Solutions for Safety & Visual Communication

Favorites

Monday-Friday 5:30am-4:00pm PT

1-888-326-9244

Graphic Products
  • Resources
  • Support
  • Samples
  • Contact
  • Shop All Products
    CLOSE

    CATEGORIES
    • Printers
    • Printer Supply
    • Floor Marking
    • Pipe Marking
    • Signs & Labels
    • COVID-19 Solutions

    DuraLabel Kodiak

    DuraLabel Kodiak
    Multi-color, large format

    KODIAK SUPPLIES
    DuraLabel Toro

    DuraLabel Toro
    Portable, stand-alone

    TORO SUPPLIES
    DuraLabel Bronco

    DuraLabel Bronco
    Industrial, efficient

    BRONCO SUPPLIES
    DuraLabel Lobo

    DuraLabel Lobo
    Grab n' go labeler

    LOBO SUPPLIES
    DuraLabel Pro Series

    DuraLabel PRO 300
    Simple and reliable

    PRO 300 SUPPLIES

    LABELING SOFTWARE PRINTER ACCESSORIES PRINTER SUPPORT SHOP ALL PRINTERS
    SHOP BY APPLICATION
    Arc Flash GHS & HazCom Laboratory Pipe Labeling Wire Marking See All
    SUPPLY TYPE
    General Purpose High Visibility Low/High Temperatures Repositionable Tamper Resistant See All
    SHOP BY PRINTER
    Kodiak Supplies Toro Supplies Bronco Supplies Lobo Supplies DLP 300 Supplies See All

    RIBBONS PRINTER & SUPPLY BUNDLES SHOP ALL SUPPLIES
    FLOOR TAPES
    5S Aisle Glow in the Dark Reflective Anti-Slip See All
    FLOOR SIGNS
    BUNDLES
    SHAPES
    ACCESSORIES
    Applicators Stair Safety Floor Laminate
    Social Distancing Floor Signs

    SHOP ALL FLOOR TAPES
    STANDARD PIPE MARKERS
    Fire Quenching Flammable / Oxidizing Toxic or Corrosive Compressed Air Various Water See All
    AMMONIA
    Pipe Markers Component Markers See All
    SHOP BY STANDARD
    ANSI IIAR Pre-2007 ANSI
    flammable-pipe-markers

    ARROW BANDING TAPE ACCESSORIES VALVE TAGS SHOP ALL PIPE MARKERS
    SHOP BY SUBJECT
    Admittance Chemical Electrical Emergency PPE See All
    SHOP BY HEADER
    Caution Danger Notice Safety Warning See All
    COVID-19 Premade Signs

    SHOP ALL SAFETY SIGNS
    COVID-19 SOLUTIONS
    Safety Signs Printer Kits Awareness Posters A-Frame Signs Sneeze Guards
    SOCIAL DISTANCING
    Wall Signs & Labels Floor Signs Floor Tape Shop All
    COVID-19 BY INDUSTRY
    Grocery & Retail Medical & Healthcare Office Settings Restaurants & Food Service Food Manufacturing Construction
     
    Manufacturing Finance Transportation Education

    SHOP ALL COVID-19 SOLUTIONS
  • My Account
  • Quick Order
    Enter item SKU# and quantity
  • Cart()
Monday-Friday 5:30am-4:00pm PT 1-888-326-9244
Graphic Products
Menu Sign In
Products
Printers
Shop All Printers
Industrial Printers
Shop All Industrial Printers DuraLabel Toro DuraLabel Kodiak DuraLabel Bronco DuraLabel Lobo DuraLabel Pro 300
Bundles & Starter Kits
Shop All Bundles & Starter Kits
Labeling Software
Software DuraSuite Labeling Software LabelForge Labeling Software
Printer Supply
Shop All Printer Supply
Shop by Application
Shop All by Application Arc Flash GHS & Hazcom Laboratory Pipe Labeling Wire Marking
Shop by Supply Type
Shop All by Supply Type General Purpose High Visibility Low/High Temperatures Repositionable Tamper Resistant
Shop by Printer
Shop All by Printer DuraLabel Kodiak DuraLabel Toro DuraLabel Bronco DuraLabel Lobo DuraLabel Pro 300
Other
Shop All Other Ribbons Printer & Supply Bundle
Floor Marking
Shop All Floor Marking
Floor Tape
Shop All Floor Tape 5S Aisle Glow in the Dark Reflective Anti-Slip
Floor Signs
Shop All Floor Signs
Accessories
Shop All Accessories Stair Safety Floor Laminate
Other
Shop All Other Bundles Shapes
Safety Signs & Labels
Shop All Safety Signs
Shop by Subject
Shop All by Subject Admittance Chemical Electrical Emergency PPE
Shop by Header
Shop All by Header Caution Danger Notice Safety Warning
COVID-19 Solutions
Shop All COVID-19 Solutions
COVID-19 Solutions
Safety Signs Printer Kits Awareness Posters A-Frame Signs Sneeze Guards
Social Distancing
Wall Signs & Labels Floor Signs Floor Tape Shop All
COVID-19 by Industry
Grocery & Retail Medical & Healthcare Office Settings Restaurants & Food Service Food Manufacturing Construction Manufacturing Finance Transportation Education
Pipe Markers & Tags
Shop All Pipe Markers & Tags
Standard Pipe Markers
Shop All Standard Pipe Markers Fire Quenching Flammable/Oxidizing Toxic or Corrosive Compressed Air Various Water
Ammonia
Shop All Ammonia Pipe Markers Component Markers
Shop by Standard
Shop All by Standard ANSI IIAR Pre-2007 ANSI
Other
Shop All Other Arrow Banding Tape Accessories Valve Tags
Resources
Support
Free Samples
Contact Us
Cart
Sign In
  • Home
  • Resources
  • Articles
  • Five Whys

Five Whys

BY GRAPHIC PRODUCTS STAFF

The five whys analysis is also known as the why-why chart and root cause analysis. As these names imply, the purpose is to find the true root cause of a problem (Andersen and Petersen, 1996). The technique can very well be used in connection with a cause-and-effect chart to analyze each identified cause to ensure that it really is the root cause of the problem and not only a symptom of another and more deeply rooted cause. This can in fact be compared to peeling an onion, where each layer is removed to reveal another layer, until the center of the onion is reached.

The Five Whys is a question asking technique for identifying the root cause of a problem. It involves asking the question “why” as many times as necessary to identify the root cause. It’s called“Five Whys” because it typically requires asking “why?” at least five or more times.

The answer to the last “why” question normally points out where the main problem is. For example, many times the root cause investigation will stop when an answer such as, “it was out of my control,” or “there were not enough hours available,” is heard.  But, this is not the root cause. The Five Whys process needs to continue with a question such as, “Why were there insufficient hours available?”

Five Whys – An Example

Taking a famous example from Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac we could ask the following series of why questions:

  • Why was the kingdom lost? Because the battle was lost.
  • Why was the battle lost? For want of an army.
  • Why was the army lost? For want of a rider.
  • Why was the rider lost? For want of a horse.
  • Why was the horse lost? For want of a horse shoe.
  • Why was the shoe lost? For want of a nail.

The point Benjamin Franklin made was that, because a small item such as a nail was missing, an entire kingdom was lost. However, this is not a good Five Whys analysis, as it has not identified the root cause. At least one additional “why” question needs to be asked, “why was there no nail available?”

When doing a root cause analysis using Five Whys, keep in mind that it is almost always a process that has failed. Keep asking “why?” until a process has been identified, and the reason for the failure of the process has been identified.

The Five Whys Process

A problem has been identified and you want to find the root cause. How is Five Whys applied?

  • Start by going to the location where the problem exists. In Lean terms this is called gemba.  By physically going to the location of the problem you can observe the situation yourself, and talk directly with those who know the most about what is happening.
  • Write the definition of the problem at the top of a sheet of paper. Then ask the question, “Why is this problem taking place?”
  • Write down the answer(s) you get.  For each answer ask “why” again, until the answer identifies a root cause. If you get multiple answers to a “why” question, treat each one as a separate branch to follow, asking “Why?” until a root cause is identified for each one.
  • There may be multiple root causes, or cascading root causes. Be sure to ask “why” a sufficient number of times to identify all potential root causes.

Five Whys - Cause-and-Effect Chart

A Cause-and-Effect Chart, sometimes called a fishbone diagram, is used to identify all potential factors that contribute to an outcome.  It is a tool that is often used to analyze the results from Five Whys to verify the actual root cause has been identified.

To make a Cause-and-Effect Chart begin by writing a definition of the problem in the middle of the right side of a sheet of paper. Draw a horizontal line from that definition across the page.

Bring together a team to use the results from Five Whys, combined with brainstorming additional ideas, to identify potential causes of the problem. These are added as smaller lines connected to the horizontal line, creating a fishbone pattern. For each potential cause that was identified, continue brainstorming to identify possible contributing factors. These further ideas are added as lines drawn off of each individual cause line. This may be done a number of times, resulting in a diagram that is three or four layers deep.

Once the team has finished brainstorming, each cause can be investigated and analyzed. This will help to identify the cause, or causes that are actually the source of the problem.

Kaizen Best Practices Guide
A free guide to reducing costs and increasing productivity.

Benefits of the Five Whys

  • The Five Whys provides a simple, practical, easy to learn, and quick method for identifying the root cause of a problem.  The key is to ask “why” a sufficient number of times such that the real root cause is identified. Anyone can learn to do this.
  • The Five Whys can identify multiple potential root causes allowing the relationship between different potential root causes to be identified and analyzed.
  • It is easy to do.
  • The Five Whys provide a quick method for identifying root causes, which can be applied with little up-front preparation time. The problem can be quickly identified and fixed at a minimal cost in downtime and resources.

The Five Whys method for identifying root causes is very simple, yet incredibly powerful. Persistently asking “why” until the root cause is identified is a tool that should be in everyone's lean toolbox.

Ready to Get Started?

Download our Kaizen Best Practices Guide for detailed expert tips on how to implement Kaizen and the Five Whys at your organization. Get your copy below!

Kaizen Best Practices Guide
A free guide to reducing costs and increasing productivity.

Related Resources

What Is Kaizen?

What is Kaizen?

Understand how the lean tool Kaizen works to reduce waste and eliminate overly difficult work processes

Read
Fault Tree Analysis

Fault Tree Analysis

Examine system failures and understand the root causes with a fault tree analysis (FTA)

Read
Six Sigma Principles

Six Sigma Principles

Improve quality by eliminating errors, using two Six Sigma Methods: DMAIC and DMADV

Read
  • A free guide to reducing costs and increasing productivity.
Get the latest deals straight to your inbox
Trusted by These Companies
Starbucks
GM
Du Pont
Amazon
Disney
3M
Pepsi
NASA
Chevron
AT&T
Toyota
Coca-Cola
UPS
Target
  • Graphic Products, Inc.
    9825 SW Sunshine Ct
    Beaverton, OR
    97005 USA

  • 1-888-326-9244 (U.S./Canada)
  • +1-503-644-5572 (International)
  • Products
  • Printers
  • Printer Supplies
  • Safety Signs
  • Safety Labels
  • Floor Marking
  • Pipe Markers & Tags
  • Catalog
  • Support
  • Shipping & Returns
  • Manage Account
  • Printer Support
  • Warranties
  • Resources
  • Resource Center
  • Guides
  • Articles
  • Video Library
  • Safety Blog
  • Infographics
  • Webinars
  • Company
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Become a Dealer
  • Find a Dealer
  • Press Room

Need Help?

Give us a call at 1-888-326-9244 and speak with an expert.

Customer Reviews
  • Copyright © 2021
  • All Rights Reserved
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Shipping and Returns
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Data