Asking “Why?” may be a favorite technique of your three year old
child in driving you crazy, but it could teach you a valuable
Six Sigma quality lesson. The 5 Whys is a technique used in the
Analyze phase of the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze,
Improve, Control) methodology. It is a great Six Sigma tool that
does not involve data segmentation, hypothesis testing,
regression or other advanced statistical tools, and in many
cases can be completed without a data collection plan. By
repeatedly asking the question “Why” (five is a good rule of
thumb), you can peel away the layers of symptoms which can lead
to the root cause of a problem. Very often the ostensible reason
for a problem will lead you to another question. Although this
technique is called “5 Whys,” you may find that you will need to
ask the question fewer or more times than five before you find
the issue related to a problem. Problem Statement: Customers are
unhappy because they are being shipped products that don’t meet
their specifications