# Determine the Root Cause of Any Problem with the Five Whys Techniques

*Source: https://trginternational.com/blog/the-five-whys-techniques/*

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When confronted with a problem, have you ever stopped and asked “why” five times? If you do not ask the right question, you will not get the right answer. **The Five Whys** is a simple question-asking technique that explores the [cause-and-effect relationships](../../../com/trginternational/blog/bid/162614/cause-effect-visibility-from-planning-budgeting-solutions.html) underlying problems.

For every effect there is a cause. But the results chain between the two is fairly long and becomes finer as one moves from inputs to activities, outputs, outcome, and impact. In results-based management, the degree of control one enjoys decreases higher up the chain and the challenge of monitoring and evaluating correspondingly increases. In due course, when a problem appears, the temptation is strong to blame others or external events. Yet, the root cause of problems often lies closer to home.

# The Five Whys Technique

**Author:** [Olivier Serrat](https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivierserrat/)

  
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