A history of the 5 whys and root cause analysis from papers

Some critiques of the 5 whys:

James Reason and the Swiss Cheese Model:

And a classic from Sidney Dekker (et al.) on the implication of complexity within safety investigations:

We always recommend the Howie Guide: https://howie-guide.pagerduty.com/

Want to talk more about this subject? We’re doing a live event co-sponsored by RISF and you can sign up for it here: https://resilienceinsoftware.org/networks/events/146485

#12: Savaged At Pound Camp (17th Aug 2010)