ISHIKAWA it!
Find the root cause of your problem.
A
fishbone
diagram,
also
known
as
Ishikawa diagram or cause and effect diagram, is a
tool used to visualize all the potential causes of a
problem in order to discover the root causes.
The fishbone diagram helps one group these causes
and provides a structure in which to display them
An Ishikawa diagram is a diagram that shows the
causes of an event and is often used in
manufacturing and product development to
outline the different steps in a process,
demonstrate where quality control issues might
arise and determine which resources are
required at specific times.
It was named after Kaoru Ishikawa
who first wrote about it in the
1960s. And it’s called a Fishbone
Diagram because it looks a bit like a
fishbone.
How to Use the Diagram
in Problem Solving
1.
Draw your diagram. Draw the template or shape
on a paper, whiteboard, or draw it in your tool of
choice.
2.
Determine a clear problem statement. Write
this at the top of your page or above where you’ll
create your picture. This ensures everyone has
the same understanding of what problem you’re
addressing.
3.
Choose the Categories you’ll use. Categories are
explained more in-depth below. For our example, use
the categories of Policies, Procedures, People,
Technology
4.
Identify possible causes to your problem within each
category. Team members will brainstorm causes or
contributing factors that fit into each category. You can
either go category by category or simply come up
withideas and decide which category they fit into.
5.
Go a step deeper to identify sub-causes for each
category cause. If you determine that you can or need to
break something down to smaller points, create branches
from the main point.
6.
Team members review the diagram to determine most
important areas of focus. If you’re going to take this a
step further to address the root cause, it helps to identify
where you’ll get the most value for your effort. You can’t
address all root causes at once, and some will have better
payoff than others. Review the diagram to assess where
your team’s focus is best placed.
7.
Vote on which root-causes to address
first. Team members place their votes on
where the best places to focus efforts are.
8.
Agree on the top areas you’ll place your
focus. Now that you’ve all voted, agree on the
priority order you’ll address these items. This
may be one, two, or three top prioritized areas.
9.
Document your findings. You’ve put in the
effort. Capture your work and document it. You
may need to refer to it later and you don’t want
to lose the value you’ve gotten from the
exercise.
For your mission project, use the
following categories:






Manpower (People)
Methods (Procedure/Process)
Materials
Machines (Equipment)
Mother Nature (Environment)
Money/Moment