5 Whys Technique
A problem-solving method that helps get to the root of the problem, making the solutions more effective for the long-term.
Getting to the Root of a Problem Quickly
Difficult and re-occurring problems often have deeper roots. The 5 Why Technique helps to solve these problems for the long term, rather than just putting a band-aid on it.
This method was developed in the 1930s in Japan but gained wider popularity in the 1970s. It’s now used in many large companies worldwide as a means of finding solutions to everyday problems encountered.
You can use 5 Whys for problem-solving, especially to resolve simple or moderately challenging problems.
How to Effectively Use 5 Whys
Step 1
Assemble a team who are familiar with the problem and will likely be part of the process in trying to fix it. It always helps to have a facilitator in these groups, just to keep things on track.
Step 2
Define what the problem is, and discuss it with your team and create a clear problem statement. For example, “John is late to work every day.” or “The app failed to launch on time.”
Step 3
You will ask your first Why. This will relate to why the problem is occurring. The responses should be based on facts if they are to be helpful.
Step 4
Continue asking whys, but ensure that each time the “why” is related to the previous response.
Final Step
You’ll know to stop when asking “Why?” doesn’t provide useful answers anymore. The goal here is to find the real root of the problem so that it can be solved effectively.
Example 1
Some ideas for solving the problem of John’s tardiness might include suggesting simple organisational methods for him or finding a task managing software he can use.
If we know John struggles to organise his tasks, and that this leads to an array of problems ultimately causing him to be late to work, we can use this technique to decide our best course of action.
Example 2
Some solutions for the root of this problem would be to arrange in-depth interviews with the customers and find out what it is they actually want. Alternatively, you could suggest they use a more simple checkout process that's been tried and tested, which will serve most of their users.
Discovering that the users or potential users were not included in the strategy phases of the design, means that most solutions would involve finding out what users really want.
Why We Use 5 Whys
From these examples, we can see how the 5 Whys Technique helps us to search for solutions. It allows us to discover what the real problem is.
Without knowing the root, teams can waste a lot of time trying to fix problems…when they aren’t really the problem at all!
Band-aid fixes can be great, but they are only temporary. It’s much better to have long-term solutions that will allow you to move forward, knowing that you have actually solved the problem once and for all.
And there’s no better way to do this, than finding solutions for the root of the problems!
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About the Author
Sona Kerim is a Digital Marketing Specialist at EL Passion. You can find her on LinkedIn.
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