What is a why-why analysis1?

It is a method of questioning that leads to the identification of the root cause(s) of a problem.

Why-Why (5 Why’s) is to identify solutions to a problem that address it’s root cause(s). It is a method of asking
“Why” till the root cause is reached or this is conducted Rather than taking actions that are merely band-aids, a
why-why helps you identify how to really prevent the issue from happening again.

Very often, 5 iterations of asking why is sufficient to determine the root cause and hence the name “5 Why’s”
however it is not mandatory. Determining the root cause may take less or more than 5 iterations of why.

How do I conduct a why-why analysis?

A why-why is most effective in a team setting or with more than one person involved. Capture the input on a
flipchart or a simple spreadsheet like the one below.
1. First start with the problem you’d like to solve. Then ask, “Why is x taking place?” You will end up with
a number of answers. Jot these down.
2. Repeat the process for each of the answers to the first question.
3. Repeat the process for each of the answers to the second ‘why’ and continue until you’ve asked why 5
times.
4. When you’ve hit the 5th why, you usually have determined some root causes. Now you can identify
specific action plans to address those root causes.

How do I make the why-why effective?

 Involve the right people – it helps to have those that are familiar with the process and the problem in the
room so they are able to answer why something happened. It is also helpful to have someone with a fresh
eye participate – often they ask questions that help those involved in the problem extract the real reasons
something happened.
 Avoid blaming – look for systemic problems. You are looking for systematic solutions to the problem.
Blaming an individual ends up only making people feel bad. If someone didn’t turn the right valve, ask the
question “What could have helped the person turn the right valve?” Could improvements in a procedure or
labeling the valve have helped the individual?
 Get creative – what systematic solutions might address the problem? Allow people to brainstorm and
identify potential actions to address the issue. Later, go through the potential actions to identify the
solutions that will yield the most effective results.

1
Also know as a Five Whys analysis, a why-why is based on a Japanese quality technique and its description by quality consultant Peter Scholtes. See
Peter Senge’s ”The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook.”

1
Problem Statement: - What is the problem?
Large numbers of products are being returned by customers.

Affected Area: - What are the areas affected? (Quality, Production, Cost, TAT Quality)

Deliverable: - What was the deliverable which was not done or not met?
Products shipped should be used and not returned by customers.

 Why? (Why large numbers of products are being returned by customers?)

Products are being returned due to dents on them

 Why? (Why are products with dents shipped to customers?)

All products undergo Quality Check before shipping. The damage takes place during shipping.

 Why? (Why are the products damaged during shipment?)

Because the products are not packed to the packaging specification to prevent damages.

 Why? (Why are the products not packed as per the packaging specification?)
Because the shipping team does not have the packaging specification.

 Why? (Why doesn’t the shipping team have the packaging specification?)
Because it not a part of the standard operating procedure (SOP) shipping products.

Cause:-
Lack of completed and updated SOPs resulting in customer’s returning of a product.

Corrective Action: - (What are the actions to correct the problem and eliminate recurrence? Who will own the
actions? and when will they be completed?)

Update the SOP with the packaging specifications and train the shipping team on it.
Mr. XYZ, mm/dd/yyyy.

Preventative Action:- (Reapplication of the solution across all departments within the organization, who will
own them? And when will they be completed?).
Update the SOPs with packaging specification for all products being shipped (internally or externally) across
departments, locations, offices etc within the organizations.
Mr. XYZ, mm/dd/yyyy.