Overview
The 5 Why’s was developed at Toyota as a root-cause analysis method. The technique is commonly used by design teams.
When dealing with a problem, ask “why?” five times to dig beneath the surface issue and address the root cause.
By unveiling the deepest cause, teams can discover that challenges are more cross-functional than they initially appear. This creates room for alignment, and leads to holistic, cross-functional solutions.
Great product managers should use the technique subconsciously.