Five-Whys Chain
Check a five-whys chain for depth and repeated answers.
Description
A five-whys chain can be screened for recorded depth and repeated answers.
A five-whys chain can be screened for recorded depth and repeated answers. Depth does not establish that the causal explanation is correct.1
Check a five-whys chain for depth and repeated answers.
When to use Five-Whys Chain
Use this tool to check a five-whys chain for depth and repeated answers.
Prepare the recorded observations, ratings, assumptions or expected/observed lists requested. Choose thresholds and definitions appropriate to the planning question.
How to use Five-Whys Chain and understand its results
- Prepare the recorded observations, ratings, assumptions or expected/observed lists requested. Choose thresholds and definitions appropriate to the planning question.
- Enter whyAnswers, requiredDepth using the field table and calculation rules, then run the tool.
- Read answeredDepth, repeatedAnswers, reachesRequiredDepth, chainUsable. The explanation below defines the units, signs, ordering and any flags or placeholder values.
- If the tool reports an input issue, correct the values and run it again. Apply the stated assumptions when interpreting a successfully returned result.
| Input field | Meaning | Value type; see rules below | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| whyAnswers | Successive why answers | list of string | Required |
| requiredDepth | Required why depth | integer; minimum: 1 | Required |
Trim/lowercase answers and drop blanks. Enter positive integer required depth. Return depth, unique repeated labels, depth gate and composite usability gate. Repetitions count toward depth but fail usability.
usable=nonblankAnswerCount≥required AND noRepeatedNormalizedAnswers Units, indexing, boundary conditions and exceptional cases are defined in the calculation rules above.
| Output field | Meaning | Value type |
|---|---|---|
| answeredDepth | Answered why depth | integer; minimum: 0 |
| repeatedAnswers | Repeated normalized answers | list of string |
| reachesRequiredDepth | Reaches supplied depth | boolean |
| chainUsable | Chain has depth and no repeated answer | boolean |
{
"input": {
"whyAnswers": [
"power failed",
"breaker opened",
"overload occurred",
"load estimate was stale",
"review was skipped"
],
"requiredDepth": 5
},
"output": {
"answeredDepth": 5,
"repeatedAnswers": [],
"reachesRequiredDepth": true,
"chainUsable": true
}
}Limitations and assumptions
No causal inference, root-cause validation or fixed five-entry requirement is supplied.
Numeric inputs, where present, must be finite. Follow the calculation-specific rules for overflow, underflow and exceptional cases. Lists are limited to 100,000 entries; the rules above may require smaller limits. Missing required fields, extra fields, wrong value types and violations of the calculation rules are input errors. A successfully returned false flag is an evaluated outcome; its meaning is explained above.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Use Evidence Graph Mapper: Validate a compact directed evidence graph encoded as node IDs and A->B edges. For a complementary task, use Tabletop Exercise Coverage: Audit futures tabletop exercise coverage.
References
-
Five-Whys Chain — tool.io
Similar or alternative tools
- Evidence Graph Mapper
Validate a compact directed evidence graph encoded as node IDs and A->B edges.
- Tabletop Exercise Coverage
Audit futures tabletop exercise coverage.