Who this is for: Needs Manage Root Cause.
5 Whys is the right choice for a problem with a single, traceable chain of cause. It is quick and it works well for most minor nonconformities.
Start from the finding statement — the problem as recorded.
Why 1 — why did this nonconformity occur? Record the answer.
Why 2 — why did that happen? Each answer becomes the subject of the next question.
Continue through Why 3, Why 4 and Why 5.
The fifth answer should be a cause you can actually act on.
Choose a root cause category and save.
Stop when you reach something actionable. Five is a guide, not a target. If Why 3 gives you “nobody owns the training matrix”, that is a root cause — you do not need to push on to a philosophical answer at Why 5.
Avoid the two common failures: stopping at “human error”, which is a symptom not a cause; and drifting into blame, which stops the analysis rather than deepening it.