We live in an ever-evolving world where multiple factors affect our work and organizations at all levels. From minor inconveniences to significant challenges, every company has its own share of issues to deal with. But how do they deal with such problems on a daily basis, and what tools do they use to find solutions?
Well, most organizations use a visualization tool called the Fishbone Diagram to comprehend and solve their problems effectively. Let us understand it in detail in this article.
Fishbone Diagram: What is it?
A fishbone diagram, also called Ishikawa or cause-and-effect diagram, is one of the most popular visuals used by corporations and organizations to identify and categorize the root cause of the problem and brainstorm underlying issues.
The diagram resembles a fish’s skeleton, with the main issue written at the head and potential causes branching out like bones. This diagram allows organizations to understand the problem deeper and enables teams to work towards creating effective solutions.
Fishbone Diagram Uses
Fishbone diagrams are used in all walks of life, including business, non-profit, education, production, etc. Here are a few usages.
1. Quality Control
In production and manufacturing, fishbone diagrams are used to highlight defects, inconsistencies, and inefficiencies in the production process and to understand the factors that affect quality. It helps derive the right solutions to resolve the issues.
2. Risk Mitigation
Every organization faces risks and challenges. While some of them are unforeseen, many risks can be anticipated and mitigated with strategic planning. Thus, fishbone diagrams serve as an excellent tool to predict risks and craft strategies to eradicate them.
By systematically analyzing all factors, organizations can gauge underlying vulnerabilities and implement targeted preventive techniques. It not only saves costs but also helps preserve credibility and trust.
3. Brainstorming and Creative Process
Fishbone diagrams foster creativity and allow teams to think outside the box and work together. It not only boosts workplace productivity but also enhances teamwork.
Organizations usually leverage this and provide simulated assignments to employees to build oneness and push them to brainstorm creatively.
4. Better Customer Services
Companies can use fishbone diagrams to analyze customer complaints, track recurring patterns, and curate potential solutions. By understanding factors such as delayed deliveries, lack of communication, product defects, etc., companies can provide better service to customers and enhance retention and loyalty.
5. Decision-Making
When making complex decisions, businesses rely on fishbone diagrams to break down every influencing factor with precision. This structured approach ensures no critical detail is overlooked, allowing teams to evaluate multiple variables from every angle before making impactful choices.
Fishbone Diagram Types
(i). Simple Fishbone Diagram
A simple fishbone diagram does not include any predetermined categories. It can be completely tailored according to your organization’s particular needs and issues. It is widely used due to its adaptability and flexibility.
For example, you can use this type of diagram to understand the cause-and-effect relationship between customer dissatisfaction and product or service-related queries.
(ii). 8M Fishbone Diagram
This diagram is usually used in manufacturing and production processes. It divides the potential problems into six key factors-
- Manpower: Issues related to employees and employers who are working in the design and delivery of the product.
- Method: Method refers to problems in the production and manufacturing process, such as procedural problems, quality control, etc.
- Machine: It denotes the equipment, tools, and systems used for manufacturing products.
- Material: All items such as raw materials, parts, and other components used to craft the final product fall under this category.
- Measurement: Measurement means the detailed metrics or units of the product.
- Mother Nature: Mother nature includes environmental and physical factors and issues. It can be related to weather, climate, topography, disaster, etc.
- Management: This refers to the policies, leadership qualities, and other strategies of the organization to ensure proper management.
- Maintenance: The repairs, preventive measures, maintenance schedules, etc., come under this section.
(iii). 8P Fishbone Diagram
This diagram is highly used in the service industry, marketing sector, and business process improvement. It divides the problems of a business or service into eight Ps and aims to understand the causes of dissatisfaction and failure.
The 8Ps are –
- Product: Refers to the service or the product being provided by the company.
- Price: Price includes the pricing strategies of the company and helps identify the problems related to pricing, such as customers abandoning the cart due to high pricing.
- Place: It refers to the distribution channels of the product or service. Problems related to distribution, like lack of accessibility or poor supply chain, fall into this category.
- Promotion: Covers advertising, marketing, and sales strategies used to attract and retain clients. Inefficiency in promotion, such as poor campaigns, lack of sales objectives, etc., is included in this.
- People: People encompass employees, workers, and staff of the organization. Issues such as lack of training, poor motivation, etc., can be added here.
- Process: The system or workflow that helps build a service or product is written here.
- Physical Evidence: Involves tangible elements that reinforce a brand’s identity, such as packaging, store layout, website design, or branding materials
- Performance: Performance refers to business outcomes like customer satisfaction, achieving targets, etc.
(iv). 4S Fishbone Diagram
The 4S fishbone diagram is used in the service industry, where problems are categorized in 4S- surrounding, supplier, system, and skill.
- Surrounding: Refers to the external factors, such as customers, that may affect the business.
- System: The internal process for service delivery and customer acquisition.
- Skill: It means the competence of employees such as their efficiency, knowledge, etc.
- Supplier: Vendors and suppliers for outsourcing services, providing quality material, etc.
(v). 5M1E Fishbone Diagram
The 5M1E model, also known as the herringbone model, is widely used in production, service, and quality management. It includes six bones or categories-
- Man: All human-related factors about employees, workers, employers, etc., are included in this category. Problems such as lack of skill, attitude, and motivation are a part of this.
- Machine: Equipment, tools, and production factors, such as machinery-related issues, are written in this section.
- Material: Material includes all problems that revolve around the quality of components, raw materials, parts, etc.
- Method: The processes or systems that cause inefficiency or delay.
- Measurement: Measurement is the ultimate tool for every organization. This section includes issues regarding measurement standards, accuracy, consistency, etc.
- Environment: Refers to external factors affecting production, such as physical environment, topography, climate, and even working conditions.
Steps to Create a Fishbone Diagram
a). Identify the Issue or the ‘Head’
The first step is to identify the main problem you wish to solve. It can be any broad issue or challenge being faced or potential risk that may arise. This problem is often called the ‘Head’ of the fishbone diagram and should be specific and clear.
Once the issue is defined, it should be placed inside a box at the right end of the diagram. It serves as the focal point for the entire fishbone diagram.
b). Draw the Backbone and Bones
Once you identify the problem, understand which type of fishbone diagram would suit your needs the best. You can pick any diagram that you feel serves your purpose right.
For instance, the 8P diagram is better for service-related issues. The 8M diagram will be ideal for combating quality or production challenges.
After this, let’s get back to actually making the fishbone. Start by drawing a horizontal line from the head. It will be the backbone of the fish. Next, draw small diagonal lines branching out from the backbone. These will be the bones and will represent major categories, depending on the type of diagram that you have chosen.
c). Make Smaller Bones
Once the major categories are in place, the next step is to break them down into smaller subcategories. These smaller branches represent specific causes that contribute to each category. This process requires critical thinking and deep analysis to uncover potential reasons for the issue.
For example, under the people category, causes could include inadequate training, low motivation, or poor communication. Under process, issues might involve inefficiencies, lack of standardization, or bottlenecks.
d). Brainstorm and Conclude
Now that you have all the possible causes of the problem laid out, it is time to brainstorm and conclude. Review the diagram with your team, identify patterns, and focus on high-impact causes. Derive corrective action and create a roadmap for further steps.
Pros and Cons of a Fishbone Diagram
Pros:
- Identifies Root Cause Easily: One of the key benefits of fishbone diagrams is they help identify the root cause easily. They break the issue into multiple pieces and allow team members to fathom the actual cause.
- Provide Organized Visualization: Some problems might take longer to resolve due to their complicated nature. However, with fishbone diagrams, you can have a clear overview of the entire issue in an organized and structured manner.
- Prevents Recurring Patterns: Fishbone diagrams allow teams to spot recurring patterns and mistakes. It encourages them to curate strategies to avoid such patterns.
- Flexible for Multiple Industries: The greatest benefit of fishbone diagrams is that they are flexible and can be used in multiple industries. By selecting the right diagram type, individuals and organizations can present the causes of discrepancies.
Cons:
- Might be Too Complicated: Fishbone diagrams can get quite complicated if too many causes and sub-causes are added. It can lead to ambiguity and pave the way to utter chaos.
- Requires Excessive Time and Effort: Teams need to dedicate a lot of time to brainstorming, ideation, and creation of the fishbone diagram. It can require too much effort and drain the organization’s resources.
- Subjective to Team’s Knowledge: Since these diagrams require a lot of thinking, all causes added to the diagram are purely based on the team’s knowledge. It can lead to huge losses, particularly when information is not accurate or complete.
- Does Not Provide a Base for Quantitative Decisions: Fishbone diagrams may be a great tool for qualitative improvements but have no base for quantitative decision-making. They do not provide any base for numerical, statistics, and other figurative data, which is necessary for informed decisions.
How a Fishbone Diagram Works: An Example
Now that we have understood the nuances of a fishbone diagram, let us see how it actually works with the help of an example. Consider a restaurant experiencing a decline in customer satisfaction. Here is a fishbone diagram for it.
Step 1: Write at the head of the fish or the core problem, “Decline in customer satisfaction.”
Step 2: Draw the backbone and diagonal bones for the causes. Let us assume that there are four main reasons:
- People (poor staff behavior)
- Process (time in providing meals)
- Material (lack of fresh raw material)
- Environment (lack of cleanliness and hygiene)
These will be the major bones of the diagram.
Step 3: Make smaller bones that will serve as the sub-causes of the major causes. Let us understand better-
People:
- The staff is not properly trained
- Insufficient number of waiters
- Communication issues between the kitchen and servers.
Process:
- Order-taking is slow
- Delay in food preparation
- Poor coordination between kitchen and service staff.
This is how each bone can be further extended.
Step 4: Analyze the diagram and conclude the key reasons for the problem. The main causes here can be poorly trained staff and delays in food preparation. Now, think of corrective actions such as better training and streamlining preparation to solve the problem.
Fishbone Diagram Template Examples
1. Fishbone Diagram
Showcase shortcomings in any process or project to your team members in a visually impressive manner using this template. The editable text placeholders and generic design allow you to use this set of slides for multiple presentations focused on the root cause analysis of different industries. With the help of this deck, you can present your information in a structured and organized manner.
2. Ishikawa Fishbone
Depict a complete overview of a problem, including its causes and implications, with the help of this professionally designed template. Project heads, risk managers, quality analysts, and other professionals can use this deck in brainstorming sessions to discuss risk prevention and mitigation strategies. The vibrant colors, spellbinding designs, and clean typography make your information easy for the audience to interpret.
3. Animated Fishbone Diagram
Highlight the causes of imperfections and defects in your products, services, projects, or policies and drive cross-functional collaboration with the help of this feature-rich template. The stunning designs with subtle animation effects add interactivity to your presentation and keep the audience engaged. The slides comprise enough space to accommodate your personalized content.
4. Fishbone Infographics
Are you a business professional who wants to showcase the reasons for declining sales or factors leading to supply chain disruptions? Or a healthcare service provider who wants to depict the causes of medical errors? Or an educator who wants to highlight learning gaps? This template will help you serve your purpose well. This deck enables you to structure the causes into categories and present them to the audience in a comprehensible manner.
5. Fishbone Timeline
Download this 100% editable template to present how different factors have influenced a process or project over time. You can also depict the timeline and chronological sequence of various events that contributed to a problem. The incredible designs and layouts in striking color patterns will give a creative makeover to your dull presentation and mesmerize the audience.
6. Simple Fishbone Diagram
Showcase potential risks in business operations, processes, and projects in a simple yet appealing way using this high-quality template. You can use this deck in problem-solving, brainstorming, and decision-making presentations to demonstrate multiple causes of a problem. The minimalist design with clear typography enhances the effectiveness of your content and makes it more relatable to the audience.
7. Minimalist Fishbone Diagram
This template, featuring subtle colors, negative spaces, and an easy-to-read layout, is ideal for showing the key factors or root causes of a problem. The visual consistency in slides makes your presentation look polished and professional. The minimalist design reduces cognitive overload and keeps the audience focused. You can use this deck to highlight loopholes in manufacturing, supply chain, business processes, customer service, etc.
8. Creative Fishbone Diagram
Visualize the causes of delay and imperfections in product development, project delivery, product rollout, customer service, etc., in a creative manner using this template. The deck is designed with modern trends in mind and has all the elements needed to establish a connection with the audience instantly. Get this set now and power your content with elegant and high-quality visuals.
Conclusion
The fishbone diagram is a powerful tool to combat problems in every organization. From minor issues to major challenges, it can help you dig deeper and solve issues from their starting point. By leveraging these diagrams, organizations can enhance their workflow and improve productivity.
We hope this article helps you arrange and solve your problems systematically!
