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Fishbone / Ishikawa Diagram
Fishbone / Ishikawa Diagram
Fishbone / Ishikawa Diagram
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Overview

Track the reasons behind challenges and problems in any domain using this hierarchy based tool — bonus, it looks like a fish, what’s no ...

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed tamen omne, quod de re bona dilucide dicitur, mihi praeclare dici videtur. Neque solum ea communia, verum etiam paria esse dixerunt. Quae sunt igitur communia vobis cum antiquis, iis sic utamur quasi concessis; At iam decimum annum in spelunca iacet. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Nam ista vestra: Si gravis, brevis; Sed ad haec, nisi molestum est, habeo quae velim. In qua si nihil est praeter rationem, sit in una virtute finis bonorum;

Scientiam pollicentur, quam non erat mirum sapientiae cupido patria esse cariorem. Sin te auctoritas commovebat, nobisne omnibus et Platoni ipsi nescio quem illum anteponebas? Tum ille timide vel potius verecunde: Facio, inquit. Nam adhuc, meo fortasse vitio, quid ego quaeram non perspicis. Atque haec coniunctio confusioque virtutum tamen a philosophis ratione quadam distinguitur. Quae contraria sunt his, malane? Scisse enim te quis coarguere possit? Istic sum, inquit. Quia voluptatem hanc esse sentiunt omnes, quam sensus accipiens movetur et iucunditate quadam perfunditur. Paulum, cum regem Persem captum adduceret, eodem flumine invectio?

Scripta sane et multa et polita, sed nescio quo pacto auctoritatem oratio non habet. Ita finis bonorum existit secundum naturam vivere sic affectum, ut optime is affici possit ad naturamque accommodatissime. Tollenda est atque extrahenda radicitus.

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Actionable Takeaways
  • Identify the problem, or effect. 

Define the problem or end effect that is being investigated and w ...

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Eodem modo is enim tibi nemo dabit, quod, expetendum sit, id esse laudabile. Et quidem iure fortasse, sed tamen non gravissimum est testimonium multitudinis. Tu vero, inquam, ducas licet, si sequetur; Ergo opifex plus sibi proponet ad formarum quam civis excellens ad factorum pulchritudinem? Qua igitur re ab deo vincitur, si aeternitate non vincitur? Haec quo modo conveniant, non sane intellego.

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Fishbone / Ishikawa Diagram is featured in these playbooks:
Limitations

The main issues with the diagram are the differentiation between causes and sub causes. For example, some causes might be complex, with many elements below them, becoming impractical to capture in the diagram. By breaking it up into separate categories, the diagram also does not lend itself to a more connected view of challenges. 

Finally, there is no clear prioritisation within the diagram — all causes seem equal, when in reality a sub cause, which is visually small, might be the key issue. Other causes and sub causes therefore might become a distraction.

In Practice

Internal damages at IKEA.

This paper from Ikea in Portugal describes a process improvement process to address the level of internal damages in Ikea stores. The diagram below was part of a broader analysis process.

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This model will help you to:

The fishbone or Ishikawa diagram, also known as the cause-and-effect diagram, is a core tool within quality management and is commonly used for improvements in products, manufacturing and other fields. 

Use the following examples of connected and complementary models to weave the fishbone diagram into your broader latticework of mental models. Alternatively, discover your own connections by exploring the category list above. 

Connected models: 

  • 5 Whys: in digging to root cause, use this as part of the fishbone process. 
  • Second order thinking: to go beyond the initial cause to sub causes. 
  • 4Ps of marketing: as possible categories. 

Complementary models: 

  • Risk matrix: to consider potential issues with consequences versus likelihood. 
  • Chain reaction/ domino effect: to consider the flow on effects of potential issues. 
  • First principle thinking: to identify and go below assumptions. 
  • Occam’s razor: to cut to the core of the issue. 
  • Divide and conquer: separating out and addressing potential causes.
Origins & Resources

The Fishbone Diagram was created by quality management pioneer Professor Kaoru Ishikawa in 1968. Ishikawa, an engineer, was a leader of quality management at Kawasaki at the time. In his 1986 book, Guide to Quality Control, Ishikawa argued that there were six other key quality tools in addition to what he called the ‘cause-and-effect diagram’, which were: control chart, histogram, flow chart, run chart, scatter diagram and Pareto chart. 

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