5 Whys Root Cause Analysis Generator

Guide your team through a structured 5 Whys session, capture every Why, branch into multiple causes, and export a clean summary for reports or tickets.

Session details

1. Define the problem

Start here

Describe what is happening, where, when, and how you know. Avoid jumping to causes or blame.

2. Ask Why (up to 5+ times)

0 Whys captured

Start from the problem statement, then repeatedly ask “Why?” to move from symptoms to underlying causes. You can add more than five Whys if needed.

Tip: Use branches when there are multiple contributing causes instead of forcing a single linear chain.

3. Root cause & confidence

Outcome

Summarize the most likely root cause based on your Why chain(s). Focus on processes and systems, not individuals.

4. Corrective & preventive actions

Action plan

Turn your root cause into specific actions. Use at least one corrective action (fix the current issue) and one preventive action (avoid recurrence).

5. Exportable summary

Generate a clean text summary you can paste into incident reports, tickets, or wikis.

What is the 5 Whys method?

The 5 Whys is a lightweight root cause analysis technique popularized by Toyota and Lean management. You start from a clearly defined problem and repeatedly ask “Why?” to move past symptoms and uncover the underlying cause.

Despite the name, you do not have to ask Why exactly five times. The goal is to reach a cause that is:

  • Evidence-based – supported by data, not guesses.
  • Systemic – about processes, tools, or environment, not just individuals.
  • Actionable – something your team can realistically change.

How to use this 5 Whys generator effectively

1. Prepare the session

  • Invite people who see the problem first-hand (operators, engineers, support, etc.).
  • Agree on a single, concrete problem to analyze.
  • Set expectations: the goal is to fix systems, not assign blame.

2. Write a strong problem statement

A good problem statement usually includes:

  • What is wrong (symptom).
  • Where it happens (system, process, location).
  • When / how often it happens.
  • Impact (on customers, safety, cost, etc.).

Example:

“During the last 7 days, 15% of payments on the mobile checkout page failed with timeout errors, causing an estimated $12,000 in lost revenue.”

3. Ask Why repeatedly (and branch when needed)

For each Why:

  • Base your answer on facts, logs, or observations, not opinions.
  • Avoid answers that simply restate the problem in different words.
  • If there are multiple plausible causes, use the “Add parallel cause (branch)” button and explore each chain.

4. Decide when you’ve reached the root cause

You can usually stop when:

  • Further Whys only produce vague answers (“because people are careless”).
  • You’ve reached a process or system weakness (e.g., missing alert, unclear SOP, poor UX).
  • You can define specific actions that would prevent recurrence.

5. Turn insights into actions

For each root cause, define at least one:

  • Corrective action – fixes the current incident or defect.
  • Preventive action – reduces the chance of the problem happening again.

Good action items are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Example 5 Whys analysis

Problem: “Customer support response time exceeded 48 hours for 20% of tickets last week.”

  1. Why 1: Because the ticket queue grew faster than agents could respond.
  2. Why 2: Because we had only 3 agents online during peak hours.
  3. Why 3: Because the staffing plan is based on last year’s volume, not current demand.
  4. Why 4: Because we don’t regularly review ticket volume trends.
  5. Why 5: Because there is no owner or process for capacity planning in support.

Root cause: “Support capacity planning is ad-hoc; no one is accountable for adjusting staffing based on ticket trends.”

Actions might include:

  • Assign a capacity planning owner in support.
  • Set up a monthly review of ticket volume and SLA performance.
  • Create a simple staffing model tied to ticket forecasts.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Stopping too early at a technical symptom (“the server crashed”) instead of asking why it was allowed to crash unnoticed.
  • Blaming individuals instead of looking at training, workload, tools, or unclear expectations.
  • Ignoring data and relying only on opinions or memory.
  • Producing no actions – a 5 Whys with no follow-up tasks is just a discussion, not improvement.

When 5 Whys is not enough

Use 5 Whys as a starting point, but consider more advanced methods when:

  • The problem is complex and multi-factor (e.g., safety incidents, outages with many subsystems).
  • There are strong disagreements about what happened.
  • You need a formal investigation for regulators or customers.

In those cases, combine 5 Whys with tools like fishbone (Ishikawa) diagrams, fault tree analysis, or structured incident review templates.

FAQ about the 5 Whys tool

Do I have to use exactly five Whys?

No. Five is just a rule of thumb. Use as many Whys as needed until you reach a meaningful, actionable root cause. This tool lets you add or remove Whys freely.

Can I analyze multiple causes at once?

Yes. Real problems often have more than one contributing cause. Use the “Add parallel cause (branch)” button to create separate Why chains for each cause, then compare them.

How should I document the results?

After filling in the fields, click “Generate summary” and then “Copy summary”. Paste the output into your incident ticket, wiki page, CAPA form, or QMS documentation.

Who should be in the room for a 5 Whys session?

Include people who:

  • Experience the problem directly (frontline staff, operators, engineers).
  • Own the affected process or system.
  • Can approve or implement changes if needed.