As consultants, we are often called on to diagnose and troubleshoot problems. This is particularly true of my technical colleagues. Here is a technique learned many years ago the has served me well.

Is it called the “Five Whys” and the goal is to find the “root cause” of a problem, rather than just applying a superficial fix. This usually requires some digging and questioning, until you can dig or question no further.

Here is an generic example. The machine failed, and needs to be fixed. Rather than simply repair it, ask questions.

• Why did the machine fail? Because the bearings were dry.
• Why were the bearings dry? Because they lacked oil.
• Why did they lack oil? Because of lack of maintenance.
• Why did they lack maintenance? Because we don’t have a maintenance program.
• Why don’t we have a maintenance program? I don’t know.

In this case, the “root cause” is a lack of preventative maintenance (PM.) The short term solution is to replace the bearings, but the long term (and real solution) is to implement a PM program. But this solution was only reached after asking “Why” five times.

There is no magic in the number five. You may reach the root cause in two or three questions, or it may take more. But in my experience, five is often enough. Try it the next time you are diagnosing a problem.

Now, a personal example. A new product had a 50% return rate. It was a control system used in a locomotive. The client had a preliminary diagnosis when I was called in to implement a solution. But the solution was superficial, so I dug deeper.

• Why the returns? The control system interferes with communications radios in the locomotive cab.
• Why does it interfere? We don’t know, but we need a way to screen for this in manufacturing.

At this point, only two “whys” had been asked. The client was insistent on a screening test, so I implemented a way to identify faulty units. But then I went further.

• Why only 50% failures? We don’t know.
• Why not more or less? We don’t know.

Based on this useful clue, I set a “good unit” and a “bad unit” side by side. A visual inspection showed no difference. But further probing suggested electronic leakage at a cable connector on the “bad unit.” Aha!

• Why is it leaking at the connector? We don’t know – they are all built the same.

So I suggested taking things apart. It turned out the connector used a special gasket, but the gasket needed to be installed one way. Properly reinstalling the gasket on the “bad unit” turned it into a “good unit.”

The “root cause” was now identified. I surmised the reason for the 50% failures was the production line person flipped every other gasket. Perhaps out of boredom, or perhaps it was simpler to do so.

The ultimate solutions were to (1) train the installer to properly install the gasket, and (2) screen for faulty installation as a quality check. The latter was “just in case” a failure occurred, preventing shipping a faulty unit to a customer. It was no longer the primary solution to a much deeper problem.

Remember the Five Why’s when troubleshooting. Don’t stop until you have a identified (or at least hypothesized) a root cause.

P.S. A wise colleague once said “If you fix a problem but don’t know why, it will come back later and bring all of its friends.”

Join us for our next FREE monthly teleconference.
“Ask Daryl Anything About Consulting”
Register Here

© 2018, https:. All rights reserved.