Five Whys – How to problem solve your digital activity

The 'Five Whys' stands as a powerful problem-solving method designed to delve deep into issues, ensuring their root causes are thoroughly understood to prevent recurrence.

This guide explores the concept of the ''Five Whys' and provides practical insights on its application and how your charity might use it.

The history of the 'Five Whys'

The 'Five Whys' technique is a simple but powerful problem-solving tool that was developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota. Toyoda believed that by asking "Why?" five times, you could drill down to the root cause of any problem.

The Five Whys technique is now used by organisations all over the world to solve a wide range of problems, from manufacturing defects to customer service issues. It is a particularly useful tool for identifying and addressing complex problems that may have multiple causes.

How the 'Five Whys' Model Works

The 'Five Whys' model is based on the idea that every problem has a root cause. By asking "Why?" five times, you can peel away the layers of the problem until you reach the core issue.

To use the Five Whys model, simply start by defining the problem that you want to solve.