Renaldi Adrian

It is easy to find a solution, but finding a solution that prevents the problem from recurring again in the future is not that easy. Our brains are trained to find solutions, we’ve faced many problems since childhood, and often our minds just pop up with a solution. But how often do we think through the problem, find the root cause, explore multiple solutions, compare each one, and decide the one that is the best to solve the problem?

To understand the root of a problem, you need to know why the problem occurs in the first place. By understanding why the problem occurs, you can filter out the solutions that might not accurately solve the issue. Here’s an example to illustrate this:

Imagine a car doesn’t start in the morning. Let’s apply the 5 Whys technique:

1. Why? – The car’s battery is dead.
2. Why? – The alternator is not functioning.
3. Why? – The alternator belt has broken.
4. Why? – The belt was well beyond its useful service life and not replaced.
5. Why? – The vehicle was not maintained according to the recommended service schedule.

By the end, we discover that the root problem is not just a dead battery or a broken belt but a systemic failure in maintaining the vehicle.

Can you see the difference when you start to question why the problem occurs? Imagine if you didn’t do that and stopped at the first “why” You know that the battery is dead, then you replace it with a new one which cost a lot of money. If you stopped at the next “why”, you might replace the part but this problem could occur again in the future.

Implementing the 5 Whys technique helps you find the root cause of a problem, preventing or at least lessening the chance of it happening again in the future.