The 5 Whys Of Root Cause Analysis

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is an often-used technique that is done in order to know why the particular problem happened at the first place. This technique is quite popular amongst analysts who try to identify the origin of a problem using a specific set of steps. There are a lot of tools associated with root cause analysis. Students doing PGDM in Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune etc get to learn this technique by various problem solving assignments and projects.

A basic assumption behind the RCA is that all systems and events are interrelated that is in order for an event to happen, there must be something in the current system that needs to be improved in order to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. In other words, any effect is the result of a chain of actions that has happened back to back that is an action in one area triggers an action in other area, which in turn triggered the action in other area and so on. RCA looks at all the causes and investigate the patterns of negative effects by discovering the specific actions and finding hidden flaws that lead to the problem.

PGDM Colleges in Hyderabad lay special stress on RCA and it’s 5 whys. Asking “why” to a problem is not an easy task. The technique of 5 whys  is used in identifying the root cause of the problem. The fundamental of this technique is very simple. You simply ask “why” five times. This helps in systematically peeling off the layers one by one and once all the layers of symptoms are stripped away, the root cause of the problem becomes crystal clear.

How to Conduct The 5 Whys?

A stepwise guide to following this technique is as follows:

Step 1 - Write down the problem on a clean sheet of paper. Even though you know the problem but writing it down adds that ensurance to the fact that everyone involved in the RCA are on the same page and there is no difference in opinion.

Step 2 - The next step is to ask why the problem happened in the first place. Write down all the possible answers  to this in the sheet of paper.

Step 3 - The next step is to dig deeper. Go through the answers you wrote down in step 2 and ask the why to these answers in order to understand the cause better.

Step 4 - Repeat the process till the time you are satisfied that you have uncovered the truth. Studies have shown that it usually takes 5 whys or  less to uncover the truth but if you are still not satisfied, you can always dig in deeper.

The technique of 5 whys are one of the most effective and simplest forms of troubleshooting a problem. Not only it helps you find the root cause to a problem but also helps in identifying the process to a much deeper level. You can use this technique in improving the quality of your organization’s process as well as in solving simple problems.