Problem Solving with the 5 Whys

Community Manager — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:18:00 GMT

Anyone who has ever spent time with young children has heard the question:"Why?" over and over again. Kids are onto something: "why" is not only a classic information gathering tool, it does double duty as a problem-solving device.

Consider the 5 Whys, a problem solving method developed by car-making kingpin Saikichi Toyoda of Toyota Industries. Toyoda advocated a 5-step question and answer process to discover the root cause of a problem and find a solution. Today, the 5 Whys are used by proponents of lean manufacturing-a business practice that focuses on reducing waste-to solve problems, improve quality, and reduce costs.

Why ask Why?

So how do the 5 Whys work? Here is an example from Lean Tool Box How-To: Five Why's Problem Solving.

The problem: A key piece of equipment failed.

1. Why did the equipment fail? Because the circuit board burned out.

2. Why did the circuit board burn out? Because it overheated.

3. Why did it overheat? Because it wasn't getting enough air.

4. Why was it not getting enough air? Because the filter wasn't changed.

5. Why was the filter not changed? Because there was no preventive maintenance schedule to do so.

Solution: Develop a preventive maintenance schedule.

In this example, the 5 Whys neatly lead to a useful and easily executable solution. Problem solved. However, problems can be more intractable so care should be taken to develop an effective problem statement. If the problem is inaccurately characterized, every step that follows will be wrong. Remain open to amending the problem statement as you learn more during your investigation. Also, take care not to combine multiple problems into one.

For more on the 5 Whys, we've assembled some useful resources:

Have you found the 5 Whys helpful in problem solving? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Bradley Eggers

Beyond Folders : lean, problem solving

Problem Solving with the 5 Whys