.

My co-author Paddy Miller, it’s one of his insights. That if you start giving people a checklist for things like this, they start following it. And that’s actually a problem, because what you really want them to do is start challenging their thinking.

So the way to handle this is to get some practice using it. Do use the checklist initially, but then try to step away from it and try to see if you can organically make– it’s almost a habit of mind. When you run into a colleague in the hallway and she has a problem and you have five minutes, like, delving in and just starting asking some of those questions and using your intuition to say, wait, how is she talking about this problem? And is there a question or two I can ask her about the problem that can help her rethink it?

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: Well, that is also just a very different approach, because I think in that situation, most of us can’t go 30 seconds without jumping in and offering solutions.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Very true. The drive toward solutions is very strong. And to be clear, I mean, there’s nothing wrong with that if the solutions work. So, many problems are just solved by oh, you know, oh, here’s the way to do that. Great.

But this is really a powerful method for those problems where either it’s something we’ve been banging our heads against tons of times without making progress, or when you need to come up with a really creative solution. When you’re facing a competitor with a much bigger budget, and you know, if you solve the same problem later, you’re not going to win. So, that basic idea of taking that approach to problems can often help you move forward in a different way than just like, oh, I have a solution.

I would say there’s also, there’s some interesting psychological stuff going on, right? Where you may have tried this, but if somebody tries to serve up a solution to a problem I have, I’m often resistant towards them. Kind if like, no, no, no, no, no, no. That solution is not going to work in my world. Whereas if you get them to discuss and analyze what the problem really is, you might actually dig something up.

Let’s go back to the kitchen example. One powerful question is just to say, what’s your own part in creating this problem? It’s very often, like, people, they describe problems as if it’s something that’s inflicted upon them from the external world, and they are innocent bystanders in that.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: Right, or crazy customers with unreasonable demands.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Exactly, right. I don’t think I’ve ever met an agency or consultancy that didn’t, like, gossip about their customers. Oh, my god, they’re horrible. That, you know, classic thing, why don’t they want to take more risk? Well, risk is bad.

It’s their business that’s on the line, not the consultancy’s, right? So, absolutely, that’s one of the things when you step into a different mindset and kind of, wait. Oh yeah, maybe I actually am part of creating this problem in a sense, as well. That tends to open some new doors for you to move forward, in a way, with stuff that you may have been struggling with for years.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, we’ve surfaced a couple of questions that are useful. I’m curious to know, what are some of the other questions that you find yourself asking in these situations, given that you have made this sort of mental habit that you do? What are the questions that people seem to find really useful?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: One easy one is just to ask if there are any positive exceptions to the problem. So, was there day where your kitchen was actually spotlessly clean? And then asking, what was different about that day? Like, what happened there that didn’t happen the other days? That can very often point people towards a factor that they hadn’t considered previously.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: We got take-out.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: S,o that is your solution. Take-out from [INAUDIBLE]. That might have other problems.

Another good question, and this is a little bit more high level. It’s actually more making an observation about labeling how that person thinks about the problem. And what I mean with that is, we have problem categories in our head. So, if I say, let’s say that you describe a problem to me and say, well, we have a really great product and are, it’s much better than our previous product, but people aren’t buying it. I think we need to put more marketing dollars into this.

Now you can go in and say, that’s interesting. This sounds like you’re thinking of this as a communications problem. Is there a different way of thinking about that? Because you can almost tell how, when the second you say communications, there are some ideas about how do you solve a communications problem. Typically with more communication.

And what you might do is go in and suggest, well, have you considered that it might be, say, an incentive problem? Are there incentives on behalf of the purchasing manager at your clients that are obstructing you? Might there be incentive issues with your own sales force that makes them want to sell the old product instead of the new one?

So literally, just identifying what type of problem does this person think about, and is there different potential way of thinking about it? Might it be an emotional problem, a timing problem, an expectations management problem? Thinking about what label of what type of problem that person is kind of thinking as it of.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: That’s really interesting, too, because I think so many of us get requests for advice that we’re really not qualified to give. So, maybe the next time that happens, instead of muddying my way through, I will just ask some of those questions that we talked about instead.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: That sounds like a good idea.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: So, Thomas, this has really helped me reframe the way I think about a couple of problems in my own life, and I’m just wondering. I know you do this professionally, but is there a problem in your life that thinking this way has helped you solve?

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: I’ve, of course, I’ve been swallowing my own medicine on this, too, and I think I have, well, maybe two different examples, and in one case somebody else did the reframing for me. But in one case, when I was younger, I often kind of struggled a little bit. I mean, this is my teenage years, kind of hanging out with my parents. I thought they were pretty annoying people. That’s not really fair, because they’re quite wonderful, but that’s what life is when you’re a teenager.

And one of the things that struck me, suddenly, and this was kind of the positive exception was, there was actually an evening where we really had a good time, and there wasn’t a conflict. And the core thing was, I wasn’t just seeing them in their old house where I grew up. It was, actually, we were at a restaurant. And it suddenly struck me that so much of the sometimes, kind of, a little bit, you love them but they’re annoying kind of dynamic, is tied to the place, is tied to the setting you are in.

And of course, if– you know, I live abroad now, if I visit my parents and I stay in my old bedroom, you know, my mother comes in and wants to wake me up in the morning. Stuff like that, right? And it just struck me so, so clearly that it’s– when I change this setting, if I go out and have dinner with them at a different place, that the dynamic, just that dynamic disappears.

SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: Well, Thomas, this has been really, really helpful. Thank you for talking with me today.

THOMAS WEDELL-WEDELLSBORG: Thank you, Sarah.

HANNAH BATES: That was Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg in conversation with Sarah Green Carmichael on the HBR IdeaCast. He’s an expert in problem solving and innovation, and he’s the author of the book, What’s Your Problem?: To Solve Your Toughest Problems, Change the Problems You Solve .

We’ll be back next Wednesday with another hand-picked conversation about leadership from the Harvard Business Review. If you found this episode helpful, share it with your friends and colleagues, and follow our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re there, be sure to leave us a review.

We’re a production of Harvard Business Review. If you want more podcasts, articles, case studies, books, and videos like this, find it all at HBR dot org.

This episode was produced by Anne Saini, and me, Hannah Bates. Ian Fox is our editor. Music by Coma Media. Special thanks to Maureen Hoch, Adi Ignatius, Karen Player, Ramsey Khabbaz, Nicole Smith, Anne Bartholomew, and you – our listener.

See you next week.

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Watch CBS News

Why is looking at a solar eclipse dangerous without special glasses? Eye doctors explain.

By Sara Moniuszko

Edited By Allison Elyse Gualtieri

Updated on: April 8, 2024 / 8:54 AM EDT / CBS News

The solar eclipse will be visible for millions of Americans on April 8, 2024, making many excited to see it — but how you watch it matters, since it can be dangerous for your eyes.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, blocking the sun's light . When the moon blocks some of the sun, it's a partial solar eclipse, but when moon lines up with the sun, blocking all of its light, a total solar eclipse occurs, NASA explains . Either way, you need eye protection when viewing.

"The solar eclipse will be beautiful, so I hope that everyone experiences it — but they need to experience it in the right way," said Dr. Jason P. Brinton, an ophthalmologist and medical director at Brinton Vision in St. Louis.

Here's what to know to stay safe.

Why is looking at a solar eclipse dangerous?

Looking at the sun — even when it's partially covered like during an eclipse — can cause eye damage.

There is no safe dose of solar ultraviolet rays or infrared radiation, said Dr. Yehia Hashad , an ophthalmologist, retinal specialist and the chief medical officer at eye health company Bausch + Lomb.

"A very small dose could cause harm to some people," he said. "That's why we say the partial eclipse could also be damaging. And that's why we protect our eyes with the partial as well as with the full sun."

Some say that during a total eclipse, it's safe to view the brief period time when the moon completely blocks the sun without eye protection. But experts warn against it.

"Totality of the eclipse lasts only about 1 to 3 minutes based on geographic location, and bright sunlight suddenly can appear as the moon continues to move," notes an eclipse viewing guide published in JAMA , adding, "even a few seconds of viewing the sun during an eclipse" can temporarily or permanently damage your vision.

Do I need special glasses for eclipse viewing?

Yes. Eclipse glasses are needed to protect your eyes if you want to look at the eclipse.

Regular sunglasses aren't protective enough for eclipse viewing — even if you stack more than one.

"There's no amount of sunglasses that people can put on that will make up for the filtering that the ISO standard filters and the eclipse glasses provide," Brinton said.

You also shouldn't look at the eclipse through a camera lens, phone, binoculars or telescope, according to NASA, even while wearing eclipse glasses. The solar rays can burn through the lens and cause serious eye injury.

Eclipse glasses must comply with the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard , according to NASA, and should have an "ISO" label printed on them to show they comply. The American Astronomical Society has a list of approved solar viewers.

Can't find these, or they're sold out near you? You can also make homemade viewers , which allow you to observe the eclipse indirectly — just don't accidentally look at the sun while using one.

How to keep kids safe during the solar eclipse

Since this eclipse is expected to occur around the time of dismissal for many schools across the country, it may be tempting for students to view it without the proper safety precautions while getting to and from their buses. That's why some school districts are canceling classes early so kids can enjoy the event safely with their families.

Dr. Avnish Deobhakta, vitreoretinal surgeon at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary at Mount Sinai, said parents should also be careful because it can be difficult for children to listen or keep solar eclipse glasses on.

"You want to actually, in my opinion, kind of avoid them even looking at the eclipse, if possible," he said. "Never look directly at the sun, always wear the right eclipse sunglasses if you are going to look at the sun and make sure that those are coming from a reliable source."

Brinton recommends everyone starts their eclipse "viewing" early, by looking at professional photos and videos of an eclipse online or visiting a local planetarium.

That way, you "have an idea of what to expect," he said.

He also recommends the foundation Prevent Blindness , which has resources for families about eclipse safety.

What happens if you look at a solar eclipse without eclipse glasses?

While your eyes likely won't hurt in the moment if you look at the eclipse without protection, due to lowered brightness and where damage occurs in the eye, beware: The rays can still cause damage .

The harm may not be apparent immediately. Sometimes trouble starts to appear one to a few days following the event. It could affect just one or both eyes.

And while some will regain normal visual function, sometimes the damage is permanent.

"Often there will be some recovery of the vision in the first few months after it, but sometimes there is no recovery and sometimes there's a degree to which it is permanent," Brinton said.

How long do you have to look at the eclipse to damage your eyes?

Any amount of time looking at the eclipse without protection is too long, experts say.

"If someone briefly looks at the eclipse, if it's extremely brief, in some cases there won't be damage. But damage can happen even within a fraction of a second in some cases," Brinton said. He said he's had patients who have suffered from solar retinopathy, the official name for the condition.

Deobhakta treated a patient who watched the 2017 solar eclipse for 20 seconds without proper eye protection. She now has permanent damage in the shape of a crescent that interferes with her vision.

"The crescent that is burned into the retina, the patient sees as black in her visual field," he said. "The visual deficit that she has will never go away."

How to know if you've damaged your eyes from looking at the eclipse

Signs and symptoms of eye damage following an eclipse viewing include headaches, blurred vision, dark spots, changes to how you see color, lines and shapes.

Unfortunately, there isn't a treatment for solar retinopathy.

"Seeing an eye care professional to solidify the diagnosis and for education I think is reasonable," Brinton said, but added, "right now there is nothing that we do for this. Just wait and give it time and the body does tend to heal up a measure of it."

Sara Moniuszko is a health and lifestyle reporter at CBSNews.com. Previously, she wrote for USA Today, where she was selected to help launch the newspaper's wellness vertical. She now covers breaking and trending news for CBS News' HealthWatch.

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Luis Alejo, Guest Commentary: Introducing local…

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Caltrans expects highway 1 rocky creek signalization by memorial day, opinion commentary, luis alejo, guest commentary: introducing local youth to county government, law and policy.

Preparing the next generation of leaders in county government was the primary reason why I created the Monterey County Young Supervisors Program in 2017. I wanted a method to utilize my elected office to provide the young people of Salinas and the surrounding areas with an opportunity to develop skills in leadership, problem solving, critical thinking, and networking, and to better understand the important role that county governments play in providing essential services to its residents and businesses.

Although my Young Supervisors Program was the first of its kind at a county supervisor level in California, I had previously administered a similar program during my years in the California State Assembly starting in 2011, then called the Young Assemblymembers Program.

I wanted to take advantage of the summer when local high school students are looking for opportunities to build their resume, gain experience, fulfill their high school community service hours, and make the most of their time out of school. So, I instituted a unique four-week long program open to high school and first and second-year college students.

Participants go on an initial two-day leadership development training to sharpen and learn leadership skills, and they also hear from a variety of speakers on topics, such as the role of the media, small businesses, nonprofits, law enforcement and opportunities working for county government.

The students also visit Colton Hall in Monterey where the California Constitutional Convention was held in 1849, and where California petitioned to become the 31st state of the union. A highlight of the program is taking the students to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to learn about the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary, sustainable fishing and ocean protection, and then on a whale watching tour. Despite growing up in a coastal county, most of the young participants have never been out into the Monterey Bay waters.

The main project of the program is having the participants research a hot policy topic and then conduct a mock legislative hearing in the Supervisors’ Chamber debating both sides of the issue. These topics have often been controversial ones that the Board of Supervisors later votes on, such as a farmworker housing project, a homeless navigation center or plastic pollution in our oceans. They conduct the hearing in front of their parents and family members as part of a final graduation ceremony.

By completing the program, my office aims to also empower the students, many of whom come from low-income households, by strengthening their resume and providing letters of recommendation as they prepare to apply for college or scholarships, often competing with tens of thousands of other students across the state. This unique program helps them stand out among the rest, and we also provide tailored letters for whatever program they request. We also provide job references for future employment opportunities and we stay in touch with them as they transfer to community colleges, universities, or graduate and professional schools.

Above all else, I hope to spark an interest in these young adults about becoming civically engaged and take part in the democratic process and decision making in their own communities. If we are not preparing the next generation of leaders in our counties, then we are missing a big part of solving the greatest challenges of tomorrow.

Over the years, more than 250 students have participated in my program. Some have graduated from Stanford, Harvard, UC Berkeley, UCLA, West Point and many other prestigious universities. Today, most of the graduates are young professionals, some working in state government, local government, law firms or have returned to our county to serve their communities in other important ways.

Overall, this program receives positive reviews from the community, especially from the parents and families who appreciate their child being closely connected with a county supervisor. I’ve been proud to have younger siblings of graduates later join my program as well.

Among the accomplishments that I’ve achieved in my 16 years in politics, some of my most cherished are those helping uplift and inspire our young people, and using my office to help open more opportunities for them. Hopefully, some of them will also run for office one day and be our next generation of leaders for California.

If any young people want to apply for my 2024 Young Supervisors Program, please contact my office at (831) 755-5011 or email [email protected] by June 20.

Luis A. Alejo is a Monterey County Supervisor for District 1 representing most of the city limits of Salinas

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COMMENTS

5 Whys
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. ...
Root Cause Analysis with 5 Whys Technique (With Examples)
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 ...
What is a 5 Whys? Step-by-Step Guide to Running a 5 Whys Exercise
An in-depth look at the 5 Whys, a simple problem-solving exercise designed to unearth the root of any problem or unexpected situation. Tools. Publishing. ... describes the method in his book Toyota Production System: ... It's important to note that the purpose of the 5 whys isn't to place blame, but rather to uncover the root cause of why ...
5 Whys: A Powerful Problem-Solving Tool
The 5 Whys is a great tool for problem-solving, but it has some limitations. For example, it can be difficult to apply this technique to more complex problems. Aside from this, here are some of the constraints when using this method:
The 5 Whys Analysis: How to Find The Cause of Crucial Problems
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 ...
Five whys
It is a critical component of problem-solving training, delivered as part of the induction into the Toyota Production System. The architect of the Toyota Production System, Taiichi Ohno , described the five whys method as "the basis of Toyota's scientific approach by repeating why five times [6] the nature of the problem as well as its solution ...
How to Use the 5 Whys Technique for a Root Cause Analysis
Root cause analysis (RCA) is a common process for discovering the origin of a business problem. While there are many RCA problem-solving techniques, one popular and easy technique is the 5 Whys method. Performing a 5 Whys analysis is one of the most efficient ways to both discover the root cause of a problem and ensure that steps are taken to prevent it from happening again.
What is the 5 Whys framework?
The 5 Whys framework is a problem-solving technique used to identify the root cause of a problem. It's a simple but powerful way to uncover the underlying reasons behind a problem by asking the question "why" repeatedly. By doing so, you can delve beyond the symptoms and surface-level causes of a problem and reach the fundamental cause ...
5 Whys template: Root cause analysis
The 5 Whys technique serves two primary purposes. First, it reveals the root cause of the problem, which helps organizations eliminate the cause and implement solutions that will prevent future occurrences. Second, the method encourages problem solving by bringing cross-functional teams together to address issues.
Clarifying the '5 Whys' Problem-Solving Method
To help lean thinkers apply this powerful approach to overcoming work obstacles, LEI Senior Advisor John Shook guides lean thinkers through a detailed exampl...
5 Whys Technique: Root Cause Analysis (With Examples)
Effective problem solving can help organizations improve in every area of their business, including product quality, client satisfaction and finances. The five whys method offers a simple, focused strategy for finding the root cause of a problem with minimal cost. In this article, we discuss what the five whys technique is and how to use it, plus share examples of businesses using the five ...
5 Whys template & guide
The 5 Whys problem-solving method was originally developed for Toyota Motor Corporation's production facility. The technique starts with a single problem and asks a 'why' question based on the answer to the previous question. ... The simplicity of the 5 Whys method lends itself well to the analysis stage of six sigmas. Since the technique ...
Guide: 5 Whys
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 ...
Root Cause Analysis
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 ...
The Power Of 5 Whys To Get Results
The 5 Why technique is a problem-solving method that involves repeatedly asking "why" five times to determine the source of a problem. "Why-why analysis" is another term that is sometimes used to describe the 5 Why technique. It was initially created by Sakichi Toyoda, the company's founder, as a way to enhance the effectiveness and ...
Introducing the 5 Whys Technique of Problem Solving
A five whys analysis is helpful for understanding the inner workings of problems, but it's not without its flaws. Let's cover a few pros and cons of this approach. Benefits of the five whys method. It's simple to use: As far as problem-solving tools and analyses go, the five whys technique is one of the most straightforward and intuitive ...
5 Whys
Management should use the 5 Why problem-solving method with Gap from Standard problems. This is problem-solving that focuses on: specific problem definition. setting goals. root cause analysis. establishment of countermeasures. checks, standards, and follow-up activities. The aim is to prevent the problem from recurring by eliminating its ...
5 Whys. What it is, How it Works, Examples.
The 5 Whys technique is based on the idea that most problems can be solved by asking "why" five times. This technique is used in many industries, including manufacturing, engineering, and software development. It is also used in the fields of quality management and process improvement. Applying the 5 Whys Method for Problem-Solving
Clarifying the '5 Whys' Problem-Solving Method
Clarifying the '5 Whys' Problem-Solving Method. This brief animation offers a detailed explanation of one way to discover a problem's root cause. To help lean thinkers apply this powerful approach to overcoming work obstacles, LEI Senior Advisor John Shook guides lean thinkers through a detailed example from Taiichi Ohno's Toyota ...
Five Whys and Five Hows
Five Whys and Five Hows. Quality Glossary Definition: Five whys. The five whys and five hows techniques constitute a questioning process designed to drill down into the details of a problem or a solution and peel away the layers of symptoms.The technique was originally developed by Sakichi Toyoda who stated that "by repeating why five times, the nature of the problem as well as its solution ...
What Is 5 Why Problem-Solving?
The 5 Whys is a simple and effective tool. The method "5 Whys" is named as such because it involves asking "why" repeatedly to delve deeper into the layers of a problem or issue to uncover its root cause. By asking "why" multiple times (typically five times), the method aims to encourage deeper investigation beyond the symptoms or ...
What Are The 5 Whys?
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 ...
Do You Understand the Problem You're Trying to Solve?
Problem solving skills are invaluable in any job. But all too often, ... And so I think that's why, that this is a method I've worked with over the last five years, trying to basically refine ...
Why is looking at a solar eclipse dangerous without special glasses
While your eyes likely won't hurt in the moment if you look at the eclipse without protection, due to lowered brightness and where damage occurs in the eye, beware: The rays can still cause damage ...
Luis Alejo, Guest Commentary: Introducing local youth to county
I wanted a method to utilize my elected office to provide the young people of Salinas and the surrounding areas with an opportunity to develop skills in leadership, problem solving, critical ...

Getting to the Root of a Problem Quickly

5 Whys Root-Cause Analysis

Origins of the 5 Whys Technique

When to Use a 5 Whys Analysis

How to Use the 5 Whys

1. Assemble a Team

2. Define the Problem

3. Ask the First "Why?"

4. Ask "Why?" Four More Times

What Is a 5 Whys Template?

Figure 1: 5 Whys Example (Single Lane)

Figure 2: 5 Whys Example (Multiple Lanes)

Step 5. Know When to Stop

6. Address the Root Cause(s)

7. Monitor Your Measures

Appreciation

Tips for Using the 5 Whys Technique

Frequently Asked Questions About 5 Whys

2. Who Invented 5 Whys?

5 Whys Infographic

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Root Cause Analysis

Team Management

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What Is the 5 Whys Technique?

Case Study: Manufacturing Defects

Application in Service Industry

Step 1: Identify the Problem

Step 2: Ask ‘Why’ Five Times

Recurring Issues

Process Improvement

Benefits of Using a Template

Customizing the Template

Encouraging Open Communication

Continuous Improvement Mindset

Recent Posts

What is the 5 Whys framework?

Table of Contents

Dive into the 5 Whys: Origins, basics, and benefits

Origins of the 5 Whys: From Toyota to today

Potential of the 5 Whys: Benefits and impact

Mastering the 5 Whys: Step-by-step guide

Step 1: State your problem

Step 2: Ask your first Why?

Step 3: Probe deeper with more Whys

Step 4: Unearth the root cause

Step 5: Develop and implement your solution

5 Whys in action: Real-world applications and examples

UX Design case study: Navigating user experience challenges

Software development: Debugging with precision

Amplifying the 5 Whys with Fishbone Diagrams

Perfecting your 5 Whys approach

Be consistent

Beware of assumptions

Keep the big picture in mind

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Problem Solving using the 5 Whys

What is the 5 Whys root cause analysis?

5 Whys analysis in six sigma

How to use the 5 Whys template

Steps to using the 5 whys template

5 Whys Example

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Root Cause Analysis – The 5 Whys Technique

How to Conduct 5 Whys Analysis?

5 Whys Example

5-Whys Criticisms

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How it works:

Symptom vs Root Cause