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5W1H template

5W1H is six questions (what, where, when, who, why and how) answered with facts. Teams use it two ways: to describe a problem before anyone looks for the cause, and to write an action so nothing is left open (what, why, who, where, by when, how). This template does both. The problem sheet asks each question with prompts, a how-we-know column and a checked box, adds how big as a count and a rate, and builds the problem statement from the answers. The action plan sheet takes one row per action and shows what is still missing. In the Excel version, answers that sound like a cause or a solution are flagged, the rate is worked out, and late or half-written actions stand out. 5W1H does not find the cause: that is the 5 Whys, and an is / is not analysis narrows where to look.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Page 1 of the 5W1H templateHeader fields, a table with one row each for what, where, when, who, why and how with prompts, answer, how-we-know and checked columns, how big fields, a problem statement box and tick boxes for the next analysis.
Six question rows with promptsHow-we-know and checkedHow big: count and rateProblem statement5W1H action planMissing-W and late checks5W1H vs 5 Whys vs is / is notWorked example
Filled-in 5W1H template: leaks found at final test on a pump line
The same sheet filled in with the worked example (page 3 of the PDF, illustrative numbers). Open full size (opens the picture in a new tab)

When to use it

When to use 5W1H

  • At the start of a root cause analysis, before a 5 Whys, a fishbone diagram or an 8D, so everyone works from the same checked facts.
  • When a problem is reported in vague words, such as “the new parts are bad”, and nobody can say how big it is or where it shows up.
  • To fill the current condition of an A3 or the problem description (D2) of an 8D.
  • To turn agreed countermeasures into an action plan, and later to write the new standard, with an owner, a place, a date and a method for each.
  • Not for finding the cause. 5W1H frames the problem; the 5 Whys or a fishbone looks for why.

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    Fill in the header

    Area or line, date, who is filling it in and who took part. Do it with the people who saw the problem, at the gemba if you can.
  2. 2

    Answer what, where and when

    Which part or process and what exactly is wrong against the standard. Where on the line or part it shows up and where it was found. When it was first seen and whether it happens on every shift.
  3. 3

    Answer who, why it matters and how

    Who found it, who works the process and who is affected, as roles. Why it matters: the effect on safety, quality, delivery, cost or the customer. How it shows up and how it was found.
  4. 4

    Write how you know and check it

    For each answer, note the evidence: a count, a record, a photo, something seen. Tick checked once someone has confirmed it. In the Excel, a row stays amber until it is answered, evidenced and checked.
  5. 5

    Put a number on it

    How many were affected out of how many made or checked, and the rate before the problem. That number tells you later whether the countermeasure worked.
  6. 6

    Write the problem statement

    One or two sentences with what, where, since when and how big, and no cause or solution. The Excel drafts it from the answers and checks the final version has the count in it.
  7. 7

    Plan the actions with 5W1H

    One row per action: what will be done, why (the problem or cause it answers), who owns it, where, by when and how. Before the cause is known, the rows are containment and investigation; afterwards, countermeasures and the new standard.

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example: leaks found at final test on a pump assembly line (illustrative numbers).

The example's six questions, answered with facts

  1. Outlet fitting leaksModel B pumps, on the final pressure test
  2. Line 3Found at final test; fitted and torqued at station 5
  3. Since Tuesday nightOn every shift since
  4. Test, station 5, reworkWho finds it, who fits the part, who repairs it
  5. Rework now, a customer leak if missedWhy it matters
  6. 14 of 310Counted from the test rig's pressure-drop records

The six questions for the pump leak: what, outlet fitting leaks on model B pumps at the final pressure test; where, line 3, fitted at station 5; when, since Tuesday night on every shift; who, final test, station 5 and the rework cell; why it matters, rework now and a customer leak if missed; how big, 14 of 310 pumps.

Problem statement: since Tuesday's night shift, 14 of the 310 model B pumps built on line 3 have leaked at the outlet fitting on final test. It names no cause.
  • What: model B pumps leaking at the outlet fitting on the final pressure test, where the standard is no leaks.
  • Where: assembly line 3, found at the final test station. The leak is always at the outlet fitting, which is fitted and torqued at station 5.
  • When: first seen on Tuesday's night shift, and on every shift since. Who: found by the final test operators; station 5 operators on all three shifts fit the part; the rework cell repairs the leakers.
  • Why it matters: every leaking pump is reworked, and a leak missed at test would reach the customer. How: a pressure drop on the test rig, counted from the test records.
  • How big: 14 of the 310 pumps built since Tuesday, 4.5%, against a standard of no leaks.
  • Action plan: 2 containment rows (re-test all 310 before shipping; check the outlet torque on every pump at station 5) and 3 investigation rows (a fishbone with station 5 operators, the torque gun calibration and records, the fitting thread on 20 parts from two lots).

Problem statement: since Tuesday's night shift, 14 of the 310 model B pumps built on line 3 have leaked at the outlet fitting on final test (4.5%). All six questions are answered and checked; all 5 actions have all six answered, 2 are done and 1 is a day late. The statement names no cause, so the fishbone and the checks decide what comes next.

Common mistakes

  • Writing a cause into the answers

    “Leaks because the torque gun is out” is a guess about the cause. Write what is seen and leave the cause to the analysis. The Excel flags words like because and due to.

  • Answering from memory in a meeting room

    Answers nobody has checked send the analysis the wrong way. Go to where the problem is, get the record, and tick checked only then.

  • Reading why as the root cause

    In a problem description, why asks why the problem matters. Asking why it happened belongs to the 5 Whys, after the problem is framed.

  • Leaving out how big

    Write a count and a rate instead of “some leaks”. Without one you cannot tell later whether a countermeasure worked.

  • Actions with an owner called “quality”

    An action plan row needs one named person and a date. A department and “ASAP” mean nobody does it.

Download the template

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Run this template in LeanSuite

In LeanSuite's continuous improvement software you add 5W1H, 5 Whys, 4M1D and fishbone sections to any phase of a project, and the RCA Agent drafts them from the problem description and attached manuals or SOPs for you to edit and push into the action plan.

See it in a 45-minute demo

FAQ

5W1H template: common questions

  1. What, where, when, who, why and how: six questions answered with facts. Some versions add how many or how much, which makes 5W2H; Ford's Global 8D uses 5W2H to describe a problem at D2.

  2. 5W1H describes the problem: what it is, where and when it shows up, who is involved, why it matters and how big it is. The 5 Whys explains it by asking why it happened, one checked answer at a time. Describe with 5W1H first, then run the 5 Whys on it.

  3. Write each action as one row: what will be done, why (the problem or cause it answers), who owns it, where, by when and how. JICA's KAIZEN training uses it this way for countermeasures and again to table the new standard. A row with any of the six missing is not ready.

  4. In a problem description, why the problem matters: its effect on safety, quality, delivery, cost or the customer. In an action plan, why the action is needed. Why the problem happened is a separate question for the analysis that follows.

  5. Both describe a problem with facts. An is/is not analysis adds a second column for where the problem could be but is not, which narrows the search for the cause. Start with 5W1H and add is/is not when the facts do not narrow it down.

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