Run 5 Whys without stopping at operator error
Use root-cause questioning to identify a system-level corrective action for a product safety complaint.
A battery pack overheated because a user connected an incompatible adapter that physically fit the charging port. 5 Whys with system causes: event -> user action -> enabling condition -> missing control -> corrective action Stopping at "customer used the wrong adapter" treats the last action as the root cause. It misses the design and packaging conditions that made the mistake foreseeable. Why 1 Why did the pack overheat? It received voltage outside the charging circuit's intended range. Start with the technical mechanism, not blame. Why 2 Why did it receive that voltage? The user connected an adapter from another…
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