---
title: 5 Whys
description: "Behind every symptom sits a cause, and behind that often another. The 5 Whys takes you down step by step, until you reach something you can fix. Watch the short video, then work with the toolkit PDF: it explains the…"
url: "https://skillagility.com/de/ressourcen/5-whys/"
updated: "2026-10-07"
category: 03 ANALYZE
---

# 5 Whys

Behind every symptom sits a cause, and behind that often another. The 5 Whys takes you down step by step, until you reach something you can fix. Watch the short video, then work with the toolkit PDF: it explains the method, shows a worked example and gives you a blank template to fill in.

Tool video

The short tool video will appear here.

[5-Whys_Toolkit_DE](https://skillagility.com/wp-content/plugins/embedpress/assets/pdf/web/viewer.html?&file=https%3A%2F%2Fskillagility.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F10%2F5-Whys_Toolkit_DE.pdf#key=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)

## 5 Whys in short

1. **State the problem.** Specific and factual, free of assumptions or suspected causes.
2. **Ask the first why.** The answer is usually a surface cause.
3. **Keep asking.** Take each answer as the new subject. Look for a process or system failure, not a person.
4. **Stop at a changeable cause.** When you reach a process you can change, or why yields nothing useful.
5. **Plan the action.** Address the root cause directly and assign an owner.

Key points

- Start with a factual problem statement.
- Each answer becomes the next question.
- Look for process causes, not people.
- Stop at a cause you can change.

**Related tools:** [Fishbone Diagram](https://skillagility.com/en/resources/fishbone-diagram/) · [Interrelationship Diagraph](https://skillagility.com/en/resources/interrelationship-diagraph/)