5W1H Problem Statement Calculator
Score your Define phase problem statement against the 5W1H framework before it reaches a sponsor. Paste the statement, and the tool tests it for Where, What, How, Who, Why and When, then returns a weighted clarity score, the exact gaps and a rewritten version.
🎯 What this calculator does
This tool grades a problem statement the way a sponsor grades it. You paste the statement you plan to put in your project charter. The calculator reads it, hunts for the six 5W1H elements, scores each one, applies a weight and returns a single clarity score out of 100.
Most rejected charters fail on the same two elements. There is no baseline measurement, and there is no quantified business impact. A sponsor cannot approve budget for a problem with no number attached. This calculator weights those two elements hardest, so a statement that reads well but carries no data still scores low.
The output is not just a score. You get an element by element breakdown showing the evidence the tool found in your own words, a list of clarity deductions, four to six specific actions and a rewritten statement with your strong elements kept and the gaps marked for you to fill.
The six elements and their weights
| Element | Question it answers | Weight | What earns a high score |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOW | How was the problem measured? | 25% | A measurement method with a baseline number and a unit, ideally against a target |
| WHAT | What is the pain or fault? | 20% | A named defect, delay, failure or variation, not the word issue |
| WHY | Why does it matter? | 20% | A quantified consequence in money, volume, time or customer numbers |
| WHERE | Where does it happen? | 15% | A named department, site, line or station rather than the whole business |
| WHO | Who is affected? | 10% | A counted group of customers, staff or suppliers |
| WHEN | When and for how long? | 10% | A duration such as over the past six months, plus a shift or time window |
How the weighting works
Each element is scored from 0 to 100 based on the strength of the evidence found. That score is multiplied by its weight, and the six results are added together. A statement that names a department and a duration but carries no measurement and no impact caps out around 35, which is exactly what a sponsor would tell you.
Deductions are then subtracted for verbosity, solution language, cause language, fragmentation and vague quantifiers. Deductions are capped at 35 points.
How to use it in eight steps
- Write your problem statement first. Do not write it inside this tool. Draft it from your baseline data.
- Open the Calculator tab and paste the statement into the box.
- Add a project label so the Excel export names the right piece of work.
- Press Score my statement. The tool switches to Results automatically.
- Read the element breakdown table. Any element under 75 needs work.
- Check the evidence column. If the tool found nothing for an element, a sponsor will not find it either.
- Use the rewritten statement at the bottom of the Results tab as your next draft. Replace every red gap marker with real data.
- Rescore the new draft. Aim for 85 or above before the statement enters your charter.
Interpretation bands
| Score | Band | What it means | Next move |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 to 100 | Charter ready | All six elements carry evidence and the measurement and impact are quantified. | Put it in the charter and move to the SIPOC. |
| 70 to 84 | Strong draft | The structure holds. One or two elements are thin, usually Who or When. | Fill the thin elements, then rescore. |
| 55 to 69 | Workable | The problem is recognisable but the numbers are missing or soft. | Go back to the data. Get a baseline before the next draft. |
| 40 to 54 | Weak | Half the framework is absent. A sponsor cannot size the work from this. | Rewrite from the template. Do not submit yet. |
| Below 40 | Not usable | The statement is an opinion, not a problem definition. | Restart. Collect data first, write second. |
Common mistakes this tool catches
- Naming the solution inside the problem. Phrases such as we need to implement a new system pre load the answer and shut down root cause analysis.
- Naming the cause inside the problem. Writing because staff are undertrained decides the root cause before Analyse begins.
- Using vague quantifiers. Words such as some, many, several and a lot replace the baseline number a sponsor needs.
- Writing a paragraph of background instead of a statement. Anything over 80 words is usually a briefing note, not a problem statement.
- Saying the problem is company wide. If you cannot name the department, line or station, you have not scoped the project.
A high score is not proof the statement is true
This calculator tests structure and evidence, not accuracy. It cannot tell you whether your 8.5 day processing time is measured correctly. Validate the baseline with a measurement system analysis before you rely on it. A well written statement built on bad data is still a bad project.
Pro tips from Define phase reviews
- Write the HOW element first. If you cannot state the baseline, you do not have a project yet, you have a concern.
- Put a currency figure in the WHY element. Sponsors approve projects that carry a number, not projects that carry adjectives.
- Keep the statement between 35 and 60 words. Under 35 usually means an element is missing. Over 80 usually means you are explaining the process.
- Use over the past X months rather than recently. A duration proves the problem is chronic rather than a one off.
- Count the people in the WHO element. Affecting 150 suppliers lands harder than affecting suppliers.
- Read the statement aloud to someone outside your function. If they ask what does that mean, the statement is not ready.
Where this sits in DMAIC
This is a Define phase tool. It runs before the project charter is signed and before the SIPOC is mapped. The problem statement anchors everything downstream. Your CTQ tree flows from it, your baseline measurement plan flows from it, and your Improve phase is judged against the number you put in it.
Rescore the statement at the end of Measure. Once the real baseline lands, the HOW element usually changes and the WHY figure usually grows.
📝 Score your problem statement
Paste your draft below. The calculator reads the text you enter and scores it. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere.
Load a sample statement
Four worked examples across different industries. The delivery example is deliberately weak so you can see the red and orange indicators.
Structure that scores well
WHERE the problem sits, WHAT is going wrong, HOW it is measured with a baseline, WHO it affects and how many, WHY it costs the business in money or volume, WHEN it started and how long it has run. You do not need to label the elements. Write it as one flowing statement.
No statement scored yet
Enter a problem statement on the Calculator tab, or load one of the four samples, then press Score my statement.
What is a 5W1H problem statement
A 5W1H problem statement defines an improvement opportunity by answering six questions in one paragraph. Where the problem occurs, what is going wrong, how it was measured, who it affects, why it matters to the business and when it has been happening. It is the standard opening artefact of the Define phase in a DMAIC project.
The framework exists because vague problems produce vague projects. A statement such as our delivery process has issues gives a team nothing to scope, nothing to baseline and nothing to prove at the end. A statement carrying a department, a defect, a baseline figure, a counted population, a dollar impact and a duration gives the team a project with edges.
How the 5W1H clarity score is calculated
Each of the six elements is scored from 0 to 100 based on the evidence found in your text. Specific evidence scores highest. Naming a store number, a production line or a ward scores higher than saying the department. Stating measured by an average processing time of 8.5 days scores higher than mentioning a number with no context.
The six element scores are then weighted. HOW carries 25 per cent because a project without a baseline cannot be measured or closed. WHAT and WHY each carry 20 per cent. WHERE carries 15 per cent, and WHO and WHEN carry 10 per cent each. The weighted total is the raw score.
Deductions are applied last. Verbose statements, statements containing the solution, statements naming a root cause, fragmented statements and statements relying on vague quantifiers all lose points. The deduction total is capped at 35 so a strong statement is never destroyed by one stylistic slip.
The six elements explained
Where
The location, department, business unit, site, line or station. Scope it as tightly as the data allows. A project scoped to line 3 on the night shift finishes. A project scoped to manufacturing does not.
What
The pain or fault in process language. Delays, defects, rework, breakdowns, stockouts, abandonment, variation, errors. Avoid the word issue. It carries no information about the failure mode.
How
The measurement and the baseline. State the metric, the current value, the unit and ideally the target. This element decides whether the project can be closed with evidence.
Who
The population affected, counted where possible. Customers, suppliers, patients, staff, students, operators. A counted population sizes the project and feeds the stakeholder analysis.
Why
The business consequence, quantified. Penalties, lost revenue, overtime, scrap cost, complaint volume, compliance exposure, safety incidents. This is the element that unlocks funding.
When
The duration and pattern. Over the past six months proves chronic performance. During the second shift narrows the search space before Analyse even starts.
What a strong problem statement looks like
The accounts payable team at the Sydney shared service centre is experiencing invoice processing delays, measured by an average processing time of 8.5 days against a 3 day target, affecting 150 suppliers, causing late payment penalties of 50,000 dollars per month and damaged supplier relationships, over the past 6 months.
Every element is present. The location is named, the fault is a process defect, the measurement carries a baseline and a target, the affected group is counted, the impact is in money and the duration proves the problem is chronic. That statement scores in the charter ready band.
Who uses this calculator
- Green Belts and Black Belts drafting a project charter for sponsor approval
- Master Black Belts screening a portfolio of proposed projects
- Continuous improvement managers running a project intake process
- Operations leaders who keep receiving improvement requests with no data attached
- Lean Six Sigma trainers marking student problem statements against a consistent standard
- Project sponsors deciding whether a proposal is ready for funding
What to do after the analysis
- Rewrite the statement using the generated template and replace every gap marker with real data.
- Validate the baseline in the HOW element with a measurement system analysis before you commit to it.
- Convert the statement into a goal statement by stating the target value and the deadline.
- Map the process behind the statement with a SIPOC so the scope boundaries match the words.
- Take the quantified WHY figure into the business case so the benefit is agreed before Improve begins.
- Rescore the statement at the end of Measure once the real baseline is confirmed.
Related Lean Six Sigma calculators
- SIPOC Complexity Score Calculator maps the process boundaries behind your problem statement.
- CTQ Tree Calculator turns the customer need into measurable quality requirements.
- VOC Priority Matrix Calculator ranks which customer requirement deserves the project.
- DPMO Calculator converts your defect baseline into a defects per million figure.
- Project Selection Scoring Calculator compares this project against the rest of the portfolio.
- Stakeholder Impact Calculator assesses the population named in your WHO element.
Frequently asked questions
What is 5W1H in Six Sigma?
5W1H is a questioning framework covering Where, What, How, Who, Why and When. In Six Sigma it is used in the Define phase to structure a problem statement so the project has a location, a measured baseline, an affected population, a quantified impact and a duration.
How long should a problem statement be?
Between 35 and 60 words works best. Under 35 words usually means an element is missing. Over 80 words usually means you are describing the process or the cause rather than stating the problem, and this calculator applies a deduction for it.
Why does my statement lose points for naming a solution?
A problem statement that contains the solution ends the analysis before it starts. Phrases such as we need a new system or by automating the process commit the team to an answer before root cause work. The calculator deducts points so the bias is visible.
Should a problem statement include the cause?
No. The cause is the output of the Analyse phase, not an input to Define. Writing because staff are undertrained fixes the root cause by assumption. State the observed performance gap and let the data find the cause.
What score should I aim for before submitting a charter?
Aim for 85 or above. That band means all six elements carry evidence, the measurement has a baseline and the business impact is quantified. Anything under 70 will usually come back from a sponsor with questions about the numbers.
Does a high score mean my problem statement is correct?
No. The calculator tests structure and evidence, not accuracy. It cannot verify that your baseline figure is measured properly. Run a measurement system analysis on the metric in your HOW element before you rely on the number.
Can I export the results?
Yes. The calculator generates a branded four sheet Excel workbook containing a summary with the weighted score and deductions, your original statement and word statistics, the element by element analysis with detected evidence, and a prioritised action plan.
