Qualiteg Selection, Idea Deep-Dive #1: How to Use Why-Why Analysis
Hello to everyone visiting the Qualiteg blog — I'm Michele. In my work on AI-driven new business development and marketing, there are questions I hear from clients again and again. Through this blog, I would like to offer my own answers to the challenges commonly faced by anyone considering building a business with AI.
Today, as part of the Qualiteg Selection Idea Deep-Dive series, I would like to introduce how to make the most of why-why analysis.
What Is Why-Why Analysis?
Why-why analysis is a powerful tool for uncovering the root cause of a problem. By repeatedly asking "why?" about a problem, this technique digs down from surface-level symptoms to the true underlying cause.
It sounds simple enough, but when I have team members actually try it in interview studies, it often proves surprisingly difficult — most people give up after the first or second "why." So today I will also share the key points for getting past that.
Why-why analysis has strong roots in quality management. Back in my consulting days, consultants specializing in manufacturing knew it well, but many members of strategy and management consulting teams did not. If you are reading this blog, I encourage you to go ahead and master it.
The Basic Steps of Why-Why Analysis
The basic steps of why-why analysis are truly simple.
- Define the problem clearly
- Ask "why?" about five times
- Seek answers that are as concrete as possible at each step
- Once you reach the root cause, develop solutions
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Key Points for Effective Use
- Keep an open mind
It is important to look at the problem from multiple angles, free of preconceptions. - Work as a team
Bringing together diverse perspectives and knowledge enables deeper analysis. - Ground the analysis in data and facts
Base your analysis on concrete facts and data rather than intuition or guesswork. - Consider multiple causes
Problems often involve several intertwined factors. Rather than fixating on a single answer, explore multiple possibilities. - Follow through to solutions
Once you have identified the cause, it is important to derive concrete improvement measures from it.
A Worked Example: Declining Sales Performance
Problem: Sales performance has been declining recently
Declining sales performance is a challenge many companies face. Here, we walk through how to use why-why analysis to uncover the root cause of this problem and develop concrete improvement measures.
Why-Why Analysis in Practice
- Identify the problem: First, clearly define the problem: "sales performance has been declining recently."
- Repeat "why?": Ask "why?" about the problem again and again to track down the root cause.
- Why? → The number of new customers acquired is decreasing
- Why? → Sales representatives lack product knowledge
- Why? → Training on new products has been insufficient
- Why? → Time for training cannot be secured
- Why? → Everyone is busy with day-to-day work, so training gets a low priority
- Identify the root cause: By repeatedly asking "why?", we arrived at the root cause: "everyone is busy with day-to-day work, so training gets a low priority."
Don't Stop at the Why-Why Analysis!
Many people are worn out after five whys and stop there, satisfied — but what really matters is working out the countermeasures. Please push through one more step and think about what actions to take.
For today, we have summarized the analysis above into the following countermeasures.
- Secure time for training:
- Review business processes and cut inefficiencies to free up time for training.
- Rebalance workloads, for example by delegating some of the sales representatives' tasks to other departments.
- Hold training sessions within regular working hours.
- Introduce more efficient training methods:
- Adopt online training and e-learning so that sessions can be taken anytime, anywhere.
- Develop training programs that are effective even in short sessions.
- Tailor training content to each sales representative's level and incorporate individual coaching.
- Raise the priority of training:
- Run awareness initiatives to reaffirm the importance of training.
- Evaluate training outcomes and offer incentives to boost motivation.
- Have managers and executives take the lead in participating, demonstrating that training matters.
Summary
Why-why analysis is an excellent technique for understanding the essence of a problem and finding effective solutions. Applied across a wide range of business situations, it enables deeper insight and more effective problem-solving. We encourage you to build this technique into your daily work and sharpen your problem-solving skills. Master it, and you may even find yourself coming across as noticeably more capable — highly recommended.
Thank you very much for reading this column to the end. At Qualiteg, we provide training and consulting on AI technology and methods for planning new businesses. If this has sparked your interest, or if you have specific needs, please feel free to reach out through the contact form here.
We also offer a popular workshop for those who want to learn the steps of new business creation firsthand. The training focuses on having each participant think about the business from an executive's perspective, and it is designed not only for planning staff but also for their counterpart engineers, designers, and marketers.
