Scale Five Whys

• Source: Built by Jonathan Kvarfordt. Standalone bundle v0.2.
• Frameworks applied: Step 1. Set

It covers a job one of the eight revenue seats has to finish, and it states its process, decision rules, and output format clearly enough for an agent to follow.

1. 1.Copy the SKILL.md text below, or download the raw file.
2. 2.Create a folder named exactly scale-five-whys in your agent's skills directory.
3. 3.Save the file inside that folder as SKILL.md.
4. 4.Ask the agent one of the trigger requests below.
5. 5.Check the output against what you already know before it leaves your desk.

• why is this happening
• run five whys
• find the root cause

---
name: scale-five-whys
description: Runs a Five Whys root-cause analysis on the outcome charter, at least twice from different vantage points, and classifies the root cause as a Skills, Systems, Strategy, or Product gap. Use when the user says "why is this happening", "run five whys", "find the root cause", "why is win rate down", or after scale-outcome-charter completes.
---

# scale-five-whys

Produce `artifacts/scale-five-whys.md` and fill the Root cause section of `artifacts/scale-charter.md`.

## Preflight (every run)
1. Confirm `GTM-AI-OS/` is accessible. If not: "I need access to your GTM-AI-OS folder. Select it in Cowork's folder picker, or run `os-install` from the core plugin." Stop until it is.
2. Read `CLAUDE.md`, `INDEX.md`, and the last 20 lines of `signals/log.md`.
3. Check the prerequisites below. For anything missing, ask the cold-start questions and offer: (a) run the earlier skill now, or (b) fast path: answer the questions and this skill writes a minimal version of the missing artifact marked `status: draft (fast path)`.
4. On finish, update the artifact row in `INDEX.md` and append one line to `signals/log.md`: `<date> | <skill> | <produced> | <human changed> | <open question>`.

## Prerequisites
- `artifacts/scale-charter.md` with an outcome statement.
Cold-start: "State the problem in one sentence with a number, e.g. 'new-business win rate is 11%, needs to be 20%'." Write it to `context/outcome.md` as `status: draft (fast path)` and proceed.

## Step 1: Chain one, the user's view
Start from the outcome gap. Ask "why?" and write the answer. Ask again on that answer. Continue until the answer is both measurable and fixable. Five is a minimum. Push past vague answers ("bad execution") by asking "what would we see in the data if that were true?"

## Step 2: Chain two, a different seat
Ask: "Whose view haven't we taken? A rep, a manager, marketing, CS, RevOps?" Run the chain again from that seat. If the user can, have them message that person and paste the reply. Different roots are common and useful.

## Step 3: Classify each root
For each chain, label the root cause:
- Skills gap: people don't know how, or enablement is missing (AI amplifies)
- Systems gap: tools don't talk, swivel-chair work, data stuck (AI amplifies)
- Strategy gap: wrong market, ICP, pricing, positioning (AI advises; fix the strategy first)
- Product gap: the offer doesn't deliver (AI can't fix; escalate)
State plainly which gaps AI can and cannot help with.

## Step 4: Quantify
For the root you'll pursue: "What is this costing per quarter?" Estimate in dollars or hours converted to dollars. Mark the estimate `Inferred` unless the user gives a sourced number.

## Step 5: Write
Write `artifacts/scale-five-whys.md` with both chains, gap types, the quantified cost, and a one-line recommendation of which chain to pursue into Module 2. Update the charter's Root cause section. Set `context/outcome.md` to `status: verified` if the sponsor has signed.

## Quality gate
Do not stop at a root that is a restatement of the symptom. Do not accept one chain as final.

## Hand off
Say: "Module 2 maps the workflow that contains this root cause. Install `scale-chart / os-know` and say 'map my friction'."

What does the Scale Five Whys skill do?

Runs a Five Whys root-cause analysis on the outcome charter, at least twice from different vantage points, and classifies the root cause as a Skills, Systems, Strategy, or Product gap.

Where does the Scale Five Whys skill come from?

Built by Jonathan Kvarfordt. Standalone bundle v0.2.. The source and included files are shown on this page and in the package download.

Why was the Scale Five Whys skill chosen for this library?

It covers a job one of the eight revenue seats has to finish, and it states its process, decision rules, and output format clearly enough for an agent to follow.

When should the Scale Five Whys skill not be used?

Use it only for the job named above. A skill applied outside its scope produces confident output on the wrong question.

How do I install the Scale Five Whys SKILL.md file?

Download the file, create a folder named exactly scale-five-whys inside your agent's skills directory, and save the file inside it as SKILL.md. The agent loads it when a request matches the description.