Which set of six questions should be answered in an incident investigation?

• A. Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why
• B. What, Who, Why, When, Where, and How
• C. How, Why, Where, When, What, and Who
• D. Where, When, Who, What, Why, and How

Answer: (A)

In incident investigations you build a complete picture by answering six essential questions: who was involved, what happened, when it occurred, where it happened, how it unfolded, and why it happened. The best choice lists exactly these six elements in the familiar order: Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why. This sequence helps you first identify the people, summarize the event, establish the timeline, locate the event, then analyze the process or mechanism, and finally uncover the root causes or contributing factors. While the other options contain the same six terms in different orders, the standard practice widely taught in training materials follows this particular sequence, making it the most recognizable and useful framing for an incident investigation.