How to Effectively use 5-Why Cause Mapping? to Solve a Problem

Once you’ve been exposed to a systems approach to problem-solving it will change how you look at your incidents. Not just problems at work, but also problems in your personal life as well.?

The Incident...

Last week, my wife Lori was walking on the trail behind our house when she came across another person walking three dogs. We have two dogs ourselves, and Lori couldn’t resist greeting the canines.

The dog walker indicated that the one of the dogs (we’ll call her Rosie) was friendly, which prompted Lori to approach and extend her hand for the dog to smell to gain her trust, also known as “the sniff test.”

When Lori extended her hand, a second dog began to approach. Concerned, Lori abruptly pulled her hand back. Rosie reacted by snapping as Lori withdrew her hand. Lori immediately began walking away, but quickly realized it was too late as she saw her hand bleeding from a deep laceration on her middle finger.

Start Simple with a 5-Why Cause Map? Diagram

This incident, just like any other, provides multiple opportunities for lessons to be learned. Any incident analysis can begin with a simple 5-why explanation.

Asking "why" five times is not a hard and fast rule, but a guideline. The number of times you need to ask "why" depends on the clarity needed to explain the problem and reveal effective solutions. Conventional 5 Whys is typically captured as written statements down the page. ?

Conventional 5Why

1. Why was Safety Impacted?

????Because she suffered a deep laceration to her middle finger.

2. Why did she suffer a deep laceration to her middle finger???

Because a dog bit her hand.

3. Why did the dog bite her hand? ??????????????????????????????????

Because the position of her hand was near the dog.

4. Why was the position of her hand near the dog?????????????????????

Because she wanted to pet the dog.??

5.) Why did she want to pet the dog?

Because she really likes dogs, especially this breed.

A 5-Why Cause Map diagram (below) takes advantage of visual communication to capture the cause-and-effect relationships. This approach utilizes boxes and arrows to represent the cause-and-effect relationship and is read the same way.?

Different Answers to a Why? Question

The initial 5-Why Cause Map diagram is based on one person's perspective. However, someone else (for example Lori) might provide a different 5-Why explanation.

For example, she might argue that she was bitten because the dog felt threatened and snapped at her hand as represented on the diagram below.

We now have two different 5-Why explanations for this incident, so which one is the RIGHT answer? Did the dog bit her hand because she extended it towards the dog OR did the dog bite her hand because it snapped at her when it threatened?

Don’t Fall Into This Common Problem-Solving Communication Trap

The answer is neither one is "right". There is not a "right" answer for this type of problem.

We are all biased to our explanation of a problem. When someone provides an alternate explanation, we tend to immediately disagree. After all, if I know that I am right, then any answer that differs must be wrong.

The drive to get to the one root cause adds additional fuel to this disagreement and can lead us toward a blame mentality. This is why you must build the diagram, as it visually demonstrates that BOTH explanations are accurate, providing a more thorough understanding of the incident.

Common criticism: 5-Whys is Not Scientific Because It’s Not Repeatable

Some people believe that because different people build different 5-Whys for the same problem, it’s evidence that the 5-Whys method is not scientific. This criticism reveals the level of confusion regarding the basic principle of cause-and-effect.

It’s normal and expected for different people to build different 5-Whys. As long as the 5-Why is accurate, we can add it to the existing Cause Map diagram. Building a map of this discussion allows you to accommodate different perspectives and will prove beneficial as it reveals more opportunities to mitigate risk.

Here is an example of the two 5-Whys from above combined into a 7-Why Cause Map diagram:?

Notice that the AND relationship is used to show that BOTH causes are required for the dog to bite Lori’s hand.?

If both causes are required, which one has to be solved to prevent the bite?

a.)??Position of hand near the dog

b.)??Dog bites down when threatened

c.)??BOTH causes must be solved (a and b)

d.)??EITHER cause can be solved (a or b)

The correct response is D.?If you implement a solution around either cause, you can prevent the bite in spite of the other causal path.?For example, the dog can feel threatened but as long as you don’t place your hand near the dog, you can reduce the risk of being bitten.?On the other hand (no pun intended), you can extend your hand towards the dog as long as the dog doesn’t feel threatened and avoid the bite.?What happens if you implement solutions down both paths??Then you significantly reduce the risk of getting bit by a dog.??

A Third Explanation for the Dog Bite

Another argument that could be made is that the cause of the bite was because she extended her hand toward the dog attempting to gain its trust, the "Sniff Test". This is a great point, but I want you to think about HOW extending the hand is causally related to the dog bite.

Which one is accurate?

Extending the hand places the hand near the dog therefore it is another cause required for the hand to be in the position for the dog to bite.

OR

Extending the hand is perceived by the dog as threatening and causes the dog to react and snap at the extended hand.

Extending the hand does place the hand in position for the dog to bite. And, while we don't know exactly how the dog felt, extending the hand can also cause the dog to feel threatened. ?Extending your hand for a sniff test is a commonly accepted protocol when meeting a new dog, but many professional trainers are trying to educate people that this ingrained habit is not the best approach. When you reach out toward a dog, you are exerting body pressure toward them, giving the dog no time to assess the interaction. If they are on a leash, they may feel limited. A viral Facebook post by Eureka Dog Services from 2020 provides a thorough explanation for safer way to introduce yourself to a new dog.?

The Benefit of Revealing a System Causes?

Every incident you investigate consists of multiple causes.?The more causes you are able to reveal the more opportunities you have to reduce the risk.

As you continue to add perspectives, your Cause Map diagram will grow. This is why a 5-Why baseline is a great starting point, it engages others in the problem-solving process. Others will be happy to point out what is missing from your 5-Why perspective. But, instead of debating the cause, simply add their perspective (cause) to the map. This has enormous benefits for incident investigators, who can:

• Easily navigate potential miscommunications for a more efficient investigation
• Reveal a system of causes to minimize blame (right answer thinking)
• Expose more opportunities to reduce risk

Once you’ve been exposed to a systems approach to problem-solving it will change how you look at any incident, regardless whether its a workplace incident or a problem in your daily life. Every incident can start with a simple 5-Why explanation and that can be expanded to reveal as much detail as necessary to solve the problem, no matter how small or complex.

If you’re interested in seeing a 16-Why Cause Map? diagram (pictured below) with some potentials solutions captured, open and download the pdf. If you would like to learn more about using the 5-Why Cause Mapping on your problem, you can register to attend our 2 hour online short course.

#problemsolving #SystemsThinking #safety #investigations