Ask why five times

It was discovered that the Lincoln Memorial was deteriorating faster than any of the other Washington, DC, memorials – why?

Because it was being cleaned more often than the other memorials – why?

Here is an example of how five whys can give a deeper perspective:

It was being cleaned more often because there were significantly more bird droppings on the Lincoln Memorial vs. any of the other memorials – why?

There were more birds around the Lincoln Memorial than any other memorial and it was the sparrow population that was significantly higher – why?

There was more of the favorite food of the sparrows at the Lincoln Memorial – specifically spider mites – why?

They found that the lighting used at the Lincoln Memorial was different than the other memorials and this lighting was conducive to the breeding of spider mites.

They changed the lighting and solved the problem.

This is an easy yet powerful tool. It works very well. Try it.