5 Ws and 1H:

This a one of the basic problem solving technique widely used in police investigation, research and Journalism. This technique imparts you the solution for your existing problem and can be one of the first steps in planning for near term and long term of an individual and organization.

5 Ws and 1 H constitute a formula for getting the complete story on a subject. According to the principle of the Five Ws, a report can only be considered complete if it answers these questions starting with an interrogative word:

Who is it about? What happened? Where did it take place? When did it take place? Why did it happen?

Some authors add a sixth question, “how”, to the list, though "how" can also be covered by "what", "where", or "when":

How did it happen?

The "Five Ws" (and one H) were memorialized by Rudyard Kipling in his "Just So Stories" (1902), in which a poem accompanying the tale of "The Elephant's Child" opens with:

I keep six honest serving-men

(They taught me all I knew);

Their names are What and Why and When

And How and Where and Who.

This is why the "Five Ws and One H" problem solving method is also called as the "Kipling Method", which helps to explore the problems by challenging them with these questions.

Source: Wikipedia

Advantages:

Practically feasible techniques in arriving at a solution from problem mode.

Used in every walks of your life from personal life to professional life to social life

Cost-effectiveness.