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Proactive Root Cause Problem Solving
Published in Mark Graban, John Toussaint, Lean Hospitals, 2018
One powerful, yet simple, method for getting to a root cause of a problem is the five whys method, developed at Toyota. In this method, we ask a sequential series of why questions until we get an answer that seems like a correctable root cause. There is no particular magic in the number five. Sometimes, the root cause is found after three whys, and sometimes it might take ten. The point is to get beyond more commonplace problem solving that might only ask why once, leading to a surface symptom instead of the root cause. The five whys method is particularly effective in a group setting, where people can build off each other’s ideas and gain shared understanding across department boundaries. For this to work well, we need an open environment in which people are less defensive and less fearful about being honest.
Health and safety management systems – Monitoring, investigation and recording – CHECK
Published in Phil Hughes, Ed Ferrett, Introduction to Health and Safety in Construction, 2015
This type of simple root cause analysis is ideal for a minimal or low level of investigation. More complex methods like the Tree of Causes are suitable for a higher level of investigation and are not covered here. Now is the time after obtaining all the initial information to ask 'why'. Basic Question – Keep asking 'What caused or allowed this condition/practice to occur?' until you get to root causes.The 'five whys' is one of the simplest of the root cause analysis methods. It is a question-asking method used to explore the cause/effect relationships underlying a particular problem. Ultimately, the goal of applying the five whys method is to determine a root cause of a defect or problem.
Lean Overview: Principles and Tools
Published in Peter L. King, Lean for the Process Industries, 2019
Five Whys is the name given to the practice of asking the question “why” five times, to get to the underlying root cause of a problem. Asking “why” a number of times is critical to this process; the number five is not. Sometimes it takes more than five queries to get to the root of the problem, sometimes less. The key is to keep asking until you understand what you must change to resolve the problem. Ohno described the Five Whys method as “the basis of Toyota’s scientific approach … by repeating why five times, the nature of the problem as well as its solution becomes clear.” This practice is discussed more fully in Chapter 5, as a tool for understanding causes of waste when analyzing a value stream map.
A participatory systems approach to design for safer integrated medicine management
Published in Ergonomics, 2018
Gyuchan Thomas Jun, Aneurin Canham, Ander Altuna-Palacios, James R. Ward, Ran Bhamra, Stephen Rogers, Amalin Dutt, Priyal Shah
The objective of the second workshop was to generate specific ideas and solution models to address the issues identified in the first workshop. Two methods were introduced: the ‘five whys’ to identify root causes of the issues of their choice and ‘ideal final results’ to describe the best desired outcome for the problematic situation. The ‘Five whys’ method, which the Toyota Production System evolved (Ohno, 1988), simply asks ‘why’ five times and answers each time, with the aim of discovering the real cause of a problem. Ideal final result (IFR), one of the Theory of Innovative Problem Solving (TRIZ) tools, is a description of an ideal end state without any mechanisms or constraints attached from the current issue. The IFR encourages ‘outside of the box thinking’ by removing real or perceived barriers (Phinney 2017). A template for ‘five whys’ and ‘ideal final results’ and an example (Appendix 8) were provided.
Data-driven causal knowledge graph construction for root cause analysis in quality problem solving
Published in International Journal of Production Research, 2023
Besides, another potential application of the QPCKG lies in the intelligent transformation of five whys, which is a traditional causal analysis tool. The five whys method is an iterative interrogative technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a problem. The primary goal of the technique is to determine the root cause of a defect or problem by repeating the question ‘Why?’. The technique was initially developed by Sakichi Toyoda and was used within the Toyota Motor Corporation during the evolution of its manufacturing methodologies. The tool has seen widespread use beyond Toyota and is now used in problem-solving (King and Baum 2018), lean manufacturing (Chiarini, Baccarani, and Mascherpa 2018) and Six Sigma (Ahmad et al. 2019).