Five Whys
A root-cause analysis technique, associated with Toyota engineer Taiichi Ohno, that repeatedly asks "why" to move from a surface symptom to a deeper underlying cause. Referenced here as a real precedent for the disciplined, evidence-based habit the judgment portfolio builds; the full technique is taught in Module 3. (see Topic 3.3)
Defined in 4 GAGE programs, which carry 5 distinct definitions of it. The wording above is taught in Engineering Judgment and Professional Formation.
How each discipline defines it
The same term does different work depending on who is using it. These are the definitions as each program teaches them, unedited.
A root-cause analysis technique, associated with Toyota engineer Taiichi Ohno, that repeatedly asks "why" to move from a surface symptom to a deeper underlying cause. Referenced here as a real precedent for the disciplined, evidence-based habit the judgment portfolio builds; the full technique is taught in Module 3. (see Topic 3.3)
A root cause analysis technique originating in the Toyota Production System, in which an investigator repeatedly asks "why" to trace a symptom back to a deeper cause. Useful for going deeper on a single line of causation; not, by itself, a method for discovering that multiple independent contributing factors exist.
The habit, from Toyota's production system, of asking "why" of each answer in turn until you reach a condition you can actually change rather than a description of the output. The number is not sacred; the discipline of not stopping early is.
A root-cause technique that asks "why?" repeatedly, each answer feeding the next, to drill from a surface symptom down to a systemic process cause; foundational to the Toyota Production System under Taiichi Ohno.
A root cause method, credited to Taiichi Ohno of the Toyota Production System, in which an investigator asks "why" repeatedly about a failure and each successive answer, continuing past the first plausible explanation until the chain reaches a structural condition that a specific engineering or process change can correct.
Where it is taught
The exact lessons this term appears in. The first module of every program is free with a free account.
- Problem Decomposition Worksheets and Frameworks · Critical Thinking and Context Engineering, Certified AI Practitioner: Workplace Foundations
- The post-incident review: fixing the estate, not blaming the intern · Data Incidents, Certified AI Data Governance Professional (CADGP)
- The post-incident review: what you missed, written without blaming the tool · Shipping AI and Surviving the Incident, Certified AI Governance Professional (CAIGP)
- Your judgment portfolio: the reviews, post-mortems, and business cases you will produce · Your Engineering Judgment Command Center, Engineering Judgment and Professional Formation
- Root cause analysis that finds the real cause · Failure Analysis, Learning From How Robots Break, Engineering Judgment and Professional Formation
Terms it appears with
Not an alphabetical neighbourhood: these are the terms taught in the same lessons, ranked by how often they appear together.