
The labels of these groups are the names for the major bones on the Ishikawa diagram. Use an affinity diagram to sort the process variables into naturally related groups.Generate and clarify all the potential sources of variation.Place the main problem under investigation in a box on the right.
Ishikawa diagram method how to#
How to Construct an Ishikawa Diagrams or Fishbone Diagrams These causes are circled to indicate items that should be acted upon, and the use of the tool is complete. Once the entire fishbone is complete, team discussion takes place to decide on the most likely root causes of the problem. The team assists by making suggestions and, eventually, the entire cause and effect diagram is filled out. A typical utilization is the drawing of a diagram on a blackboard by a team leader who first presents the main problem and asks for assistance from the group to determine the main causes which are subsequently drawn on the board as the main bones of the diagram. The Cause and Effect diagram can be used by individuals or teams probably most effectively by a group. When the fishbone is complete, one has a rather complete picture of all the possibilities about what could be the root cause for the designated problem. The practical maximum depth of this tree is usually about four or five levels. This subdivision into ever increasing specificity continues as long as the problem areas can be further subdivided. Brainstorming is typically done to add possible causes to the main “bones” and more specific causes to the “bones” on the main “bones”. The key is to have three to six main categories that encompass all possible influences.

Different names can be chosen to suit the problem at hand, or these general categories can be revised. The “Four-M” categories are typically used as a starting point: “Materials”, “Machines”, “Manpower”, and “Methods”. The main possible causes of the problem (the effect) are drawn as bones off of the main backbone. The basic concept in the Cause-and-Effect diagram is that the name of a basic problem of interest is entered at the right of the diagram at the end of the main “bone”. The diagram also illustrates the relationships among the wide variety of possible contributors to the effect.

These sources are then targeted for improvement. The purpose of this diagram is to arrive at a few key sources that contribute most significantly to the problem being examined.
