Fishbone Diagram
Also known as a Cause and Effect diagram, or Ishikawa diagram. The method was created by Kaoru Ishikawa in the 1960’s. He created it to help employees avoid solutions that merely address the symptoms of a much larger problem.
The defect or problem is shown as the fish’s head on the right side (typically). The major categories or causes of the problem or defect are the ribs off the fish’s backbone.
The most common categories are the 6 M’s:
- Manpower (People)
- Methods (Processes/Procedures)
- Materials (Supplies/Vendors)
- Machines (Equipment)
- Measurement
- Mother Nature (Environment)
Another concept is 4 P’s:
- Policies
- Procedures
- People
- Plant/Technology
From each rib, additional levels or root causes of each category become branches from the bones.
Links
Videos
Additional Resources
- Understanding the SIPOC Diagram in Six Sigma– creativesafetysupply.com
- The Tools of Kaizen– blog.5stoday.com
- What’s a Spaghetti Diagram?– lean-news.com
- Active Lean Implementation at GE Manufacturing Plant– blog.creativesafetysupply.com
- Implementing Six Sigma– hiplogic.com
- The Great Root Cause Problem Solving Debate– realsafety.org
- Crystalline Silica Exposure – The Quick n’ Dirty Guide to Silicosis Prevention– safetyblognews.com
- Why Six Sigma Root Cause Analysis is a Great Tool– kaizen-news.com
- Product Quality – How can it be better Controlled?– 5snews.com
Synonyms:
Cause and Effect Diagram, C&E diagram