Free 5 Whys template
Write the problem, ask why up to seven times, and see where the chain stops. Checks flag a chain that ends on a person, a solution dressed as a cause, or something outside your control. Print it on one A3 sheet.
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How to use it
- Write the problem on its own: what is wrong, where, how often, against what it should be.
- Answer "why did that happen?" with something that was true at the time, not something to do.
- Ask again for each answer. Five is a guide: stop when you reach a condition the team can change.
- Read the checks. They ask a question; answer it, or move on if the cause stands.
- Print to A3 landscape, or save as PDF from the print window.
What the checks look for
- A chain that stops at a person, or at "human error".
- A why that is really a solution: something to buy, install or do.
- A last why that sits outside the team's control, such as the weather or head office.
- A problem statement that already holds a cause or a fix.
5 Whys or fishbone?
Use a 5 Whys chain for one incident with one chain behind it. When more than one factor is in play, the fishbone template lets you lay them side by side.
Check whether the fix held.
A diagram finds likely causes. Cadence Resolve coaches the rest of the investigation, from what happened to an action that holds, then checks on a date you set whether the fix held.