Five Whys

Not Five Whys as in the approach to root cause(s) analysis as attributed to e.g. Toyota.

But Five Whys which illuminate the issues within the world’s typical approach to running businesses, and in particular collaborative knowledge work businesses:

1. Why is the Software Crisis still with us?  
2. Why is business so locked-in to centuries-old management practices?
3. Why does the Agile community not want to move on, to progress?
4. Why are prevailing collective assumptions and beliefs about the way work should work so ineffective and yet so hard to overturn?
5. Why don’t people engage with these questions?

Contrary to my usual approach – providing answers – I’ll just let these questions stew for a while. I have answers. But I suggest you’re not interested in answers, nor even the questions.

– Bob

Afterword

Personally, I prefer analysing e.g. root cause(s) vie cause-effect trees such as Goldratt’s TOC tool – the Current Reality Tree (CRT). YMMV.