A fishbone diagram is a visualization tool for categorizing the potential causes of a problem. This tool is used in order to identify a problem’s root causes. Typically used for root cause analysis, a fishbone diagram combines the practice of brainstorming with a type of mind map template. It should be efficient as a test case technique to determine cause and effect.
A fishbone diagram is useful in product development and troubleshooting processes, typically used to focus a conversation around a problem. After the group has brainstormed all the possible causes for a problem, the facilitator helps the group to rate the potential causes according to their level of importance and diagram a hierarchy. The name comes from the diagram's design, which looks much like a skeleton of a fish. Fishbone diagrams are typically worked right to left, with each large "bone" of the fish branching out to include smaller bones, each containing more detail.
Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa, a Japanese quality control expert, is credited with inventing the fishbone diagram to help employees avoid solutions that merely address the symptoms of a much larger problem. Fishbone diagrams are considered one of seven basic quality tools and are used in the "analyze" phase of Six Sigma's DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) approach to problem-solving.
Fishbone diagrams are also called a cause and effect diagram, or Ishikawa diagram.
Fishbone diagrams are typically made during a team meeting and drawn on a flipchart or whiteboard. Once a problem that needs to be studied further is identified, teams can take the following steps to create the diagram:
The following graphic is an example of a fishbone diagram with the problem "Website went down." Two of the overarching causes have been identified as "Unable to connect to server" and "DNS lookup problem," with further contributing factors branching off.
A few reasons a team might want to consider using a fishbone diagram are:
16 Dec 2020