Fishbone Diagrams: Identifying the Root Causes of Problems

In any organization, problems inevitably arise that negatively impact operations and results. When a problem occurs, it’s crucial to identify the root cause so you can prevent the issue from recurring. Fishbone diagrams are a simple yet powerful tool that can help you visualize all the potential causes of a problem so you can get to the root of the matter. In this article, we’ll explore how fishbone diagrams work and how you can use them to pinpoint the source of problems.

What Are Fishbone Diagrams?

Fishbone diagrams (some might know them as Ishikawa diagrams, or cause and effect diagrams), are visualization tools that help you break down the potential causes of a problem into major categories so you can identify the root causes. The diagram gets its name because the finished diagram resembles a fish skeleton, with a horizontal “spine” leading into diagonal “bones” that branch off identifying categories of causes.

If you want to make a fishbone diagram, start with a horizontal arrow pointing to the main problem or effect you want to analyze. Then draw diagonal arrows branching off the main arrow, each labeled with a major category of potential causes. For each cause category, add specific causes that could contribute to the problem. Break down causes into finer levels of detail as needed. When finished, you have a diagram that provides an organized visual summary of all the potential failure points that could be causing your main problem.

Benefits of Using Fishbone Diagrams

There are several key benefits to using fishbone diagrams:

• Identify root causes – By visually mapping out all the categories and causes, you can more easily identify the underlying root causes instead of just the surface issues. This helps prevent solving the wrong problems.
• See the big picture – Fishbone diagrams provide a one-page view of all potential causes of an issue. This helps you get out of the weeds and see the big picture.
• Spark discussion and brainstorming – Creating a fishbone diagram is best done in a group, which stimulates discussion, brings different perspectives, and promotes brainstorming on causes.
• Prioritize issues – Once all causes are down on paper, you can more easily prioritize which ones to address first.
• Find solutions – The diagram helps you match causes to solutions and take targeted corrective actions.
• Communicate issues – The visualization communicates complex problems and solutions simply and effectively to others.
• Identify gaps – The process can reveal blindspots of categories or causes you hadn’t considered before.
• Provide context – Seeing all the potential variables together gives better context on the complexity of issues.

When to Use a Fishbone Diagram

Fishbone diagrams are extremely flexible tools that you can use anytime you need to analyze the root causes of a problem, including:

• Manufacturing defects – Map out causes of defects in production systems.
• Patient safety – Identify breakdowns leading to medical errors.
• Project failures – Understand reasons why projects go over budget or past deadlines.
• Customer complaints – Uncover all the drivers of customer dissatisfaction.
• Process inefficiencies – Pinpoint the causes of slow processes and productivity losses.
• Product design flaws – Discover why defects exist in product development.
• Software bugs – Visualize complex chains of events leading to coding issues.

Essentially, you can apply fishbone diagrams to any chronic issue or one-off problem you want to prevent from occurring again in the future. They are especially helpful when a problem has multiple complex causes that require deeper investigation.

How to Create a Fishbone Diagram

These are the steps you need to take to create an effective fishbone diagram:

1. Identify the problem. Write a clear problem statement at the end of the fishbone arrow.
2. Brainstorm categories. Generate major categories of potential causes of the problem. Typical categories include people, methods, machines, materials, measurement, and environment.
3. Add cause arrows. Draw an arrow off the spine for each cause category. Label each arrow.
4. Identify causes. Break down each category into more specific causes. Ask “why?” to drill down to root causes.
5. Organize the diagram. Arrange the fishbone structure neatly so it’s easy to read. Leave space to add more detail.
6. Analyze the results. Look for causes that appear repeatedly so you can identify root issues.
7. Take action. Use the diagram to guide solutions. Address the most important causes first.
8. Iterate and improve. Review the diagram again in the future to evaluate progress.

Pro Tip: For best results, create the fishbone diagram as a group exercise by getting input from different team members. Different perspectives lead to more complete diagrams.

Creating Your Fishbone Diagram

Now let’s walk through a simple example of constructing a fishbone diagram. Say your organization has a problem with continually losing customers. Follow along as we visualize the potential cause with fishbone diagram templates:

1. Write the problem: “Losing customers” at the end of the horizontal arrow.
2. Add categories like service, billing, competition, and marketing. Draw an arrow for each.
3. Label causes. For service, write down issues like long response times, rude staff, or incorrect solutions.
4. Keep asking “why?” to reveal deeper causes. Maybe rude staff is caused by poor training and incentives.
5. When finished, identify top priorities. Perhaps improving staff training is a major root cause to address first.

Following these steps results in a neatly organized fishbone diagram showing all potential factors causing customer losses. Now you can clearly see priorities for action. 

Tips for Getting the Most from Fishbone Diagrams

Keep these tips in mind to maximize the effectiveness of your fishbone diagrams:

• Involve a team in brainstorming causes for fuller analysis.
• Appoint someone as facilitator to lead the diagramming process.
• Start with the 5Ms (manpower, methods, machines, materials, measurements).
• Rephrase causes as action statements like “Reduce wait times” to spark solutions.
• Review the diagram for overlooked categories or causes before finalizing.
• Prioritize addressing root causes that appear multiple times in the diagram.
• Display the finished diagram visually so people are reminded of the issues and actions.
• Revisit the fishbone diagram in the future to track progress on addressing causes.

Like the sturdy bones that support a fish’s structure, a fishbone diagram provides the backbone for analyzing the anatomy of a problem from all angles. By using this tool to visualize all the potential sources of an issue, you can cut through complexity and swiftly get to the root causes so problems can be permanently prevented. With some blank paper and sticky notes, you now have a simple way to dive deep on chronic problems and spark innovative solutions.