Also known as an Ishikawa Diagram or Fishbone Diagram, this tool visually organises and categorises potential causes of a problem to identify its root cause. It is widely used in quality management and problem-solving processes. Features include:
Structure:
- Problem or effect at the “head”
- The main causes as “bones”
- Sub-causes branching off main bones
Categories:
- Often uses 6M categories: Man, Machine, Method, Material, Measurement, Mother Nature
Process:
- Define the problem
- Identify main causes
- Brainstorm sub-causes
- Analyse the diagram
Benefits:
- Visualises multiple cause-effect relationships
- Encourages thorough analysis
- Helps focus on root causes
Applications:
- Quality improvement
- Problem-solving
- Root cause analysis
Cause-effect diagrams help teams systematically explore and identify potential problem causes.