5-Whys
Definition
An iterative questioning technique that moves from a symptom to underlying causes by asking 'why?' repeatedly until a systemic explanation is reached.
Related terms
- Barrier Analysis
- A method that identifies the physical, administrative, and procedural barriers that should have prevented harm, and asks which barriers were absent, inadequate,...
- Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
- A top-down, deductive Boolean logic model that works backward from a specific undesired top event through AND/OR gates to identify minimal cut...
- FMEA / FMECA
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis is a bottom-up, inductive method listing what can fail in each component and the effect on the...
- Minimal cut set
- In a fault tree, the smallest set of simultaneously failing basic events that is sufficient to cause the top event. Identifies the...
- Root cause
- The fundamental, underlying deficiency from which the failure originated. Distinguished from immediate cause (the final physical event) and contributing factors. Root-cause analysis...
Explained in
- Root-Cause Analysis MethodsAn iterative questioning technique that moves from a symptom to underlying causes by asking 'why?' repeatedly until a systemic explanation is reached.