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This simple group exercise can be used to investigate the root causes of problems within your organization by working backward to identify the source. [1] It is particularly useful when you or your team encounter a recurring problem and need to work together to find a solution. It can be conducted in person or run as an online exercise. There is no separate task sheet required. Allow one hour for completion.
Objectives
After completing this exercise, group members will be able to:
- review past problems, or processes that are currently being performed badly
- identify the root cause of the problem or poor performance
- change systems or procedures to ensure that the event is not repeated
What You’ll Need
If you're conducting the exercise in person you will need:
If conducting the session online, you should use an online collaboration tool such as Miro.
How to Use This Exercise
This exercise is best led by an individual who was not involved in the problem or process to be discussed. For example, this could be a manager from a different department or someone from your organization’s HR department.
The group size can vary, but should ideally be an intact team dealing with a real-world problem. [2] For example, if there is a problem with product development, your product development team could take part in the exercise. If it is an issue with sales, your sales team could take part. Widespread organizational problems might require a representative from each department.
You may want to use this exercise to introduce managers to the Five Whys technique so that they can use it with their own teams.
What to Do (40 Minutes)
- Begin the session by explaining that the purpose of the exercise is not to apportion blame, but to seek the maximum number of ideas as to why the problem occurred, or is occurring. It can be helpful to talk through the worked examples with the group, below.
- Identify the problem and ask the group for ideas as to why it occurred. Write these down on a flipchart.
- Repeat the process for the new ideas and once again write the answers on the flipchart, with an arrow drawn to show how they relate to each other.
- Repeat step three a further three times to investigate the root cause of the problem.
Review (20 Minutes)
By the end of the exercise, a clear chain of cause-and-effect will have been identified and the group will have a much clearer idea of the underlying causes of the original event. A solution can then be decided upon.
Example 1
To illustrate, suppose a member of factory staff had slipped while at work. To identify why this happened, you could ask: [3]
Why did the staff member slip?
Because there was oil on the floor.
↓
Why was there oil on the floor?
Because the gabungie’s leaking.
↓
Why is the gabungie leaking?
Because the gaskets are defective.
↓
Why are the gaskets defective?
Because purchasing got a great deal on the gaskets.
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Why did purchasing get such a great deal?
Because the company encourages purchasing at the lowest price.
In this example, only one idea has been suggested as the cause of each problem. In all likelihood, group members will be able to identify more than one cause and the chart will require more than one arrow trail.
Example 2
This second example is more complicated. Suppose a project is delivered behind schedule. The team’s manager might ask:
Why did we fall behind schedule?
Because our estimates were wrong
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Why were our estimates wrong?
Because our objective was not clearly defined.
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Because we did not follow our control processes.
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Why did we not clearly define our objective?
Because we started before an expert could review our scope.
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Why did we not follow our control processes?
Because it was difficult to fit the control processes into our schedules.
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Why did we start before our scope was reviewed?
Because we had a very tight timescale.
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Why was it difficult to schedule this in?
Because key stakeholders were busy.
↓
Why did we have a tight timescale?
Because the project request arrived late.
Why were stakeholders busy?
Because the project request arrived late.
In this example, two causes are identified during the second ‘why’. But both cause-and-effect chains eventually reveal the same underlying cause: ‘because the project request arrived late’ (bold in the table).
Often, a failure or poor performance will take place due to a combination of factors. The Five Whys exercise provides an opportunity for the group to identify these and draw out their common root causes.
In the second example, the solution might be to discuss realistic deadlines for requests during the initial project negotiation.
References[1] Rick Ross, ‘The Five Whys’ in Peter Senge et al, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization (Doubleday, 1994) p 108-112.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
