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5 Whys-Problem Solving Technique

The 5 Whys is a problem-solving technique that involves repeatedly asking "Why?" to get to the root cause of a problem. It involves taking a problem and asking "Why did this happen?" then asking "Why?" of the answer given until the root cause is identified. While called the 5 Whys, the number of times you ask "Why?" may be fewer or more than five. The goal is to trace the chain of causality from the effect back through layers of abstraction to identify a root cause that is still connected to the original problem.

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183 views

5 Whys-Problem Solving Technique

The 5 Whys is a problem-solving technique that involves repeatedly asking "Why?" to get to the root cause of a problem. It involves taking a problem and asking "Why did this happen?" then asking "Why?" of the answer given until the root cause is identified. While called the 5 Whys, the number of times you ask "Why?" may be fewer or more than five. The goal is to trace the chain of causality from the effect back through layers of abstraction to identify a root cause that is still connected to the original problem.

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er_dkray5772
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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5 Whys

The 5 Whys is a questions-asking method used to explore the cause/effect relationships underlying a particular problem. Ultimately, the goal of applying the 5 Whys method is to determine a root cause of a defect or problem.

5 whys as part of lean manufacturing is a problem solving technique that allows you to get at the root cause of a problem fairly quickly. It was made popular as part of the Toyota Production System (1970s.) Application of the strategy involves taking any problem and asking Why what caused this problem? By repeatedly asking the question "Why" (five is a good rule), you can peel away the layers of symptoms that can lead to the root cause of a problem. Very often the first reason for a problem will lead you to another question and then to another. Although this technique is called "5 Whys," you may find that you will need to ask the question fewer or more times than five before you find the issue related to a problem.
The real key is to encourage the trouble-shooter to avoid assumptions and logic traps and instead to trace the chain of causality in direct increments from the effect through any layers of abstraction to a root cause that still has some connection to the original problem. Note that in this example the fifth why suggests a broken process or an alterable behaviour, which is typical of reaching the root-cause level.

Techniques:
There are two primary techniques used to perform 5 whys[2]: the fishbone (or Ishikawa) diagram, as well as a tabular format.[3] These tools allow for analysis to be branched in order to provide multiple root causes for remedy.

Benefits Of The 5 Whys.


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It helps to quickly identify the root cause of a problem. It helps determine the relationship between different root causes of a problem. It can be learned quickly and doesn't require statistical analysis to be used.

When Is 5 Whys Most Useful?


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When problems involve human factors or interactions. In all types of business situations whether solving a lean manufacturing or for any other business problem.

Example of a five Why Analysis.


...Here is our "wheel" life example. 1. Why is our largest customer unhappy? Because our deliveries of bicycles have been late for the last month. 2. Why have our bicycle deliveries been late for the last month? Because production has been behind schedule. 3. Why has production been behind schedule? Because there is a shortage of wheels. 4. Why are we having a shortage of wheels? Because incoming inspection has rejected a large number of wheels for not being round. 5. Why are we rejecting so many parts? Because purchasing switched to a cheaper wheel supplier that has inconsistent quality.

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