5W2H is an acronym that refers to the basic questions that in English begin with W and H. What, When, Where, Who, Why, How and How Many / Much.
It serves as a mnemonic rule, if we know English…
Since we can't use this rule in Spanish, its original name has been extended. It's worth memorizing them because they're extremely useful in many situations.
They are used to help in planning; to generate a Brainstorming, to analyze causes, to define a problem, etc. 5W2H is a very versatile and very simple tool.
Starting a project, for example, can be confusing and paralyzing if you don't know where to begin. In this case, the questions serve as a guide to everything you need to consider.
Sometimes we want to solve a problem, and there too it is best to start with the 5W2H.
If you want to use it in your planning, you can download a deliverable from here: Planning with 5W-2H.
Here we will focus on Problem Definition since we see that it is what is most difficult.
When a problem arises, our tendency is to want to solve it or fix it quickly without even taking a moment to define and narrow it down. It's said that half the solution is found when the problem is defined correctly, and our experience shows this to be true.
How to Define the Problem
The key to solving a problem is to define it correctly. The 5W2H are very helpful in this task by providing us with all the objective information related to the problem. In turn, by answering these questions, we will be narrowing down the universe of possible causes.
The questions we will ask ourselves are:
- WHAT happened or is happening? / What?
I wrote a short description of the problem (2 lines).
Write it objectively, without interpretations. Just the data, the phenomena (Genjitsu) observable by any of the five senses and/or measuring instruments.
- WHEN did it happen or is it happening? / When?
When did you see or see the problems? At what point in the day and/or during the process?
- WHERE did it happen or is it happening? / Where?
Where are you seeing or seeing the problem? (Line/Machine/Location) In what part/location of the product/process are you seeing or seeing the problems?
- WHO did it happen to or is it happening to? / Who?
Does it happen to one person in particular or is it something that happens to several people?
Is the problem related to the person(s)'s skills?
We are not interested in knowing “who” it happened to or to whom it happened in order to place blame. Blaming someone only makes the person feel bad and never solves the problem. (Shigeo Shingo) What we want to know is whether it has to do with a person's abilities or not.
If the problem always occurs in the same person, it's likely related to their Skills Matrix. If it occurs in several people, it may be due to another cause.
- HOW did it happen or how does it happen?
Is the phenomenon random or does it have a recurring pattern? That is, do the phenomena appear at any time of day or under specific circumstances, for example, at the start of a shift?
How does it differ from the normal (or optimal) state, from what we define as standard (Gensoku)?
- HOW MANY times has this happened or is it happening? HOW MUCH money does this mean? / How Many? – How Much?
How many events occurred in one day? In one week? In one month?
How much money does this involve? For example, in terms of production downtime.
- WHY is this a problem?
Knowing how it differs from the standard allows us to identify the gap that will create the opportunity for improvement we call a problem. A problem is always an opportunity for improvement.
When using this tool in the context of the TPM we do not ask ourselves about because the problem occurs, since the reason why it occurred or occurs will be found by applying another tool called 5 Why, also known as 5Why or simply Naze – Naze in Japanese.
Conclusion
Being consistent in using these questions when defining a problem and before beginning to propose solutions will facilitate the resolution process.
Exhibit
