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Is lean production a viable concept - or just the latest catch-phrase |
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Written by John Yoswick
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Monday, 04 June 2007 |
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Page 3 of 3
The five why’s of lean production
“Lean production” involves looking at every aspect of your business to determine if there is waste or duplication that can be eliminated, or if there are processes (or a lack of process) that interfere with getting quality built-into the system.
Getting to the root cause of problems is key to making such improvements. One technique that can help with this is the “five why’s.” You often have to ask “why” at least five times to get to the root cause of a failure.
Here’s an example:
Why was Mrs. Jones’ not satisfied with our service?
Because her car wasn’t ready until a day later than we promised.
Why was her car delivered a day late?
Because we were waiting for a part.
Why wasn’t the part here?
It didn’t get ordered until the car was ready to go.
Why didn’t it get ordered sooner?
Because we didn’t know until then that we actually had the wrong part.
Why didn’t we know we had the wrong one?
Because the technician didn’t check it when it arrived.
After five why’s, you usually begin to see a root problem that needs to be fixed. It is a simple, yet effective process that virtually anyone in management can use.
John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988. He can be contacted by email at
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