Home / Sprint 1 / 5 Whys Problem Analysis

🔍 5 Whys Problem Analysis

Week 2 · ~20 minutes to complete

What if the problem you think you have...
isn't the real problem?

1 The Technique
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5 Whys is simple: you ask "why?" five times. Each answer becomes the starting point for the next question.

By the fifth "why," you've usually found something deeper— the root cause instead of the symptom.

Example: "I can't stick to exercise"

Why #1: I skip workouts → Because I'm tired after work
Why #2: Why tired? → Because I don't sleep well
Why #3: Why? → Because I'm anxious at night
Why #4: Why anxious? → Because I feel behind on work
Why #5: Why behind? → Because I don't have clear work boundaries
Root cause: This isn't an exercise problem—it's a work-boundary problem.
2 Your 5 Whys
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Now apply this to your Superagency Challenge. Start with the problem, then dig.

0
Starting Point
What's the problem you're trying to solve?
↓
1
Why #1
Why is this a problem? Why does it matter?
↓
2
Why #2
Why is THAT the case?
↓
3
Why #3
Why does that happen?
↓
4
Why #4
Go deeper. Why?
↓
5
Why #5 — Root Cause
What's at the core?

⏸️ Pause: Write out your 5 Whys chain before continuing. Don't skip this—the insight comes from doing it.

3 Find the Gap
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Compare your starting point to your root cause. There's usually a gap—that's the insight.

Ask yourself:

  • Is my root cause different from what I originally thought?
  • If I solved only the symptom (Why #1), would the problem come back?
  • Does the root cause reframe how I should approach this?

The gap matters. If your root cause is the same as your starting point, you might need to dig deeper or challenge your assumptions.

4 Your Submission
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📝 What to Submit

  • Your full 5 Whys chain (starting point + 5 answers)
  • Your root cause — what did you discover at the bottom?
  • The gap — how is the root cause different from what you first thought?
  • Draft problem statement — a clear statement of the real problem
Format: File upload with your 5 Whys chain and analysis
Due:
Submit on Canvas