Sh*t happens! Use the Whys analysis to make sure it happens less often

Listen, nobody's perfect. Sometimes mistakes are made. Goals go unreached. Big swings turn into big duds.

It's painful. And it can be especially painful when it happens to you. As a business owner, it's important to know how you can recover, regroup, and refocus.

That's where the Whys root-cause analysis exercise can save the day.

Think about it this way: Most things, from nuclear fission to your underperforming ad campaign, happen as the result of cause-and-effect relationships.

In the Whys analysis, you’ll follow those relationships to identify the root cause of a problem, so you can reach a better outcome next time. It’s a simple but powerful technique that helps you get past surface-level answers and improve how you work in a lasting, meaningful way.

What is a the Whys root cause analysis?

A the Whys root cause analysis is an analytical technique pioneered by Toyota for investigating the root cause of a workplace problem. By asking "why" five times, your team will dig deep to uncover the true source of an issue, rather than latching on to obvious answers that may merely be symptoms of underlying issues.

With a deeper understanding of what caused the issue, you can better prevent reoccurrences and also create a foundation for resilient, future-proofed ways of working.

GRAB OUR FREE WHY PLANNER HERE!

When to use a the Whys analysis

A Why analysis works best for simple to moderately complex problems that are within your sphere of control.

For just-right problems (not too basic, not too complex)

Super-simple problems with a clear fix don’t need this level of analysis. For example, if your client keeps forgetting to give you passwords, you could get them to sign up for 1Password or LastPass for a secure password manager and see if that solves the problem.

And if you’re dealing with a nuclear meltdown or project-wide failure, a the Why analysis won’t cut it. To understand big, complex problems like these, you’ll need to take a multi-pronged approach, likely collecting data independently and working with multiple different steps.

However, you could certainly make Whys part of that larger analysis, or use it as a starting point for further investigation.

But if you need to figure out why the latest ad campaign was so underwhelming, a Whys exercise is the way to go.

For problems your client understands

Obviously, asking why is only going to work if you actually know why!

If the problem’s root cause is beyond your knowledge and control, no amount of brainstorming will uncover it. That’s why you should save the Why analysis for outcomes that you were was heavily, if not solely, responsible for.

For example, if your underperforming campaign was created by an external design team, asking why it flopped isn’t going to get you very far. But if you dreamed up the whole thing yourself, you’ll probably learn a lot from this method.

How to run a Whys analysis

Running a Whys root cause analysis might sound like intense detective work, but it's actually pretty easy.

If you’ve done a project retrospective or brainstorming session, you can run a Whys analysis. All you’ll need is paper and markers or a collaboration tool like Trello.

You can use this trello template OR Our The Why Planner to get started quickly.

1. Start with a problem

Start with one problem statement you’d like to investigate. This could be something you’re dealing with right now, or something that’s already over, but still needs to be addressed and unpacked.

You’ll use this to dig into why this situation happened. What was the root cause?

Example: Our fundraising campaign missed its goal.

2. Set up

Use our form or divide your paper into five columns. Label the first column with your problem statement, phrased as “Why did [problem] happen?”

If you’re using our dedicated template, just enter your first problem statement into the respective column.

Make sure you understand that this is an exercise, and there aren’t any wrong answers. The goal is to improve next time, not blame anyone for what already happened.

3. Brainstorm your why

Jump off from your first problem statement into five minutes of brainstorming. Consider what contributing factors led to the outcome.

Write down possible answers in the column below this first question.

You should toss out as many ideas as they can here—it's important not to overthink it. You’ll edit and evaluate their answers in the next step.

Examples:

Our click-through rate was too low.

Our digital leads didn’t convert.

The campaign wasn’t engaging for our followers.

4. Follow one answer

Single out one of the answers. Choose one that seems especially interesting, or worth investigating further.

5. Repeat this 3 more times

Rephrase the winning answer as the new problem statement. Just like you did in step three, ask yourself, "Why did this happen?" and come up with possible causes in the exact same way.

Go through the process again, repeating steps four and five until you’ve asked why a total of five times.

The fifth problem statement should be your root cause.

Example: The campaign wasn’t engaging because the copy didn’t feel emotional enough.

6. Brainstorm solutions

Before you wrap up this, brainstorm some ways to address the root cause.

Choose one or two solutions that seem the most promising, and put them into practice. Come up with a plan to check back in and see how things are progressing at scheduled intervals in the future.

Example: Jason will research some ways to make copy more emotionally compelling. He’ll report back with examples in two weeks.

Tips for a great a Why analysis

The Whys technique is just a framework—there are plenty of ways to adapt it to your team’s individual needs. But if the problem had serious negative impacts on your project, customers, or business goals, you might find these steps extra helpful.

Because they have a more objective viewpoint, they’ll be able to keep things neutral and make sure no one feels upset, attacked, or blamed.

Run it backwards

To double-check if your root cause makes sense, try running it backwards.

Start with your final statement, then use "therefore" to connect it with previous causes in the chain. Do you still have a reasonable sense of causality?

Steer clear of blame

Never use carelessness, human error, or other blame-y statements as your root cause.

Even if errors did happen, they’re nearly always a symptom of something greater. For example, maybe people didn’t get adequate training or were assigned an unrealistic amount of work.

Go beyond the steps

If you’re not satisfied with your final statement, it’s OK to ask ‘why’ more than 5 times, or run through the problem more than once to identify more than one root cause.

This can also help you use the Why analysis as one part of your strategy to tackle large, complex problems.

Keep asking why

It’s disappointing when things don’t go how you wanted at work. But these unwanted outcomes can be powerful opportunities for learning—if we approach them with the right tools.

Frameworks like the Why analysis show you that problems aren’t personal failings, nor are they anything to stress over. Instead, they’re an opportunity to dig deeper, look more closely, and figure out how to create a different cause and effect next time.

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Sourced from Genevieve Michaels from Trello