GETTING TO ROOT CAUSES

by: Robert F. Abbott

Want an effective way to get past the symptoms and get to the root source or sources of a problem? Or to generate new insights about an important issue? Try a technique called the "5 Whys?" It's a simple technique, but despite its simplicity has a lot of power, both in a diagnostic sense and a communication sense.

I first heard about it in connection with Total Quality Management (TQM), and believe it originated in the Japanese development of TQM. Given its connection with the Quality movement, you'll know it has applications in operational areas. You can also use it in a sales context; if you're selling and want to identify the problems faced by a potential client or customer (and you'll really impress the customer, too). It also has positive implications for effective communication, which we'll discuss later. To use the technique, you ask the question "Why?" over and over until you get to the point where it doesn't take you any further.

Normally, asking the question five times is enough to get to the bottom of even the most complex problem or issue. For example, let's suppose that fewer members are renewing their memberships in our association, and we want to reverse the situation. So, without worrying about getting the answer immediately, we would ask "Why?" for the first time: "Why are fewer members renewing their memberships?" One answer to the question might be, "Fewer members are renewing because we haven't had good speakers at our meetings for the past six months."Next, we ask why we haven't had good speakers at our meetings, and the answer to that might be, "We haven't had a coordinator for speakers since Jane moved away in October"."  So, we'll ask "Why?" a third time: "Why haven't we had a coordinator since Jane moved away?"

 The answer to that might be, "No one would volunteer to take on the position." And, why wouldn't anyone volunteer to take on the position? Answer: "Other members think the job takes too much time." For the fifth time, we ask "Why?".  The answer we get might be, "The member doing the job has too much to do, including phone calls to book a speaker, making arrangements for speakers at meetings, and sending follow-up letters of thanks." The officers of the association might now address the problem by splitting the role so three members do it, rather than just one.

After asking "Why?" five times, they've reached what appears to be a root cause, so they're addressing a real problem and not just a symptom.If you want to be especially thorough, you could start the process over again several times, and for each answer to the first "Why?" you would repeat the process. If you came back to the same root cause, that would give you added confidence that you've identified the real source of the problem.

COMMUNICATION AND THE "5 WHYS?"

When teams or other groups embark on problem identification or problem solving exercises, they often get into trouble because of failed communication. Different members of the teams may have different assumptions about critical issues, for example. When we use the "5 Whys?" carefully, we take steps that eliminate communication hurdles.

Start the process by writing out a carefully considered statement of the problem.Writing it out, and preferably on a whiteboard or flipchart, makes the statement commonly held, greatly increasing the odds that everyone starts from the same position. Next, you'll come up with a list of answers to the first "Why?" perhaps a long list. Collectively, decide which of the answers is most responsible for the problem, and it becomes the new problem statement.

Repeat the process until you all agree that asking "Why?"one more time won't take you any further. You'll notice that as you've gone through the process you've also created a paper trail. That will provide the groundwork for effectively communicating the solution or solutions you reach. When you sit down to write a presentation or memo about it, for example, you'll not only have articulated solutions, but also the reasons for the solutions.

The above article was contributed by Robert Abbott who writes and distributes the ;

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