Those aren't counterfactuals, they're negative statements.
"Why are the lights off?"
"Because I didn't turn them on."
That's not a counterfactual, it's a fact. Just like the admins not configuring file purging is a (presumed) fact in the scenario under discussion in the article. Negative statements are not counterfactuals. Now, they may not be helpful for a 5 Whys analysis, but that's a separate thing.
Counterfactual: If the admins had turned on file purging, then the volume would not have been full.
Why? Because they didn't turn it on so this is a counterfactual in that it is dealing with facts not in existence in the reality under examination and reaching a conclusion of how things would have been different with those different facts. But nearly all the causes in a 5 Whys can be seen as counterfactuals if phrased correctly:
"Builds did not complete." Why? "Kubernetes could not start the pod, and the operation timed out after 1 hour."
As a counterfactual: If Kurbernetes could have started the pod, then the operation would not have timed out after 1 hour and the builds would have completed.
"Why are the lights off?"
"Because I didn't turn them on."
That's not a counterfactual, it's a fact. Just like the admins not configuring file purging is a (presumed) fact in the scenario under discussion in the article. Negative statements are not counterfactuals. Now, they may not be helpful for a 5 Whys analysis, but that's a separate thing.
Counterfactual: If the admins had turned on file purging, then the volume would not have been full.
Why? Because they didn't turn it on so this is a counterfactual in that it is dealing with facts not in existence in the reality under examination and reaching a conclusion of how things would have been different with those different facts. But nearly all the causes in a 5 Whys can be seen as counterfactuals if phrased correctly:
"Builds did not complete." Why? "Kubernetes could not start the pod, and the operation timed out after 1 hour."
As a counterfactual: If Kurbernetes could have started the pod, then the operation would not have timed out after 1 hour and the builds would have completed.