In this article, you’ll learn within 3 minutes, the ultimate root-cause-analysis tool, leaders and decision-makers have been using for ages in solving personal and professional problems.
The 5 Whys technique will allow you to quickly dissect the problem and reveal its underlying causes. It is one of the most effective tools for root cause analysis in the Lean management process. No matter how prepared we are of the future, every team can face unpredicted roadblocks in its daily work processes. However, applying the 5 Whys technique will help you find the root cause of any problem you or your team may face and protect the process from recurring mistakes and consequent failures.
Origin of 5 Whys Technique
The Japanese inventor, industrialist and founder of Toyota Industries, Sakichi Toyoda, developed the “5 Whys technique” in the 1930s, but it gained true popularity in the 1970s. Sakichi employs the Genchi Genbutsu which literally translates to “reallocation, the real thing” and it is a key principle of the Toyota Production System. This principle is also referred to as “go and see.” It advocates that in order to fully understand a situation, one needs to visit the site where work is going on to physically observe what is happening. It also implies “collecting facts and data at the actual site of the work or problem.”
“The basis of Toyota’s scientific approach is to ask why five times whenever we find a problem … By repeating why five times, the nature of the problem as well as its solution becomes clear. “ — Taiichi Ohno
What Exactly Is Five Whys?
The five whys technique is, as the name implies, a process where you ask “why” five times in order to get to the root cause of a problem. In some cases, though, one may have to ask more than 5 “why” before they can get to the root cause of the problem. The process starts out with a clearly identified problem, after which the process of asking why things happened until the real root cause of the problem has been uncovered.
Here are some real-world examples.
Imagine a problem statement: Your delivery personnel didn’t deliver the product on time to the customer.
And the business impact: Customer is complaining about our services and are threatening to go to our competitors.
Why 1: Why did the delivery personnel not deliver on time?
Answer 1: Because his motorbike stopped on the way.
Why 2: Why did his motorbike stop on the way?
Answer 2: Because it ran out of fuel while on its way
Why 3: Why did fuel run out?
Answer 3: Because the delivery personnel did not refuel the motorbike that morning
Why 4: Why did he not refuel his motorbike that morning
Answer 4: Because he was not able to sign-off money from the manager that morning
Why 5: Why was he not able to sign-off money from the manager that morning?
Answer 5: Because he came in late to work that morning and couldn’t find the manager.
That last “Why” becomes the root cause of the problem. The solution then should be for the delivery personnel to endeavour to always come to work on time and early enough to meet the manager and sign-off money for refuelling his motorbike. And a process should also be put in place to ensure that the personnel abide by the recommendation to prevent a re-occurrence of the problem in the future.
Applying The 5 Whys Technique In Root Cause Analysis
As has been shown above, the primary aim of the 5 whys technique is to take a problem and find its root cause so it can be properly addressed. When this is done, the company recommends solutions and take appropriate actions to prevent the problem from re-occurring in the future.
One of the good things about this tool is that it’s extremely inexpensive to implement. A person, a company or a Team can start applying it right away without having to spend anything apart from the time to learn and understand how it works.
It can be very frustrating to know that there’s a problem without knowing how to solve it. Problems can be unpredictable and can catch us on the blindside. And they come to all of us. The only difference is that the responses of individuals and teams when problems come differ. Most people try finding “quick-fix” solutions to every problem. But while this may be a convenient way of solving problems, it gives no assurance that the root cause of the problems has been properly tackled and that the problem won’t re-occur.
Every workplace is unique and so are the set of problems they face. Every problem that presents itself is a symptom of another issue that hasn’t yet presented itself. Locating the root cause of a problem (whether it’s a technical problem or a human and process problem) and developing a solution from there rather than just addressing the symptoms provides companies and teams with many long-term benefits, among which are reduced risk of re-occurrence, greater awareness, a better understanding of their unique issues as well give them clearer roadmaps to resolving future problems appropriately.
Guidelines and Rule In Applying the 5 Whys
You can customize the technique to best suit your specific needs. There are, however, general guidelines or rules anyone can apply to ensure you don’t deviate from the process.
- Bear the customer in mind when forming Why Questions.
- Ask Why until you get to the root cause (even if it has to be more than 5 times)
- Don’t take “Human Error” as a root cause. Get past it and ask Why the human error occurred and what can be done do mitigate against it
- Look for problems and not someone to blame
- Base all statements on facts and not on assumptions.
- Work with people who have experience and expertise. And engage in management where needed
- Ensure you don’t mistake the symptoms of a problem for the cause of the problem.
- Go through the steps. Do not jump to an imagined root cause. Invest the time necessary
These are just a few of the guidelines that can help anyone to start right, but not the only ones. You can do your own search to find more that will apply to your situation.
The 5 Why technique can only work successfully with an informed decision-making process. There has to be an insightful understanding of the realities surrounding the situation. What this means is that to successfully implement this technique, an informed decision must be made. For an informed decision to be made, there have to be people with practical experience to help in the root-cause analysis of the problem. People who can give you the most valuable information regarding any problems that appear in the area under review. It is also important at this point to note that while 5 Whys technique is such an inexpensive and simple problem-solving tool, it doesn’t have to be used as a stand-alone strategy. Successful leaders and decision-makers often use it together with other viable problem-solving approaches to help get to the true root cause of any problem.
Do you need personal coaching to resolve a persistent problem? I can work with you to make your need a reality. Contact me via my email: ajeromorgan@gmail.com for a free consultation.
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