Fishbone Diagram or Ishikawa Diagram is a visualisation tool to understand the potential causes of a problem to identify its root causes. It is used usually in brainstorming sessions so that the team’s conversation is focussed on the actual problem and not stray away towards only the symptoms.
A Fishbone diagram, also known as a Cause-and-Effect diagram or Ishikawa diagram, is a visualization tool used to identify and explore the potential causes of a specific problem or effect. It’s called a Fishbone diagram because of its resemblance to the skeletal structure of a fish, with the “head” representing the problem or effect and the “bones” representing the potential causes.
To create a Fishbone diagram, you start with a horizontal line (the “spine”) representing the problem or effect, and then draw several diagonal lines branching off from the spine. These diagonal lines represent different categories of potential causes, such as people, process, equipment, materials, environment, etc. Subsequently, you list possible causes within each category, which helps to systematically explore and analyze the root causes of the problem.
Fishbone diagrams are typically used in problem-solving and root cause analysis processes. They are particularly useful in situations where:
- There’s a complex problem or issue that needs to be understood thoroughly.
- There are multiple potential causes contributing to the problem.
- There’s a need to identify the root causes of a recurring issue.
- There’s a desire to facilitate brainstorming and collaboration among team members to identify possible causes and solutions.
- There’s a need to visually communicate the relationships between various factors contributing to the problem.
In summary, Fishbone diagrams serve as a valuable tool for project managers and teams to systematically analyze and understand the root causes of problems, facilitating more effective problem-solving and decision-making processes.