Name the problem, add causes under each category, and watch a classic fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram build itself. Export the finished diagram as an image.
Start with a clearly worded problem statement at the head of the diagram, then work through each category asking "why might this contribute to the problem?" rather than jumping straight to a single culprit. Encouraging a team to fill in every category, even the ones that seem irrelevant at first, often surfaces contributing factors that a narrower discussion would have missed entirely.
For any promising cause, keep asking why it happens to dig past the symptom toward the actual root cause.
A fishbone diagram works best as a shared exercise, since different people usually spot different categories of causes.
It is a root-cause analysis tool that organizes possible causes of a problem into categories, so a team can look systematically for what might really be behind an issue instead of jumping to one explanation.
Yes, edit any of the six category name fields above the diagram. The default names follow the common People, Process, Equipment, Materials, Environment and Management framework, but you can replace them with whatever fits your situation.
As many as you like. Each one is added as a small labeled branch off that category's line.
Yes, use Download SVG for an editable vector file, or Download PNG for a standard image.
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