Most important insights

• Don't make any accusations: the objective is not to criticize the performance of an
employee but instead to find the weak spot of a product/process.
• It is unusual to ask "Why?" so often – thus, don't hesitate to practice!
• Stay persistent: continue asking "Why?" if a "why" question is answered with a
symptom and not with a cause.
• You don't always have to ask "Why?" five times if you can already identify the cause
after posing fewer questions.
• If you are still not certain, then ask "Why?" one more time.
• "Human error" and other non-actionable causes are indications of an insufficient
analysis.
• Disrupt implausible or irrelevant causal chains and search for alternative causes. To
do this, you may possibly have to go back a few steps in the chain.
• Make use of the Pareto principle (the 80-20 rule): seek out the causes that have the
greatest impact and which lie within your area of influence.
• Take the time necessary to conclude discussions, even if they exceed the amount of
planned time.