The Power of the 6 W’s—See Any Problem from Six New Angles

Every time an experienced problem solver faces a challenge, they approach it through a set of simple but powerful questions. These aren’t just for detectives—they’re the 6 W’s: who/what, how much, where, when, how, and why. Instead of getting overwhelmed, they break the problem into smaller pieces. For example, imagine a business that's struggling with missed deadlines. When they map out who is missing steps, what tasks are consistently delayed, how much time is wasted, where breakdowns happen in the process, when time crunches occur, and how these parts interact, suddenly the root cause becomes obvious—it might not be the plan, but one team member who never gets information on time.

This method goes beyond business. Teachers use it to analyze a student's improvement, coaches to understand a team's slump, and families to solve recurring household issues. Seeing a problem in six ways is like flipping a puzzle over, finding the missing piece on the underside. Neuroscientific research shows breaking issues into discrete questions engages analytic and creative brain networks, fostering insight and preventing tunnel vision.

Once you draw your six perspectives, you’ll often notice one or two where the picture is cloudy, signaling the hidden bottleneck or leverage point. Rather than guessing or blaming, you can now focus your action where it really counts.

Think about a nagging problem and try stating it in a short sentence. Then, systematically ask the 6 W’s, writing or drawing a small sketch for each angle. Don’t worry about the quality—blocks and arrows will do just fine. Once you’ve laid them out, take a step back and see which of the six pictures is the blurriest or feels incomplete. Dive deeper there, knowing that this is your opportunity to find leverage and clarity. Do this exercise the next time you feel stuck or frustrated; it makes problems feel manageable and solvable.