In my last post, I reflected on a couple of different whys to interrogate a process—either to solve a problem or to create a process improvement. Here are a few more contextual uses of the question “Why?” that I’ve found very helpful as a manager and improvement leader.

Purpose expansion

When asking why five times to solve a specific problem, we’re intentionally drilling down into the problem to find a root cause. Shigeo Shingo flipped the scale with purpose expansion to encourage us to think of every end as a means to a higher purpose. For example, if 5S is a means to a higher purpose (reduced searching for tools), then reduced searching (motion waste) must also be a means to a higher purpose.

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