Which technique helps identify the root cause of recurring problems?

Which technique helps identify the root cause of recurring problems?

• A. The 5 Whys technique or root-cause analysis.
• B. Blaming the last person who touched the process.
• C. Ignoring recurring problems.
• D. Random guesswork.

Answer: (A)

When tackling problems that keep coming back, you need a method that digs beneath surface symptoms to find the real cause. The 5 Whys technique does this by repeatedly asking “why?” to drill down into the chain of causes. Start with the problem, ask why it happened, take that answer and ask why again, and continue until you reach a fundamental reason. This structured inquiry helps you uncover issues in the process, system, or human factors so you can address the true source and prevent recurrence. Other approaches don’t work for recurring issues because they focus on who to blame, or they ignore the problem altogether, or they rely on guesswork. Blaming the last person doesn’t analyze the process, ignoring the problem guarantees it will return, and random guesswork won’t reliably identify the real cause.

When tackling problems that keep coming back, you need a method that digs beneath surface symptoms to find the real cause. The 5 Whys technique does this by repeatedly asking “why?” to drill down into the chain of causes. Start with the problem, ask why it happened, take that answer and ask why again, and continue until you reach a fundamental reason. This structured inquiry helps you uncover issues in the process, system, or human factors so you can address the true source and prevent recurrence.

Other approaches don’t work for recurring issues because they focus on who to blame, or they ignore the problem altogether, or they rely on guesswork. Blaming the last person doesn’t analyze the process, ignoring the problem guarantees it will return, and random guesswork won’t reliably identify the real cause.