TEMPLATE
5 Whys: Word template
Use this template to keep asking why, from the deviation to a cause you can eliminate, and back up every answer.
Download the template
What is in the template
You follow two paths: why the defect occurred and why it was not detected. At the end, you check whether the action works.
- Problem description with what, where, when, extent and target versus actual
- Why chains with up to six levels and a column for the evidence behind each answer
- Separate paths for occurrence and non-detection
- Cause verification, actions with owner and due date, effectiveness check
- Checklist of ten common mistakes in a 5 Whys analysis
- Filled-in example of a press downtime, Word file to edit
Who it is for
Who the 5 Whys template is for
The template is for shift leaders, quality engineers and maintenance technicians who want to remove the cause of a deviation, not just fix it. Use it after a downtime, a customer complaint or a recurring defect, and record at the end which action eliminates the cause.
How to work with the 5 Whys template
- 1
Describe the problem
Record what, where, when, extent and target versus actual before you ask the first why.
- 2
Follow two why chains
Ask separately why the defect occurred and why it was not detected, and enter the evidence for every answer.
- 3
Check the action
Assign an owner and a due date, then confirm in the effectiveness check that the defect does not return.
What matters in a 5 Whys analysis
Five is a guideline, not a fixed number
The analysis ends at a cause you can eliminate. That can take three questions or six.
Every answer needs evidence
A why chain built on assumptions quickly leads to the wrong action. Check each answer on the part, at the machine or in the data before you ask the next question.
Non-detection is a cause of its own
Next to the question of why the defect occurred stands the question of why no inspection found it. Only both answers together keep the defect from reaching the customer.
Further reading
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