{"id":62944,"date":"2025-10-10T15:05:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T15:05:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/?p=62944"},"modified":"2025-10-21T07:59:34","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T07:59:34","slug":"beyond-5-whys-problem-solving-skills-for-real-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/nl\/blogs\/beyond-5-whys-problem-solving-skills-for-real-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond 5 Whys: a 5-minute problem solving lesson"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-tagline\" id=\"h-when-the-coffee-maker-broke-problem-solving-skills-saved-the-day\">When the coffee maker \u201cbroke\u201d, problem solving skills saved the day!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The best troubleshooting lessons come from everyday frustrations. Like when a simple request for after-dinner coffee turned into a masterclass in using problem solving skills under pressure!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-crisis\">The crisis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Saturday evening, 7 PM. Everyone had finished dinner when our host asked, \u201cDoes anyone want coffee?\u201d After such a hearty meal, caffeine sounded perfect.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Minutes passed. No coffee. Then the dreaded announcement: \u201cSorry everyone, we are having technical issues with the coffee maker.\u201d Every attempt to turn it on shut down the power.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Frustrated voices declared: \u201cThe coffee maker is broken!\u201d But my friend and other guests instinctively began applying systematic logic, the same approach we teach in Kepner-Tregoe problem-solving classes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-whys-amp-problem-analysis\">5 Whys & problem analysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kepner-Tregoe Problem Analysis finds the cause of performance deviations <strong>using data, not assumptions<\/strong>. It starts with a clear problem statement where cause is unknown.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-we-use-the-5-whys-technique-to-drill-down-through-symptom-layers\">We use the 5 Whys technique to drill down through symptom layers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"407\" src=\"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/5-whys-example-problem-statement.jpg\" alt=\"5 Whys questioning to obtain problem statement - is the cause unknown?\" class=\"wp-image-62965\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/5-whys-example-problem-statement.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/5-whys-example-problem-statement-300x122.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/5-whys-example-problem-statement-768x313.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are our questions: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Coffee maker will not turn on \u2013 why?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Power goes out when we try to turn it on \u2013 why?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Circuit is becoming overloaded \u2013 why?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Too many devices drawing power at once \u2013 why?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Devices are losing power \u2013 why? As this is not a question we can answer using common sense, knowledge, experience or observation, this becomes our <strong>problem statement<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/5-whys-real-life-example.jpg\" alt=\"5 Whys real life example coffee maker broken\" class=\"wp-image-62970\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/5-whys-real-life-example.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/5-whys-real-life-example-300x126.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/5-whys-real-life-example-768x323.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-organizing-the-data-what-is-happening\">Organizing the data: what <em>is<\/em> happening?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With \u201cDevices are losing power\u201d as our problem statement, we ask specific questions to organize what we observe. This data forms the \u201cIS\u201d part of the problem analysis matrix we will see later: \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Which devices are losing power \u2192 Coffee maker, TV, Google Home, Sonos speaker<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Where is this happening? \u2192 Left side of kitchen only <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When did it start? \u2192 Around 4pm when we tried to make coffee <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How much power loss? \u2192 Four devices, complete power loss, one area affected<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-power-of-is-not\">The power of IS NOT<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is the key: Most people focus only on what IS wrong. True systematic troubleshooting demands equal attention to what IS NOT affected. This is where our problem solving skills help to keep us on track from the start, eliminating false causes, and potentially saving us from wasting money on a brand new coffee maker:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Critical IS NOT questions revealed: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What related devices have NOT lost power? \u2192 Refrigerator, oven, all other appliances could have lost power but did not\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Where is power working normally? \u2192 Right side of kitchen, all other rooms\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When was power last working? \u2192 Before 4pm to our knowledge\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What could have been the extent of the power loss, but was NOT? \u2192 Only one, two, or three devices could have been impacted as opposed to all four.\u00a0 More rooms could have been impacted, as opposed to just the kitchen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/kepner-tregoe-problem-analysis-matrix-is-is-not.jpg\" alt=\"Kepner-Tregoe problem analysis matrix is is not\" class=\"wp-image-62960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/kepner-tregoe-problem-analysis-matrix-is-is-not.jpg 800w, https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/kepner-tregoe-problem-analysis-matrix-is-is-not-300x197.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/kepner-tregoe-problem-analysis-matrix-is-is-not-768x504.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-breakthrough-test\">The breakthrough test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inspired by the fact that power loss was only in the kitchen, my friend moved the coffee maker to the family room. It worked perfectly with no power issues. This revealed the <strong>critical distinction<\/strong>: location mattered.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New questions and comparisons now emerged: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What made the kitchen different from other rooms? <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What separated the left side of the kitchen from the right side?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What was different about 4pm versus say, the morning when everything worked?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-answer\">The answer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every affected device (coffee maker, TV, Google Home, Sonos) ran on the <em>same circuit breaker.<\/em> The refrigerator and oven had separate breakers. In the morning, <em>only<\/em> the coffee maker used that circuit. By afternoon, multiple devices were running simultaneously.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The verdict:<\/strong> circuit overload, not equipment failure. <em>The coffee maker was never broken \u2013 it was the final device that pushed an already strained circuit past its limit.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-fix\">The fix<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My friend replaced the faulty breaker. Problem solved. He did not need to determine why the original breaker kept tripping, just that it needed replacement.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-lesson\">The lesson<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This simple example is about applying advanced problem solving skills quickly and under pressure: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We clarified the actual problem \u2013 here we used the popular <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Five_whys\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">5 Whys analysis<\/a> to identify the problem we were actually trying to solve<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Then we compared what IS working to what IS NOT using the Kepner-Tregoe problem analysis matrix <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We then used that data to logically deduce the most probable cause and decide what to do next, whether that\u2019s a quick fix or requires a more careful decision<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For complex problems, IS and IS NOT data lets you test proposed causes by asking: <em>\u201cIf this is the cause, how does it explain both what IS and IS NOT happening?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next time you face an \u201cobvious\u201d equipment failure, step back. Apply IS and IS NOT thinking. Your \u201cbroken\u201d device might simply be the messenger alerting you to a deeper system issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-wsfirst-responsive-spacer responsive-spacer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><div class=\"responsive-spacer-fullsize\" style=\"height:2.25rem\"><\/div><div class=\"responsive-spacer-tablet\" style=\"height:1.75rem\"><\/div><div class=\"responsive-spacer-mobile\" style=\"height:1.25rem\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/beyond-5-whys-five-minute-problem-solving-lesson.pdf\">Download pdf<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-wsfirst-responsive-spacer responsive-spacer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><div class=\"responsive-spacer-fullsize\" style=\"height:1.3125rem\"><\/div><div class=\"responsive-spacer-tablet\" style=\"height:1.3125rem\"><\/div><div class=\"responsive-spacer-mobile\" style=\"height:1.25rem\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/blogs\/how-5-whys-and-fishbone-diagrams-relate-to-kt-problem-analysis\/\">how 5 Whys and Fishbone Diagrams relate to Kepner-Tregoe Problem Analysis<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Improve your problem solving skills with a <a href=\"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/training\/root-cause-analysis\/\">root cause analysis training<\/a> course <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the coffee maker \u201cbroke\u201d, problem solving skills saved the day! The best troubleshooting lessons come from everyday frustrations. Like when a simple request for after-dinner coffee turned into a masterclass in using problem solving skills under pressure!\u00a0 The crisis Saturday evening, 7 PM. Everyone had finished dinner when our host asked, \u201cDoes anyone want [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":62985,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,20],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[115],"class_list":["post-62944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kt-methods","category-problem-solving"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Beyond 5 Whys: a 5-minute problem solving lesson - Kepner-Tregoe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how a \u201cbroken\u201d coffee maker became a bitesize problem solving lesson featuring 5 Whys, logic &amp; caffeine \ud83d\udc49\ufe0f\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/nl\/blogs\/beyond-5-whys-problem-solving-skills-for-real-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"nl_NL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beyond 5 Whys: a 5-minute problem solving lesson\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover how a \u201cbroken\u201d coffee maker became a bitesize problem solving lesson featuring 5 Whys, logic &amp; caffeine \ud83d\udc49\ufe0f\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/nl\/blogs\/beyond-5-whys-problem-solving-skills-for-real-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kepner-Tregoe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-10T15:05:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-21T07:59:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/question-marks-represent-5-whys.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mike Barna\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kepner-tregoe.com\\\/nl\\\/blogs\\\/beyond-5-whys-problem-solving-skills-for-real-life\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kepner-tregoe.com\\\/nl\\\/blogs\\\/beyond-5-whys-problem-solving-skills-for-real-life\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Beyond 5 Whys: a 5-minute problem solving lesson\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-10T15:05:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-21T07:59:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kepner-tregoe.com\\\/nl\\\/blogs\\\/beyond-5-whys-problem-solving-skills-for-real-life\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":826,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kepner-tregoe.com\\\/nl\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kepner-tregoe.com\\\/nl\\\/blogs\\\/beyond-5-whys-problem-solving-skills-for-real-life\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kepner-tregoe.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/question-marks-represent-5-whys.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"KT Methods\",\"Problem Solving\"],\"inLanguage\":\"nl-NL\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kepner-tregoe.com\\\/nl\\\/blogs\\\/beyond-5-whys-problem-solving-skills-for-real-life\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kepner-tregoe.com\\\/nl\\\/blogs\\\/beyond-5-whys-problem-solving-skills-for-real-life\\\/\",\"name\":\"Beyond 5 Whys: a 5-minute problem solving lesson - 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