{"id":2982,"date":"2026-03-26T15:11:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T13:11:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skillagility.com\/?p=2982"},"modified":"2026-03-26T15:11:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T13:11:37","slug":"5whys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skillagility.com\/en\/5whys\/","title":{"rendered":"5Whys"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-1-identify-the-head-the-problem\">Step 1: Identify the &#8220;Head&#8221; (The Problem)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every fish needs a head. Draw a box on the far right side of a large piece of paper or whiteboard. Inside, write down the specific problem you are facing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Tip:<\/strong> Be as specific as possible. Instead of &#8220;Low Sales,&#8221; try &#8220;20% drop in Q3 online checkout completions.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Draw a long horizontal arrow pointing to this box. This is the &#8220;spine&#8221; of your fish.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-2-add-the-bones-the-categories\">Step 2: Add the &#8220;Bones&#8221; (The Categories)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, draw diagonal lines (the ribs) coming off the spine. To keep your brainstorming organized, use the classic <strong>6Ms<\/strong> of manufacturing or the <strong>4Ps<\/strong> of service. Choose the set that fits your world:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>The 6Ms (Production)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>The 4Ps (Service\/Office)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Manpower:<\/strong> People &amp; skills<\/td><td><strong>Policies:<\/strong> Rules or regulations<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Methods:<\/strong> Processes &amp; rules<\/td><td><strong>Procedures:<\/strong> Steps in the task<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Materials:<\/strong> Raw goods &amp; data<\/td><td><strong>People:<\/strong> Staff &amp; customers<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Machines:<\/strong> Tools &amp; software<\/td><td><strong>Plant:<\/strong> The environment\/space<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Measurement:<\/strong> Data &amp; inspection<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Mother Nature:<\/strong> Environment<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-3-brainstorm-the-causes\">Step 3: Brainstorm the Causes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, gather your team. For each category, ask: <strong>&#8220;Why is this happening?&#8221;<\/strong> As you identify potential causes, draw smaller horizontal lines off the category &#8220;ribs.&#8221; If a cause is complex, you can even draw sub-branches off those lines. Don\u2019t filter ideas yet\u2014just get them on the bone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-4-the-5-whys-drill-down\">Step 4: The &#8220;5 Whys&#8221; Drill-Down<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To find the <em>root<\/em> cause, don&#8217;t stop at the first answer. Pick a cause on your diagram and ask &#8220;Why?&#8221; again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> &gt; * <em>Initial Cause:<\/em> The machine stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Why?<\/em> The fuse blew due to an overload.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Why?<\/em> The bearing wasn&#8217;t lubricated.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Why?<\/em> The pump isn&#8217;t circulating oil.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Root Cause:<\/strong> The pump intake is clogged with metal shavings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-5-analyze-and-take-action\">Step 5: Analyze and Take Action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Look at your completed fish. Are there certain causes that appear in multiple categories? Are there areas where the &#8220;bones&#8221; are very dense?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Circle<\/strong> the most likely root causes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Verify<\/strong> them with real-world data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Develop<\/strong> an action plan to address those specific points.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Step 1: Identify the &#8220;Head&#8221; (The Problem) Every fish needs a head. Draw a box on the far right side of a large piece of paper or whiteboard. Inside, write down the specific problem you are facing. Step 2: Add the &#8220;Bones&#8221; (The Categories) Now, draw diagonal lines (the ribs) coming off the spine. To [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_edit_lock":["1774530794:2"],"rank_math_seo_score":["8"],"rank_math_internal_links_processed":["1"],"_edit_last":["2"],"_learndash_course_grid_short_description":[""],"_post":["a:2:{i:0;s:0:\"\";s:29:\"post_course_short_description\";s:0:\"\";}"],"_learndash_course_grid_duration":[""],"_learndash_course_grid_enable_video_preview":["0"],"_learndash_course_grid_video_embed_code":[""],"_learndash_course_grid_custom_button_text":[""],"_learndash_course_grid_custom_ribbon_text":[""],"urcr_meta_checkbox":[""],"urcr_meta_override_global_settings":[""],"urcr_allow_to":[""],"urcr_meta_roles":[""],"urcr_meta_memberships":[""],"urcr_meta_content":[""],"_eb_reusable_block_ids":["a:0:{}"],"_betterdocs_reusable_block_ids":["a:0:{}"]},"categories":[1],"tags":[65],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-2982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-tool"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skillagility.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skillagility.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skillagility.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skillagility.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skillagility.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/skillagility.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2982\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skillagility.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skillagility.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skillagility.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2982"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skillagility.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=2982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}