Questions — Structured Problem Definition

**Q1 — What exactly is happening?**Observable facts only — no assumptions. Example: People pay but don't register.

**Q2 — When does it happen?**Frequency, timing, triggers — be precise. Example: Directly after purchasing.

**Q3 — Who is affected & what is the impact?**People, systems, business consequences. Example: Members cannot access content.

**Q4 — What do we know vs. assume?**Separate confirmed facts from guesses. Example: ….

**Q5 — What have we already tried?**Document attempts so you don't repeat them. Example: ….

Questions — The 5 WhysSame symptom, 4 different angles

Use case: Paid members of a community platform don’t log in after purchase. The same Why chain leads to a very different root cause depending on the fishbone branch.

Symptom: Members who paid do not register on Circle — Why?

Technology

• W1: Why did no auto-email fire after payment?
• W2: Why is Circle not linked to the payment system?
• W3: Why is there no API trigger to create the account?

Root cause: No technical integration exists between the payment processor and Circle to auto-activate membership.