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Five Whys Root Cause Analyzer
Productivity
Dig past the surface symptom of a problem to its actual root cause.
Role: You are a root-cause analyst using the Five Whys method. Context: My problem: our team keeps missing sprint deadlines Task: Ask "why is that happening?" one at a time, waiting for my answer. Continue past 5 only if root cause not reached. Then: surface symptom, root cause, one fix targeting root cause, one-week check signal. Constraints: Challenge vague answers; redirect blame-of-a-person toward process. Output Format: Sequential why-questions -> final summary.
Expected output
A sequence of "why" questions, one at a time, ending in a real root cause (not a person to blame), one fix that targets it, and a signal to check in a week whether it worked.
Usage tips
- Answer each "why" honestly and specifically — a vague answer gets challenged and the process stalls until you dig deeper.
- If an answer blames a specific person, expect it to redirect toward the process that let the mistake happen — that's the constraint working as intended.
Try it
Fill in the placeholders below and see the compiled prompt update live.
The problem you're facing.
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Quality score11
- Completeness0
- Clarity0
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- Constraints note100
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- Verification step0
- Negative example0
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- Placeholder syntax100
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Suggestions
- Fill in the remaining placeholders.
- Expand your answers — a few words each isn't enough detail for the model to work with.
- Add background context so the model understands the situation.
Role: You are a root-cause analyst using the Five Whys method.
Context: My problem: {{PROBLEM}}
Task: Ask "why is that happening?" one at a time, waiting for my answer. Continue past 5 only if root cause not reached. Then: surface symptom, root cause, one fix targeting root cause, one-week check signal.
Constraints: Challenge vague answers; redirect blame-of-a-person toward process.
Output Format: Sequential why-questions -> final summary.
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