Cause & Effects Diagram

V1.0 07.26.09

Complete Cause and EffectManpowerMachinery Measure

MaterialsMethodsMother

Nature

Person is late to work

12% of days worked,

mainly occurs

Monday

Vehicle won’t

start on cold days Badge Reader causes

huge backlog

Fog slows down

my commute

Snow slows

my commute

Carpool passengers

are not ready on time.

I like to have a

leisurely breakfast.

My morning routine

makes me run late

Wa

lk th

e d

og

s

Iron

a s

hirt

I’m not sure what

time I leave the house

I usually can’t recall where

I put the car keys.

Someone moves my

badge overnight.I get gas on Tuesday

on the way in.

I follow the same

route everyday.

Problem \ Issue

One Page Primer Series

Tony WebsterLean \Sigma Professional

www.linkedin.com\in\webstert

Problem Statement3

Person is late to work

12% of days worked,

mainly occurs Monday.

Manpower

MaterialsPossible Causes

Machinery

Badge Reader

causes huge backlog

Vehicle won’t

Start on cold days

Fishbone DiagramManpowerMachinery Measure

MaterialsMethodsMother

Nature

Problem \

Issue

21

4

For clarity: one branch shown.

Cause & Effects Diagram

V1.0 07.26.09

• Drives focus on causes, not symptoms.

• Enables teams to focus on the problem

at hand – not the history of the

problem, or interpersonal dynamics.

Why Use It?

A visual snapshot of the collected

knowledge of possible root causes;

displayed using categories.

What is it?

Fishbone diagrams are a simple tool that

are used in early problem solving stages

to brainstorm or review a list of possible

root causes.

When Do I Use It?

Anyone who wants to improve their

value to their organization should learn

and become proficient at problem

solving methods.

Who Should Use It?

1 Draw the backbone and main branches.

2 Label the main branches of the fish with categories which will guide the process of generating possible root

causes. (Use 6M’s or 5P’s on to label the branches.)

3 List the problem or issue to be investigated in the “head” of the fish.

4 Identify the factors within each category that may be affecting the problem/issue. The team should ask...

"What are the <category> issues affecting/causing... <problem>

Step Description

5 Evaluate the fishbone to eliminate irrelevant or out of scope causes with respect to the problem statement.

(ex. Fog is listed as a factor – but mostly likely does not occur mostly on Mondays)

6 Evaluate the remaining possible causes to establish consensus on factors that are the “most likely causes” .

7 Rank the most likely causes for impact on the problem, then develop and implement corrective actions for

them in order of priority.

Using a Completed Cause & Effect Diagram