/5-whys

description: Drill to root cause by asking why repeatedly
argument-hint: [problem or leave blank for current context]

<objective> Apply the 5 Whys technique to $ARGUMENTS (or the current discussion if no arguments provided).

Keep asking "why" until you hit the root cause, not just symptoms. </objective>

<process> 1. State the problem clearly 2. Ask "Why does this happen?" - Answer 1 3. Ask "Why?" about Answer 1 - Answer 2 4. Ask "Why?" about Answer 2 - Answer 3 5. Continue until you hit a root cause (usually 5 iterations, sometimes fewer) 6. Identify actionable intervention at the root </process>

<output_format> **Problem:** [clear statement]

**Why 1:** [surface cause] **Why 2:** [deeper cause] **Why 3:** [even deeper] **Why 4:** [approaching root] **Why 5:** [root cause]

**Root Cause:** [the actual thing to fix]

**Intervention:** [specific action at the root level] </output_format>

<success_criteria>

• Moves past symptoms to actual cause
• Each "why" digs genuinely deeper
• Stops when hitting actionable root (not infinite regress)
• Intervention addresses root, not surface
• Prevents same problem from recurring

</success_criteria>