The ‘Six Honest Serving Men’ of Kaizen: A Deep Dive into the 5W1H Method

Blocks with 5W1H spelled out representing “Who”, “What”, “Why”, “Where”, “When”, and “How” of problem-solving.

Just like the inquisitive ‘Elephant’s Child’ from Rudyard Kipling’s famous ‘Just So Stories,’ we can also use the wisdom of his ‘Six Honest Serving Men’: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. These six simple yet profound words form the foundation of the 5W1H method.

In Kipling’s tale, the Elephant’s Child uses these six words to quench his insatiable curiosity and learn about the world around him. He asked, “Who did that? What happened? When did it take place? Where did it occur? Why did it happen? How was it done?” These questions led him to explore, understand, and gain valuable insights, just as the 5W1H method does in problem-solving.

Kaizen in Japanese

In the realm of Kaizen and project management, the ‘Six Honest Serving Men’ serve as guides to obtain a comprehensive understanding of a problem. ‘Who’ identifies the key stakeholders in a particular issue or project. ‘What’ addresses the core issue or task at hand. ‘When’ and ‘Where’ place the problem or project in its temporal and spatial context. ‘Why’ delves into the root cause of the problem, and ‘How’ opens the door to brainstorming and creating corrective actions.