When something goes wrong, we often mistake symptoms for root causes and think the only solutions we can make are all-or-nothing... which means we often do nothing.
Eric Ries, author of the Lean Startup, adapted Toyota's 5 Why's technique to help correctly identify the root course of a problem and the find an agile way to respond to root causes that fits into our budgets and ensures we apply the appropriate level of response to each problem. It also takes the emphasis away from blame and onto creating solutions.
See a 3-minute video explaining the process here.
Learn how to conduct a 5-Why root cause analysis meeting.