/drill-five-whys

name: drill-five-whys
description: "Iteratively ask why, evidence-checking each causal step, to move from symptom toward root cause."

drill-five-whys

Purpose

Iteratively ask why, checking evidence at each causal step, to move from symptom toward root cause.

Input contract

required: [symptom_statement, causal_evidence]
optional: [initial_cause, max_depth]
constraints: [each why answer must explain the preceding statement and cite evidence or uncertainty]

Procedure

1. Normalize the symptom as an observable effect. 2. Ask why the effect occurs and record the proposed cause. 3. Test the cause against evidence before asking the next why. 4. Stop at a controllable root, an evidence boundary, or a documented unresolved branch.

Output contract

produces: [why_chain, root_cause_candidate, evidence_gaps]
delta_fields: [findings, assumption_updates, uncertainties]

Quality gates

• Each link is directional and evidence-checked; stopping reason is explicit.

Failure and counterexamples

Do not force exactly five levels or accept circular answers as root causes.

Provenance map

• `deep-insight/five-whys-drilling`: resolved.