5 Whys is one of the simple and widely used tools to solve everyday work-related problems. It is so simple that can be completed without the need for sophisticated statistics. It is often used by Six Sigma practitioners mainly in the Analysis phase of the DMAIC methodology. It is also used by Lean practitioners to identify and eliminate wasteful activities.

This 5 Whys template provides a structured approach for listing your 5 Whys answers until you find the root cause of the problem. It allows to support your answers with evidences and data in order to validate the true causes. Once you have discovered why the problem occurs, you then need to complete the ‘Corrective Actions’ section and carry these out accordingly.

This 5 Whys template is a Microsoft Excel document that you can use and modify to suit your specific needs. It can easily be modified to include additional sections if needed. For example, you may want to add more rows to the table if you find that you need to ask Why more times. You may also want to add extra space for the corrective actions or move the whole section to a separate worksheet.