In the 1990’s, the Juran Institute produced a video series on the subject of quality. One of them describes a problem with the Jefferson Memorial: the granite was crumbling. What was frustrating to the national park officials was that none of the other memorials were having this same problem with their granite. So the question was “Why?”
Question: Why is the granite crumbling on the Jefferson Memorial?
Answer: It is hosed off more than the other memorials.
Question: Why is the Jefferson Memorial hosed off more than the other D.C. memorials?
Answer: The Jefferson Memorial has more bird dung.
Question: Why does the Jefferson Memorial have more bird dung than the other memorials?
Answer: It has more birds.
Question: Why does the Jefferson Memorial have more birds?
Answer: It has more spiders for the birds to eat.
Question: Why does the Jefferson Memorial have more spiders
than other D.C. memorials?
Answer: It has more flying insects for spiders to eat.
Question: Why does the Jefferson Memorial have more flying insects than other D.C. memorials?
Answer: The lights are turned on too soon at the Jefferson Memorial, thus attracting the insects.
Solution: The lights were turned on later and the granite stopped crumbling.
By asking “Why?” enough times, usually at least five, one can find the root causes of problems.
—Lee Jenkins. “Permission to Forget and Nine Other Root Causes of America’s Frustration with Education.” Milwaukee: Quality Press, 2005.
