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Codextroop Prompt Library

5 Whys

Five Whys on a Recurring Issue

AI Tool: ChatGPTCategory: Problem Solving

Run Five Whys on a problem that keeps coming back, and stop at a cause you can actually change.

5 whysrcaqualityprocess

The Prompt

Run Five Whys on a recurring issue. Stay empirical.

Issue: {{issue}}
How often it returns: {{frequency}}
Last three occurrences:
{{occurrences}}
What we usually blame: {{usual_blame}}

For each why: the answer, and the evidence from {{occurrences}}.
Stop early if the next why would be psychology you cannot know.
End with:
- Root cause you can act on
- A countermeasure
- A detection so you know if it returns
- Whether {{usual_blame}} was a scapegoat

If the occurrences do not share a cause, say it is not one problem.

Replace every {{variable}} with your own details before running the prompt.

Variables to fill in

4 variables

{{issue}}required
The recurring problem.
{{frequency}}
How often.
{{occurrences}}required
Last few incidents.
{{usual_blame}}
Who or what usually gets blamed.

Best for

  • Ops
  • Engineering
  • Quality