---
title: Five Ws sitting on a bench
url: https://www.grahambrooks.com/post/2011-01-22-five-ws-sitting-on-a-bench/
date: 2011-01-22T00:00:00+00:00
author: Graham Brooks
---

# Five Ws sitting on a bench

Over the past year I have been involved in preparing quite a few
documents, proposals, presentations etc. I have also been asked to
review quite a few of these documents. As an author or reviewer I like
test what I am working on against 5 Ws and one H to see if the
important aspects have been covered. The
[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Ws) article provides a
good background and history, including the 1902 reference to
[Rudyard Kipling](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling)
[Just So Stories](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_So_Stories").

It's not that every document or presentation needs to answer each of
these questions but that it should be a conscious choice not to
include something.

A proposal/presentation view of the 5 Ws + 1 H – who is using
the system and/or who is the proposal for



* Who
  * Who is the document for
  * Who is going to use the system
* What
  * What is to be achieved
  * What is the system required to do
* When
  * When is the solution required
* Where
  * Where is the system to be used or deployed
* Why
  * Why is the new system required
* How
  * How is the system to be developed