Fishbone Diagram for Root Cause Analysis
A fishbone diagram, also known as Ishikawa diagram or cause-and-effect diagram, is a visualization tool used to identify and organize potential causes of a specific problem or effect. It’s called a fishbone diagram because of its shape resembling the skeleton of a fish.
Here’s how it works:
- Problem Statement: You start with a central problem or effect that you want to analyze.
- Main Causes: Draw lines (like bones) branching off from the main problem, representing major categories of potential causes.
- Sub-causes: For each main cause, further branches out to represent specific factors contributing to that cause.
- Analysis: Keep breaking down each cause until you reach specific root causes.
- Solution Finding: Once all possible causes are identified, teams can prioritize and address them.
It’s widely used in problem-solving processes, quality management, and process improvement initiatives across various industries.
Read also: Basic Tools for Root Cause Analysis (RCA) in Pharmaceutical Industry
Resource Person: Poonath Sekar
