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neurofoo

5whys

by @neurofoo in AI & LLM
35
5
# Install this skill:
npx skills add neurofoo/agent-skills --skill "5whys"

Install specific skill from multi-skill repository

# Description

Five Whys root cause analysis. Iteratively asks "why" to drill past symptoms to underlying causes. Use for debugging, investigating failures, or understanding why something went wrong.

# SKILL.md

name: 5whys
description: Five Whys root cause analysis. Iteratively asks "why" to drill past symptoms to underlying causes. Use for debugging, investigating failures, or understanding why something went wrong.
user-invocable: true

Five Whys Analysis

Perform iterative root cause analysis by asking "why" repeatedly until you reach the underlying cause.

Instructions

Start with the stated problem and ask "why" it occurred. For each answer, ask "why" again. Continue until you reach a root cause that:
- Is actionable (you can do something about it)
- Is fundamental (asking "why" further leads to abstract/unhelpful answers)
- Explains the chain of causation

Typically this takes 5 iterations, but may be fewer or more.

Output Format

Problem Statement
Restate the problem clearly and specifically.

Why Chain

Level Question Answer
1 Why did [problem]? [Answer 1]
2 Why did [Answer 1]? [Answer 2]
3 Why did [Answer 2]? [Answer 3]
4 Why did [Answer 3]? [Answer 4]
5 Why did [Answer 4]? [Root Cause]

Root Cause
The fundamental issue identified. Explain why this is the root (not just another symptom).

Branches (if applicable)
If multiple valid answers exist at any level, show the branching analysis.

Corrective Actions
- Immediate: What to do now to address the symptom
- Systemic: What to change to prevent recurrence

Verification
How will you confirm the root cause is correct? (Test the hypothesis)

Guidelines

  • Each answer should be factual and verifiable
  • Avoid blame ("John didn't do X")β€”focus on systems and processes
  • If you're guessing, note it as a hypothesis to verify
  • Watch for circular logic
  • It's okay to branch if there are multiple valid causes
  • Stop when further "why" questions become philosophical or unhelpful

Examples

Software Bug

Problem: Users are seeing 500 errors on the checkout page

Level Question Answer
1 Why are users seeing 500 errors? The payment service is timing out
2 Why is the payment service timing out? Database queries are taking >30 seconds
3 Why are database queries slow? The orders table has 50M rows and no index on customer_id
4 Why is there no index? The table was created before we had this query pattern
5 Why wasn't an index added when the query was added? No database review process for new queries

Root Cause: Missing process for database review when adding new query patterns.

Corrective Actions:
- Immediate: Add index on customer_id
- Systemic: Add database review checklist to PR template

Customer Churn

Problem: Enterprise customer canceled after 6 months

Level Question Answer
1 Why did the customer cancel? They said the product wasn't delivering value
2 Why wasn't it delivering value? They only had 12% feature adoption
3 Why was adoption so low? Users weren't trained on key workflows
4 Why weren't users trained? Onboarding ended after technical setup
5 Why does onboarding end at setup? Success team is understaffed; prioritizes new sales

Root Cause: Success team capacity forces them to end onboarding prematurely.

Corrective Actions:
- Immediate: Reach out to at-risk accounts with training
- Systemic: Hire success capacity; redefine onboarding to include adoption milestone

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# Related Skills

# Supported AI Coding Agents

This skill is compatible with the SKILL.md standard and works with all major AI coding agents:

⚑ Amp πŸš€ Antigravity πŸ€– Claude Code πŸ¦€ Clawdbot πŸ“ Codex ▢️ Cursor πŸ€– Droid πŸ’Ž Gemini CLI πŸ™ GitHub Copilot πŸͺΏ Goose πŸ“Š Kilo Code πŸ”§ Kiro CLI πŸ’» OpenCode 🦘 Roo Code 🌲 Trae πŸ„ Windsurf

Learn more about the SKILL.md standard and how to use these skills with your preferred AI coding agent.