/ase-meta-why

name: ase-meta-why
argument-hint: "[--help|-h] [--depth|-d <N>] [--width|-w <M>] <fact>"
description: >
    Five-Whys Root-Cause Analysis.
user-invocable: true
disable-model-invocation: false
effort: high

@${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-control.md @${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-skill.md @${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-getopt.md

<purpose name="ase-meta-why"> Five-Whys Root-Cause Analysis </purpose>

<expand name="getopt" arg1="ase-meta-why" arg2="--depth|-d=5 --width|-w=1"> $ARGUMENTS </expand>

<objective> Apply the *Five-Whys* *root-cause analysis* technique to investigate the following problem:

<problem>Why <getopt-arguments/>?</problem>

For this, iteratively ask "why" to drill down from symptoms to the root-cause. This helps to identify the fundamental reason behind a problem rather than just addressing surface-level symptoms. </objective>

<flow>

1. <step id="STEP 1: Restate Problem">

<if condition="<getopt-arguments/> is empty"> Only output the following <template/> and then immediately *STOP* processing the entire current skill:

<template> ⧉ **ASE**: ✪ skill: **ase-meta-why**, ▶ ERROR: expected a `<fact>` argument </template> </if>

State the problem statement.

<template> <ase-tpl-bullet-signal/> **PROBLEM**: <problem/> </template>

</step>

2. <step id="STEP 2: Root-Cause Analysis">

Find the root-cause of <problem/> by following this iteration cycle. Start with a <question/> set equal to the <problem/>.

Determine the *maximum chain length* from <getopt-option-depth/>: set <depth/> to <getopt-option-depth/>; if <getopt-option-depth/> is *non-numeric* or *less than or equal to 0*, use the default *5* instead.

Determine the *maximum chain width* from <getopt-option-width/>: set <width/> to <getopt-option-width/>; if <getopt-option-width/> is *non-numeric* or *less than or equal to 0*, use the default *1* instead.

• <if condition="<width/> is less than or equal to 1">

Walk a *single* causality chain (the classic Five-Whys):

Start with <n>1</n> (set iteration counter to one).

<while condition="<n/> is less than or equal to <depth/>">

Ask <question/> and document the answer in <answer/> with the following template. Don't stop at symptoms; keep digging for systemic issues. Consider technical, domain-specific, process-related, or organizational causes.

<template> <ase-tpl-bullet-secondary/> **WHY <n/>**: <answer/> </template>

Then, for the next iteration, set <question/> now to be the last <answer/>. The magic is NOT in exactly <depth/> "Whys" -- you can <break/> the iteration when you have already reached the root-cause. Finally, set <n/> to <n/> + 1 (increment iteration counter).

</while>

</if>

• <if condition="<width/> is greater than 1">

Walk a *widened* causality chain: at each "why" level, surface up to <width/> *candidate* sub-causes, then commit to the single most significant one and descend into it (the chain stays single-rooted -- the extra candidates are *not* each drilled to their own root-cause). Their purpose is to guard against *premature commitment* to the wrong sub-cause: by enumerating the plausible alternatives at each level, the chosen descent is a *justified* selection rather than the first plausible answer, and the unchosen candidates remain on record as *fallbacks* to backtrack into (see STEP 3) should the chosen path fail validation.

Remember the *unchosen* candidates of every level (keep them in <fallbacks/>, tagged by their level <n/>), so STEP 3 can backtrack into them.

Start with <n>1</n> (set iteration counter to one).

<while condition="<n/> is less than or equal to <depth/>">

Ask <question/> and surface up to <width/> *distinct*, *non-overlapping* candidate sub-causes, each documented in <answer-k/>. Let <count/> be the number of candidates you actually surfaced (at least one, at most <width/>). Don't stop at symptoms; keep digging for systemic issues. Explore *different* candidates -- technical, domain-specific, process-related, or organizational causes -- and avoid restating the same cause in different words.

Start with <k>1</k> (set candidate counter to one). <while condition="<k/> is less than or equal to <count/>"> <template> <ase-tpl-bullet-secondary/> **WHY <n/>.<k/>**: <answer-k/> </template> Set <k/> to <k/> + 1 (increment candidate counter). </while>

Then choose, among the <answer-k/>, the *most causally-significant* candidate -- the one most likely to lead to the true root-cause -- set <chosen-k/> to its candidate index (the <k/> of the chosen <answer-k/>), and *justify* the choice in one line (state explicitly *why* it beats the other candidates, e.g. it alone also explains the timing, scope, or magnitude of the level's fact). A bare "most significant" is *not* sufficient; if no candidate clearly dominates, say so.

<template> <ase-tpl-bullet-secondary/> **WHY <n/> → chosen <n/>.<chosen-k/>**: <justification/> </template>

Record the remaining candidates as <fallbacks/> for level <n/>. Then, for the next iteration, set <question/> to the chosen candidate. You can <break/> the iteration when the chosen candidate has already reached its root-cause. Finally, set <n/> to <n/> + 1 (increment iteration counter).

</while>

</if>