FAH 0033

APPROACHES TO PROBLEMSOLVING TECHNIQUES:

FISHBONE ANALYSIS

Fishbone Diagram Problem

Analysis Tool
What is a Fishbone diagram?
Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa, a Japanese quality control
statistician, invented the fishbone diagram.
Therefore, it may be referred to as the Ishikawa
diagram.
The fishbone diagram is an analysis tool that
provides a systematic way of looking at effects
and the causes that create or contribute to those
effects.

Fishbone Diagram Problem

Analysis Tool
Because of the function of the fishbone diagram,

it may be referred to as a cause-and-effect

diagram. The design of the diagram looks much
like the skeleton of a fish. Therefore, it is often
referred to as the fishbone diagram.

Fishbone Diagram Problem

Analysis Tool
The value of the fishbone diagram is to

assist
teams in categorizing the many potential causes
of problems or issues in an orderly way and in
identifying root causes.

Usefulness of Fishbone
Analysis

it can be used when the team...

needs to study a problem/issue to determine the root
cause
wants to study all the possible reasons why a process is
beginning to have difficulties, problems, or breakdowns
needs to identify areas for data collection
wants to study why a process is not performing properly
or producing the desired results

Tools on Fishbone diagrams

1.
2.
3.

4.

The 4 W's of the Fishbone diagram should be

considered. The 4 W's are:
What - refers to questions concerning objects such as
machines and materials,
Why - which is concerned with questions on the
conditions such as motivation,
When - refers to problems concerning the time sequence
in the process such as the time of day or sequence in
production,
Where - is concerned with the effects associated with
place, such as a production line, branch office, or loading
dock.

Tools on Fishbone diagrams

For manufacturing problems, the 5 M's are a

useful tool in finding possible causes to a

problem.
The 5 M's are characterized as
- manpower,
- materials,
- methods,
- machines, and
- measurements.

Tools on Fishbone diagrams

For problems that are being examined in the

service industry, the 5 P's can be used to develop

the Cause Effect (CE)/Fishbone diagram:
People (employees)
Provisions (supplies)
Procedures (processes)
Place (environment)
Patrons (customers)

How does it look like? An

example
Situation:

The goal of not meeting a

deadline is influenced by a number of
factors.
The diagram (that follows) depicts 4
broad categories under which are
grouped causes that we have identified
as driving forces or obstacles.

Rules/Techniques of
Fishbone Analysis
Basic Steps:

Draw the fishbone diagram....

2. List the problem/issue/goal to be studied in the
"head of the fish". (1st level main line)
3. Label each "bone" of the "fish". (2nd level).
List each 2nd level cause to the 1st level.
4. The major categories for the 2nd level are
typically utilized as:
1.

An example of a fishbone
diagram
An example: Problem - Not meeting deadline

Fishbone diagram in
Manufacturing environments
FISHBONE DIAGRAM
Broad category
Measurement

Materials

Methods
Goal

Environment

People

Machines

Rules/Techniques of
Fishbone Analysis
5. Use an idea-generating technique (e.g.,
brainstorming) to identify the factors within
each category that may be affecting the
problem/issue and/or effect being
studied.This is known as the 3rd level. The
team should ask... "What are the machine
issues affecting/causing..."

Rules/Techniques of
Fishbone Analysis
6.

7.

Repeat this procedure with each factor

under the category to produce sub-factors.
Continue asking, "Why is this happening?
(4th level) and put additional segments in
each factor and subsequently under each
sub-factor.
Continue until you no longer get useful
information as you ask, "Why is that
happening?"

Rules/Techniques of
Fishbone Analysis
8. Analyze the results of the fishbone after
team members agree that an adequate
amount of detail has been provided under
each major category. Do this by looking for
those items that appear in more than one
category. These become the 'most likely
causes".

Rules/Techniques of
Fishbone Analysis
9. For those items identified as the "most likely
causes", the team should reach consensus on
listing those items in priority order with the first
item being the most probable cause.
Two examples of fish diagrams follow which
includes an analysis of a companys
performance.

Figure 1 - Strategic Fishbone

(Bold Type indicates significance)
Increase Net Revenue
Increase Gross Revenue

Increase Existing
Product Volume

Increase Margin

Introduce
Franchising
Increase Price
New Product Joint Acquisition
Venture
Add Value
Decrease cost
Increase
Increase Demand
Merge Acquire
New
Market
Current
Eliminate
Industry
Share
Sales
Government
Reduce
Industry
Competition
Financing
Compliance
New
Supply
Compliment
Segment
Info
Compliment
Product
Overhead
Differentiate Increase
Product
Market
Territory
Substitute
Decision
Product
Need
Substitute
New
Management Lines
Geographic
Support
Product
Decrease
Communications
Increase
Demographic
Invent
Price
Invent
Present Use
New Uses Distribution
Channel
New Uses
Impair
Perceived
Promotion
Length
Competition
Price
Storage
Scheduling
Product
Increase
Increased
Potential
Purchasing
Feature/Function Perceived
Scale
Existing
entry/exit Product
Need Increase
Power
Cost
Increase Human Economics
barriers
Price
Companion
Buyout
Engineering
Productivity
Products Use
Real
Pre-emptive
Perceived
Improve
Competition
Strike
Feature/Function Feature/Function
Process
Market
Reduce
Distribution
Increase
Power
Style
Waste
Speed
Increase
Channels
Product
Supplier
Packaging
Reduce
Increase Quality
Brand
Sizes
Power
Locations
Waste
Speed
Vertical
Scale Promotion
Warranties
Increase
Inventory
Economics
Buyer
Horizontal
Quality
Options Transport
Quality
Adapted from Nolan,
Power Volumes Learning
Features
Norton & Company

Curves

FISHBONE ANALYSIS
1. Identifying the Problem
EFFECT
CAUSE

Reports not
printed within
timeframe
PROBLEM

2. Determine the Main Causes

Materials

Manpower

Reports not
printed within
timeframe

Machinery

Methodology

3. Determine the Minor Causes

Materials

Manpower
Insufficient
supplies

Manpower shortage

Not
enough
funds

Poor proof-reading

No training

Bad attitude

Power supply
interruptions

Report received late

Reports
not
printed
within
timeframe

Insufficient
machines

Late proof-reading/setting

Frequent breakdowns

Changes during processing

Machinery

Methodology

4. Determine the Actual Causes

Materials

Manpower
Manpower shortage

Insufficient
supplies

No training

NOT
ENOUGH
FUNDS

Power supply
interruptions
Insufficient
machines
FREQUENT
BREAKDOWNS

Machinery

POOR PROOFREADING
Bad attitude

Report received late

Reports
not
printed
within
timeframe

LATE PROOF-READING/SETTING
Changes during processing

Methodology

5. Arrange Causes According to Priority

Materials

Manpower
Not
enough
funds

Frequent
breakdowns

Machinery

Poor
proofreading

Late proofreading/
setting

Methodology

Reports
not
printed
within
timeframe