Fishbone Diagram - Ishikawa Diagram - Cause and Effect Diagram

The Fishbone diagram is explained in this video. It is a very effective and cheap tool to find the root causes of problems.

This video is about Fishbone Diagram but also try to cover the following subject:
Ishikawa diagram
Fishbone cause and effect
Steps in a fishbone diagram



✏️ Transcript of the Video

There are many creativity techniques available to help generate ideas for problem-solving.

In this video, I will show you fishbone diagrams techniques that have a more structured approach.

Shortly, the fishbone diagram can be defined as a Visual Tool used to identify, explore and visualize all the possible causes related to a problem. It helps to find the root cause of the problem.

This method can be used in a group and it is helpful if you need to tackle problems on your own.

Fishbone diagram is also known as Ishikawa diagrams from the name of Kaoru Ishikawa who popularized it.

It is also known as the Cause and Effect Diagram and it is normally used in the Analyze phase of Six Sigma process.

You can do this on your own or preferably in a larger group.

If you use a group, you should have a diverse group including different functions.

If your group spans different levels of hierarchy or if there are conflicts among the team members, you may choose to have them write cards or give ideas in turn to mitigate the internal conflict.



▶ Fishbone Diagram and 4M

You start with the problem or effect, which would be the head of the fish.

Starting from the head of the fish, you draw different bones, one for each category of causes that could generate the effect.

There are quite a few options for these bones.

Most common is man, machine, material, method, also known as 4M.



▶ Fishbone Diagram Example

Let's take an example.

A company has a recurring defect on a hole diameter.

It is decided to tackle the problem through the fishbone diagram.

The facilitator organizes a cross-functional workgroup that works in a room with the help of a large whiteboard to draw the fishbone diagram.

The problem is placed in the head of the fishbone. Diameter out of tolerance.

The 4Ms are written on the 4 bones of the fishbone.

Man.
Method.
Machine.
Material.

The facilitator asks each member of the group to write down the possible causes of the problem on post-its.

The post-its are subsequently collected by the facilitator and with the help of the group are placed in the appropriate category.

In case there are duplicate causes, they are considered as possibly more relevant as contributing to the problem.

After this brainstorming phase, the facilitator leads the discussion to decide with the group the causes that are considered most influential on the generation of the problem.

The simple voting method can be used for this phase.

Typically 2 or 3 main causes are selected and countermeasures are proposed for these causes.

In this example, we could imagine that the team decided to focus on these 3 root causes.

1) Drill bit material not suitable.
2) Unclear work instructions.
3) Unsuitable machinery.

For each of these causes, the group should go into detail with a 5 why's analysis.

For these reasons, action plans are developed that must be implemented and monitored.



▶ Conclusions

The fishbone diagram is a simple and inexpensive tool to find the root causes of a problem, align the team, and involve everyone in the resolution.

It is very important to have an experienced facilitator who can guide the group through the problem-solving process.

The more the team will practice applying the fishbone diagram for problem-solving, the faster and more effective it will become.



ツ CONNECT WITH ME ツ

Hi,

my name is Mark Anderson a 20+ year Lean Expert.
I have created LeanVlog because I want to spread Lean Thinking worldwide and I think the video is the most effective way to teach, learn, and spread knowledge.

If you want to stay in touch with me you can choose the channel you prefer.

A) Let us connect on Linkedin
  / mark-anderson-leanvlog  

B) Meet on Facebook
• Facebook:   / leanlab-146290372099121  

C) Latest Videos and Playlist.
• Website: https://www.leanvlog.com

D) 2 Videos every week.
• Telegram Channel: https://t.me/leanvlog