The Power of Asking "Why?"….5 Times
Submitted by By Richard P Shaw, CMC, President of EnPower Group


Sharing Knowledge, Growing Value

Having consulted with organizations from start up's to large corporations since 1993, it never ceases to amaze me that many of the problems that affect businesses today still remain and in fact increase every year. A tremendous amount of resources on direct employee and/or consultants are spent annually on trying to address these "problems". Or are they? Addressing the problems, that is"

A major part of our practice is helping our clients develop and maintain a "Lean Enterprise" leading to increased - sales and profits as well as reduced - inventory, space, lead times and costs. We combine a very powerful tool "Five Why's" with the Lean Enterprise Tenet:
“Symptoms of any problem(s) should:

  • only be used to help identify the problem (Root cause);
  • have no other resources allocated to them other than to identify the respective problems;
  • not be allowed to distract you from identifying and addressing the respective problems."

Any symptom should be treated as a very valuable indicator of a problem somewhere else in the business or its processes. Symptoms should be welcomed as an opportunity to make the business better. Think of the symptoms as stepping stones to identifying, analyzing and then addressing the real problem.

The Five Why tool consists of repeatedly asking the question "Why?" (use five as a rule of thumb), as you come across a symptom that will allow you to peel away the layers of an issue, just like the layers of an onion, which can lead you to the root cause of a problem. Often the answer to a "Why?" can lead to another "Why?". When you have answered the last "Why?" and cannot think of another reason to ask "Why?" then you are most likely at the root cause or problem. Then and only then, should you start on resolving the respective problem.

Too often we find in companies that they have spent inordinate resources on addressing (sometimes only disguising) symptoms and never identifying let alone resolving the root problem. In these days of instant gratification, most people are looking for the immediate resolution and therefore resolve the first thing that they are able to identify. We have come across many people that derive great satisfaction in immediate resolution. They feel that they are effective and doing a great job.

Unfortunately they are not. In fact they are applying their limited resources on the symptoms that will have no real positive effect on the business. In fact resolving a symptom may make the real problem harder to find, if anyone in the organization is ever actually looking for it.

How to Five Why:

Step 1 - Brainwriting:

  • Research shows that we retain approximately 20% of what we see or hear, but we retain approximately 80% of what we say or write down;
  • By writing down the specific Symptom you will view it more clearly and accurately which not only helps you but any others that may working with you on the issue.
  • At the top of a page write down the Symptom in question.

Step 2 - Brainstorming (Either individual or with a group):
  • Ask why the problem occurs and write the answer down under the Symptom in question.
  • For each answer to your "Why?", ask "Why?" again. Keep doing so until you and your team agree that you have identified the problem's root cause.
  • This may take fewer or more than five "Why?".

Example:

One of our clients, a large national company with several retail outlets has a Head Office Transaction Audit Department (Manager and 4 staff) to review the Daily Business Reports from each of the outlets to check for and correct errors.

1. Why is the department required?

  • It is found that approximately 30% of the Daily Business Reports (DBR) have at least one error.
2. Why are there so many errors?
  • The DBR form is extensive, time consuming and difficult to complete.
3. Why is the form so extensive?
  • Many functions with in the company have requested the daily information.
4. Why is all this information really required? Is it not available from other sources?
  • 50% of the information is no longer required or available from other sources.
5. Why is the remaining information required?
  • To make sure that the outlet mangers are doing their job correctly.
6. Why do we have to check that they are doing their job correctly?
  • Because they were not properly trained.
7. Why were they not properly trained?
  • Because outlet manager’s salaries are not competitive with the market and we experience a high turnover.
8. Why are our outlet manager's salaries not competitive with the market?
  • Because our Overhead is too high.
9. Why is our Overhead so high?
  • Because we have found that approximately 30% of the Daily Business Reports have at least one error.
In the example above:
It took 7 Why’s to return to the original question.
"Why number’s 8 and 9" really were just closing the loop, confirming the original question.
  • When you get back to the original question or there are no more questions, you have most likely found the root problem.
Beware of the response to Why # 4
  • Many companies would stop here and redesign the form.
    • With just the information now required.
    • Easier to complete (user friendly), even on line.
  • This is a distraction, leaving you and your team with a sense of satisfaction, but you didn't get to the problem.
Responses to numbers 7 and 8 are the gold here.
  • By raising outlet manager's salaries to market level, turnover will be reduced;
  • By increasing training on new hires, errors will be reduced;
  • By redesigning the form to reflect current needs, errors will be reduced;
Addressing those three points, the responses to number 7 and 8 above, will lead to dramatically fewer errors which will allow for the reduction/elimination of the Transaction Audit Department by:
  • Assigning the Manager to the Training Department to improve training;
  • Eliminating the 4 staff positions
  • Reducing Overhead and allowing the raising of the outlet manager’s salaries to market levels.
Many of our clients initially feel that the Five Why process is too simple to be effective until they have executed it in a disciplined fashion. Once they see it work they then incorporate it in their business processes realizing great results. Never let simplicity discount effectiveness.



“Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”
Henry David Thoreau


The Five Whys is a very simple yet very effective process that Lean Enterprises use daily to outperform their competition and improve their bottom line.

 

 

For organizations who are striving to improve operational and bottom line performance, EnPower Group is a high performance consulting firm that uses proven processes and methods to help our clients achieve and maintain results. EnPower develops personal, on going relationships and provides flexibility, innovation, creativity in our approaches that lead to proven unprecedented value.

with your colleagues or Groups.

 By Richard P. Shaw, CMC
 President
 EnPower Group Inc.

 To Contact Rick Shaw
 rshaw@enpowergroup.com or (416)804-5078

Connect with Richard P. Shaw on LinkedIn

Visit us directly at EnPower Group Inc. http://www.enpowergroup.com

Other key contacts:
Doug Cranston           dcranston@enpowergroup.com     (416) 949-4850     LinkedIn
David Rosengarten     davidr@enpowergroup.com           (416) 788-2774     LinkedIn

 


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