Prompt Library
Strategy prompt
The 5 Whys: find the real root cause
Toyota's method for getting past the symptom to something structural you can actually fix.
How it helps
It keeps asking until you reach a process, person, system, or incentive you can change, so you fix the cause once and not the symptom every month.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt below.
- Swap each [bracket] for your own details. The more specific you are, the better the answer.
- Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini and send it.
The prompt
I have a recurring problem in my [alcohol beverage business] and I need the actual root cause, not the surface symptom. Use the 5 Whys method from the Toyota Production System. Start with the problem I describe. Ask 'Why does this happen?' Take my answer and ask 'Why?' again. Repeat at least five times, going deeper each round, until we reach something structural I can actually fix (a process, a person, a system, an incentive, a piece of tech). Do not accept vague answers from me like 'the market is soft' or 'consumers are pulling back.' Push me to be specific at every level. My recurring problem: [DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM YOU KEEP RUNNING INTO]
What you fill in
- alcohol beverage business
- DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM YOU KEEP RUNNING INTO
More strategy prompts
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