nw-five-whys-methodologylisted

# Five Whys Methodology ## Philosophical Foundation Taiichi Ohno: "By repeating why five times, the nature of the problem as well as its solution becomes clear." Core tenets: scientific evidence-based investigation | address fundamental causes not symptoms | solve to prevent recurrence | use findings for Kaizen ## Multi-Causal Investigation Complex problems have multiple root causes. Investigate comprehensively: - **Parallel**: investigate all symptoms/conditions simultaneously - **Branch**: follow each cause through all five WHY levels - **Cross-cause**: ensure multiple causes don't contradict - **Comprehensive**: address all root causes, not just primary ## WHY Level Definitions ### WHY 1: Symptom Investigation What is immediately observable? Investigate all symptoms. Each branch continues independently. Document verifiable evidence per symptom. ``` WHY 1A: Path not found [Evidence: file exists but wrong context -- Windows vs WSL paths] WHY 1B: Permission denied [Evidence: user context mismatch between host and container] WHY 1C: Timing issues [Evidence: race conditions with file system operations] ``` ### WHY 2: Context Analysis Why does this condition exist? Follow each WHY 1 through context. Check if factors connect multiple causes. Examine system/environment/operational context. ### WHY 3: System Analysis Why do conditions persist? How system enables multiple failure modes. How causes interact systemically. Analyze design/architecture decisions. ### WHY 4: De