Five Whys Framework
Ask "why" five times to dig past surface symptoms and uncover the root cause of a problem or decision.
Capture this play inside the Decision Log and make it your own.
What is the Five Whys?
Originally developed by Toyota for manufacturing quality control, the Five Whys is a simple but powerful technique to find root causes.
Instead of accepting surface-level explanations, you ask "why" repeatedly until you reach the underlying issue.
You don't always stop at exactly five—sometimes three is enough, sometimes you need seven.
How to use it
Start with a problem statement: "I'm unhappy at work."
Ask why #1: "Why are you unhappy?" → "My projects aren't challenging."
Ask why #2: "Why aren't they challenging?" → "I've mastered the work and there's no new learning."
Ask why #3: "Why is there no new learning?" → "My manager isn't giving me stretch assignments."
Ask why #4: "Why isn't your manager giving you stretch work?" → "They don't know I want it."
Root cause: Communication gap with manager—you can solve this by asking for more responsibility.
When to use the Five Whys
You're making a decision but unsure of your true motivations.
You feel stuck or dissatisfied but can't pinpoint why.
You want to solve a problem at its source, not just treat symptoms.
You're evaluating whether to quit, switch, or stay somewhere.
Common mistakes
Stopping too early at surface-level answers.
Asking "why" in an accusatory way instead of curious exploration.
Accepting "that's just how it is" without digging deeper.
Branching into multiple threads—focus on one root cause at a time.
Example: Career decision
Problem: "Should I quit my job?"
Why #1: "Why do you want to quit?" → "I'm burned out."
Why #2: "Why are you burned out?" → "I'm working 60-hour weeks."
Why #3: "Why are you working so much?" → "My team is understaffed."
Why #4: "Why is your team understaffed?" → "Company froze hiring but didn't reduce scope."
Why #5: "Why aren't they reducing scope?" → "Leadership is prioritizing growth over sustainability."
Root cause: Misalignment with company priorities—you value work-life balance; they don't. This is a systemic issue, not fixable by you alone.