HA3110D – Quality Improvement and Risk Management
LP06.1 Assignment: 5 Whys and 5 Hows
In your self-improvement project you have been provided with the Likert survey as a quantitative tool for measuring performance by collecting and displaying data and monitoring your performance.
A qualitative tool, one used for generating ideas, setting priorities and determining causes, is the “5 Whys” to determine the root cause of a problem. The American Society for Quality” takes this tool a bit further by applying “5 Hows” to find a solution to the problem. To find out more, go to “5 Whys and 5 Hows” (ASQ).
Directions
1.In a Word document, write down the AIM statement for your self-improvement project (topic, how much by when).
2.Drill down to the details of the problem by successively asking five times what and why. Start with: “why is this a problem” and ask four more whys. Identify each contributing factor to the problem along with the final root cause.
3.Upon determination of the root cause(s), use the 5 Hows method to develop actions to solve the problem. Keep asking how until you find a root solution that resolves the root cause.
4.What insight did you gain from this exercise? Was the root cause what you expected? Why or why not? Where there more problems identified?
5.In what way do the recommended actions (the hows) relate to the changes you have implemented? Exactly how?
(Total Length: 250-350 words).