5 Whys Template

Drill from a problem statement to its root cause in five steps. Add a corrective action and share with your team to prevent the problem from recurring.

Use this template

What you get

Vertical chain: problem → 5 why levels → root cause → corrective action
Pre-filled example based on a real product incident for reference
Color-coded boxes distinguish problem, causes, root cause, and action

What this template is for

The 5 Whys technique is the simplest root cause analysis method: you ask 'Why?' five times in a row, and each answer becomes the basis for the next question. This template gives you a ready-made vertical chain — problem statement, five why levels with space for answers, root cause, and corrective action. Use it in post-mortems, retrospectives, quality reviews, or any situation where a recurring problem needs a permanent fix rather than another workaround.

When to use this template

Post-incident review: drill down from 'the service went down' to the process gap that allowed it.
Sprint retrospective: trace a missed sprint goal back to a systemic planning or communication issue.
Quality review: find the upstream cause of a defect that keeps reappearing in production.
Customer complaint analysis: follow the chain from 'customer complained' to the process failure that caused it.
Sales loss debrief: track back from 'we lost the deal' to find what could be changed in the sales process.

How to use it

1Write the problem statement at the top — be specific: include what happened, when, and the measurable impact.
2Ask Why #1: why did this problem occur? Write the most direct, factual cause.
3Use the answer to Why #1 as the subject of Why #2: why did that happen?
4Continue through Why #3, Why #4, and Why #5, following the causal chain toward the root.
5Identify the root cause: the deepest answer that, if fixed, would prevent the problem from recurring.
6Define a corrective action: a specific, ownable change to a process, system, or behavior that addresses the root cause.