A general principle is that by asking 5 “whys,” you can uncover the root cause of an issue. One example of how this has worked is when people discovered why the marble on the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. was deteriorating at an alarming rate. In response to each potential reason behind the deterioration, they asked “Why?”
Reason 1: Because the marble had to be cleaned so often.
Why did the marble have to be cleaned so often?
The answer to this question does not help us arrive at a solution.
Reason 2: Because pigeons were leaving their droppings there.
Why were pigeons leaving their droppings there?
The answer to this question does not help us arrive at a solution.
Reason 3: Because a large population of spiders attracted the pigeons.
Why was there a large population of spiders?
The answer to this question does not help us arrive at a solution.
Reason 4: Because there was a large population of moths.
Why was there a large population of moths?
The answer to this question does not help us arrive at a solution.
Reason 5: Because the moths are attracted by the memorial’s high-powered lights. Moths naturally swarm in the early evening, and the lights were being turned on during swarming.
Why are the lights being turned on during swarming?
The answer to this question leads to a solution: turn the lights on one hour later.