Cause & Effect Diagram
The cause & effect diagram is the brainchild of Kaoru Ishikawa, who pioneered quality management processes
in the Kawasaki shipyards, and in the process became one of the founding fathers of modern management. The
cause and effect diagram is used to explore all the potential or real causes (or inputs) that result in a single effect
(or output). Causes are arranged according to their level of importance or detail, resulting in a depiction of
relationships and hierarchy of events. This can help you search for root causes, identify areas where there may
be problems, and compare the relative importance of different causes.
Causes in a cause & effect diagram are frequently arranged into four major categories. While these categories
can be anything, you will often see:
manpower, methods, materials, and machinery (recommended for manufacturing)
equipment, policies, procedures, and people (recommended for administration and service).
These guidelines can be helpful but should not be used if they limit the diagram or are inappropriate. The
categories you use should suit your needs. At SkyMark, we often create the branches of the cause and effect tree
from the titles of the affinity sets in a preceding affinity diagram.
The C&E diagram is also known as the fishbone diagram because it was drawn to resemble the skeleton of a
fish, with the main causal categories drawn as "bones" attached to the spine of the fish, as shown below.
Cause & effect diagrams can also be drawn as tree diagrams, resembling a tree turned on its side. From a single
outcome or trunk, branches extend that represent major categories of inputs or causes that create that single
outcome. These large branches then lead to smaller and smaller branches of causes all the way down to twigs at
the ends. The tree structure has an advantage over the fishbone-style diagram. As a fishbone diagram becomes
more and more complex, it becomes difficult to find and compare items that are the same distance from the
effect because they are dispersed over the diagram. With the tree structure, all items on the same causal level
are aligned vertically.
To successfully build a cause and effect diagram:
1. Be sure everyone agrees on the effect or problem statement before beginning.
2. Be succinct.
3. For each node, think what could be its causes. Add them to the tree.
4. Pursue each line of causality back to its root cause.
5. Consider grafting relatively empty branches onto others.
6. Consider splitting up overcrowded branches.
7. Consider which root causes are most likely to merit further investigation.
Also Called: Cause–and–Effect Diagram, Ishikawa Diagram
Variations: cause enumeration diagram, process fishbone, time–delay fishbone, CEDAC (cause–and–effect
diagram with the addition of cards), desired–result fishbone, reverse fishbone diagram
The fishbone diagram identifies many possible causes for an effect or problem. It can be used to structure a
brainstorming session. It immediately sorts ideas into useful categories.
When to Use a Fishbone Diagram
When identifying possible causes for a problem.
Especially when a team’s thinking tends to fall into ruts.
Fishbone Diagram Procedure
Materials needed: flipchart or whiteboard, marking pens.
1. Agree on a problem statement (effect). Write it at the center right of the flipchart or whiteboard. Draw a
box around it and draw a horizontal arrow running to it.
2. Brainstorm the major categories of causes of the problem. If this is difficult use generic headings:
o Methods
o Machines (equipment)
o People (manpower)
o Materials
o Measurement
o Environment
3. Write the categories of causes as branches from the main arrow.
4. Brainstorm all the possible causes of the problem. Ask: “Why does this happen?” As each idea is given,
the facilitator writes it as a branch from the appropriate category. Causes can be written in several places
if they relate to several categories.
5. Again ask “why does this happen?” about each cause. Write sub–causes branching off the causes.
Continue to ask “Why?” and generate deeper levels of causes. Layers of branches indicate causal
relationships.
6. When the group runs out of ideas, focus attention to places on the chart where ideas are few.
Fishbone Diagram Example
This fishbone diagram was drawn by a manufacturing team to try to understand the source of periodic
iron contamination. The team used the six generic headings to prompt ideas. Layers of branches show
thorough thinking about the causes of the problem.
Fishbone Diagram Example
For example, under the heading “Machines,” the idea “materials of construction” shows four kinds of
equipment and then several specific machine numbers.
Note that some ideas appear in two different places. “Calibration” shows up under “Methods” as a factor
in the analytical procedure, and also under “Measurement” as a cause of lab error. “Iron tools” can be
considered a “Methods” problem when taking samples or a “Manpower” problem with maintenance
personnel.
Excerpted from Nancy R. Tague’s The Quality Toolbox, Second Edition, ASQ Quality Press, 2004,
pages 247–249.
Create a Fishbone Diagram
Analyze process dispersion with this simple, visual tool. The resulting diagram illustrates the main
causes and sub causes leading to an effect (symptom). Start using the Fishbone tool (Excel, 39 KB).