Let’s Try a "5 Whys" Survey

Following up on the LEI survey that was released and discussed here, I’ve been talking with a few folks offline about what the “root causes” really are for Lean struggles. Instead of pointing at “who?” what would we find if we asked “Why?” And then asked “Why?” again. Let’s utilize one of the Toyota Production System problem solving methodologies, the “5 Whys?”

So, an online survey is cheap and easy to set up. Let’s give this a try. It’s an experiment, in the spirit of PDCA. I’m not sure if this problem really lends itself to 5 Whys, because as blog reader Ralf pointed out, this is a complex business and organizational problem. It might not lend itself to an online survey, since I’m used to doing this in person and interactive.

Click Here to Take Survey (survey is closed)

Those who take the survey and leave an email address (which will not be sold or distributed), we are going to do a few Lean giveways, including a donated copy of “Workplace Management”, given by our friends at Gemba Research. I’ll publish the results here and will email them out to those who leave an email address.

About LeanBlog.org: Mark Graban is a consultant, author, and speaker in the “lean healthcare” methodology, focused on improving quality and patient safety, improving access, reducing costs, and fully engaging healthcare professionals. He is also the Chief Improvement Officer for KaiNexus.