Course Information
Five Whys Training
Learners will be able to:
- Ask effective “Why” questions.
- Stay focused on the process, not the person.
- Use the chain of question responses to identify the root cause.
About This Course
Five Whys is a problem-solving technique used to get to the root cause of an issue by asking “why?” five times (or more). Typically the first two or three answers to “why?” point to symptoms of problems and not to the root cause. Don’t limit your questioning to just five Whys. Keep asking “why?” until you think you have come to the end of the questioning trail – and then ask it one more time. The objective of the five Whys technique is to create a logical flow of causes about the process that lead to the root cause of the problem.
Five Whys training introduces learners to this problem-solving technique including how to formulate “why?” questions and then how to collect and analyze data to properly answer the questions. Examples of the questioning process in a variety of settings are provided and pitfalls to using the process are discussed along with strategies to avoid them.
- None.
- English (EN-US)
- Chinese (simplified) (ZH)
- Czech (CS)
- French (FR)
- German (DE)
- Italian (IT)
- Japanese (no audio) (JA)
- Korean (no audio) (KO)
- Polish (PL)
- Portuguese (Brazilian) (PT-BR)
- Romanian RO)
- Russian (RU)
- Spanish (ES)
- Vietnamese (no audio) (VI)
Course Objectives
- Understand what the Five Whys technique is.
- Learn that the Five Whys can help identify the root cause of a problem.
- Understand which type of “why” questions are effective and which are not.
- Recognize how mistake-proofing helps address a root causes by creating lasting solution.
- Be exposed to several Five Why studies.
- Identify common threads for successful investigations using the Five Whys.
- Understand how sustainable solutions can be constructed.
- Understand that there are common pitfalls that need to be avoided when using the Five Whys approach.
- Be familiar with ways to avoid common pitfalls.
Course Outline
Lesson 1 | Asking “Why?”
- Asking “Why?” An Investigative Technique
- Formulating “Why?” questions.
- Apparent causes versus the root cause.
- Using Mistake-Proofing to eliminate the root cause of problems.
Lesson 2 | Five Examples
- Chemical mixing error.
- Overdone burgers.
- Later shipment.
- Finger cuts.
- Missed phone calls.
Lesson 3 | Five Pitfalls
- Identifying the five pitfalls.
- Avoiding/preventing the pitfalls from occurring.
Challenge
- An assessment of the learner’s progress in this course.
4.7 out of 5 stars
Comments from Learners About This Course
- Really good exercise to learn the value of a Five Why approach, and how to use the Five Why process.
- Its’ a very good training.
- Really good course, does make you learn, really enjoyed it.
- The course showed good examples of the Five Why technique being used and why it is important.
- Easy to understand and presented well.
- Pretty good refresher course. Some good techniques for focusing on the “process” not the “operator.”
- Course is very to the point, very clear to follow.
You may also be interested in…
- Mistake-Proofing Training – Comprehensive online training in poka yoke/mistake-proofing techniques for manufacturing operations.
- 8D Problem-Solving – Step-by-step training in how to work on a problem-solving team follow the 8D methodology including tools and techniques that are used in each step.
- Root Cause Analysis with Corrective Action – Leads the learner through a four-step process to get to the root cause (source) of problems to eliminated problems for good.
