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PROBLEM-SOLVING6 MIN READ

Worked Example: 5 Whys on an SLA Miss

Apply 5 Whys to move from a missed SLA to a verified process control.

Nineteen enterprise tickets missed the four-hour first-response SLA on Friday afternoon. The team initially says Support was overloaded. 5 Whys with evidence: exact event -> flow break -> process condition -> verified control The common shortcut is to stop at overloaded team and add staffing. That feels responsible, but it skips the actual flow break. If routing, tagging, or escalation failed, more people will still receive the wrong work too late. Step 1 State the event: 19 enterprise tickets breached SLA between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Friday. First principles remove vague language. The exact event sets the boundary for…

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