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The vector stencils library "Cause-and-effect diagram" contains 13 elements of fishbone diagram.
Use it to design your Ishikawa diagrams with ConceptDraw PRO diagramming and vector drawing software.
"Ishikawa diagrams (also called fishbone diagrams, herringbone diagrams, cause-and-effect diagrams, or Fishikawa) are causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa (1968) that show the causes of a specific event. Common uses of the Ishikawa diagram are product design and quality defect prevention to identify potential factors causing an overall effect. Each cause or reason for imperfection is a source of variation. Causes are usually grouped into major categories to identify these sources of variation. ...
The basic concept was first used in the 1920s, and is considered one of the seven basic tools of quality control." [Ishikawa diagram. Wikipedia]
The example of fishbone diagram shapes "Design elements - Cause-and-effect diagram" is included in the Seven Basic Tools of Quality solution from the Quality area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.
Fishbone diagram elements
Fishbone diagram elements, third level cause, secondary cause, reason, fishbone, effect, problem, cause, category,
"Ishikawa diagrams (also called fishbone diagrams, herringbone diagrams, cause-and-effect diagrams, or Fishikawa) are causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa (1968) that show the causes of a specific event. Common uses of the Ishikawa diagram are product design and quality defect prevention, to identify potential factors causing an overall effect. Each cause or reason for imperfection is a source of variation. Causes are usually grouped into major categories to identify these sources of variation. The categories typically include:
- People: Anyone involved with the process
- Methods: How the process is performed and the specific requirements for doing it, such as policies, procedures, rules, regulations and laws
- Machines: Any equipment, computers, tools, etc. required to accomplish the job
- Materials: Raw materials, parts, pens, paper, etc. used to produce the final product
- Measurements: Data generated from the process that are used to evaluate its quality
- Environment: The conditions, such as location, time, temperature, and culture in which the process operates" [Ishikawa diagram. Wikipedia]
The fishbone diagram example "Causes of low-quality output" was created using the ConceptDraw PRO diagramming and vector drawing software extended with the Fishbone Diagrams solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.
Ishikawa diagram
Ishikawa diagram, reason, secondary cause, effect, cause, category,
"Root cause analysis (RCA) is a method of problem solving that tries to identify the root causes of faults or problems. ...
RCA (in steps 3, 4 and 5) forms the most critical part of successful corrective action, because it directs the corrective action at the true root cause of the problem. Knowing the root cause is secondary to the goal of prevention, but without knowing the root cause, it is not possible to determine what an effective corrective action for the defined problem would be. ...
3. Ask "why" and identify the causes associated with each step in the sequence towards the defined problem or event. "Why" is taken to mean "What were the factors that directly resulted in the effect?"
4. Classify causes into causal factors that relate to an event in the sequence and root causes, that if eliminated, can be agreed to have interrupted that step of the sequence chain.
5. Identify all other harmful factors that have equal or better claim to be called "root causes." If there are multiple root causes, which is often the case, reveal those clearly for later optimum selection." [Root cause analysis. Wikipedia]
This root cause analysis (RCA) tree diagram example "Sale problem solution" was created using the ConceptDraw PRO diagramming and vector drawing software extended with the Seven Management and Planning Tools solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.
RCA diagram
RCA diagram, root cause, problem, cause,
This cause and effect diagram sample was redesigned from the Wikimedia Commons file: Fishbone BadCoffeeExample.jpg. [commons.wikimedia.org/ wiki/ File:Fishbone_ BadCoffeeExample.jpg]
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. [creativecommons.org/ licenses/ by-sa/ 3.0/ deed.en]
The fishbone diagram example "Bad coffee" was created using the ConceptDraw PRO diagramming and vector drawing software extended with the Fishbone Diagrams solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.
Fishbone diagram
Fishbone diagram, reason, secondary cause, fishbone, effect, cause, category,
"Cause-and-effect diagrams can reveal key relationships among various variables, and the possible causes provide additional insight into process behavior.
Causes can be derived from brainstorming sessions. These groups can then be labeled as categories of the fishbone. They will typically be one of the traditional categories mentioned above but may be something unique to the application in a specific case. Causes can be traced back to root causes with the 5 Whys technique." [Ishikawa diagram. Wikipedia]
"The 5 Whys is an iterative question-asking technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem. The primary goal of the technique is to determine the root cause of a defect or problem. (The "5" in the name derives from an empirical observation on the number of iterations typically required to resolve the problem.)" [5 Whys. Wikipedia]
This Ishikawa diagram (cause and effect diagram) template is included in the Fishbone Diagram solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.
Fishbone diagram
Fishbone diagram, third level cause, reason, secondary cause, fishbone, effect, cause, category,
"Cause-and-effect diagrams can reveal key relationships among various variables, and the possible causes provide additional insight into process behavior.
Causes can be derived from brainstorming sessions. These groups can then be labeled as categories of the fishbone. They will typically be one of the traditional categories mentioned above but may be something unique to the application in a specific case. Causes can be traced back to root causes with the 5 Whys technique." [Ishikawa diagram. Wikipedia]
The Ishikawa diagram (cause and effect diagram, fishbone diagram) example "Factors reducing competitiveness" was created using the ConceptDraw PRO diagramming and vector drawing software extended with the Fishbone Diagrams solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.
Ishikawa diagram
Ishikawa diagram, reason, secondary cause, effect, cause, category,

How to Construct a Fishbone Diagram

Fishbone, Ishikawa or Cause and Effect diagram helps understand the reasons of completed or potential actions by structuring their causes in smaller categories. Also, one can use it to see how the contributing factors are related to each other. In everyday company routine, a Cause and Effect diagram is helpful with a number of regular activities like brainstorming, project management, and problem solving.
How to Construct a Fishbone Diagram? Construction a Fishbone diagram in professional diagramming software ConceptDraw PRO is more easy than you think. Just use the predesigned vector elements from the Fishbone Diagrams library for Fishbone Diagrams solution or one of plenty Fishbone templates and examples, and you will get a Cause and Effect diagram in minutes.
"Ishikawa diagrams (also called fishbone diagrams, herringbone diagrams, cause-and-effect diagrams, or Fishikawa) are causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa (1968) that show the causes of a specific event. Common uses of the Ishikawa diagram are product design and quality defect prevention, to identify potential factors causing an overall effect. Each cause or reason for imperfection is a source of variation. Causes are usually grouped into major categories to identify these sources of variation. The categories typically include:
- People: Anyone involved with the process
- Methods: How the process is performed and the specific requirements for doing it, such as policies, procedures, rules, regulations and laws
- Machines: Any equipment, computers, tools, etc. required to accomplish the job
- Materials: Raw materials, parts, pens, paper, etc. used to produce the final product
- Measurements: Data generated from the process that are used to evaluate its quality
- Environment: The conditions, such as location, time, temperature, and culture in which the process operates" [Ishikawa diagram. Wikipedia]
The fishbone diagram example "Causes of low-quality output" was created using the ConceptDraw PRO diagramming and vector drawing software extended with the Fishbone Diagrams solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.
Ishikawa diagram
Ishikawa diagram, reason, secondary cause, effect, cause, category,
This example was created on the base of the figure from the website of the Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.
"Fishbone.
What: The fishbone technique uses a visual organizer to identify the possible causes of a problem.
Benefits: This technique discourages partial or premature solutions and demonstrates the relative importance of, and interactions between, different parts of a problem.
How: On a broad sheet of paper, draw a long arrow horizontally across the middle of the page pointing to the right. Label the arrowhead with the title of the issue to be explained. This is the "backbone" of the "fish." Draw "spurs" from this "backbone" at about 45 degrees, one for every likely cause of the problem that the group can think of; and label each. Sub-spurs can represent subsidiary causes. The group considers each spur/ sub-spur, taking the simplest first, partly for clarity but also because a simple explanation may make more complex ones unnecessary. Ideally, the fishbone is redrawn so that position along the backbone reflects the relative importance of the different parts of the problem, with the most important at the head." [celt.iastate.edu/ creativity/ techniques.html]
The fishbone diagram example "Inability to meet project deadlines" was created using the ConceptDraw PRO diagramming and vector drawing software extended with the Fishbone Diagrams solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.
Ishikawa diagram
Ishikawa diagram, reason, secondary cause, effect, cause,
The library of vector stencils "Fishbone diagrams" contains 13 symbols for drawing the Ishikawa diagrams using the ConceptDraw PRO diagramming and vector drawing software.
"Ishikawa diagrams were popularized by Kaoru Ishikawa in the 1960s, who pioneered quality management processes in the Kawasaki shipyards, and in the process became one of the founding fathers of modern management.
The basic concept was first used in the 1920s, and is considered one of the seven basic tools of quality control. It is known as a fishbone diagram because of its shape, similar to the side view of a fish skeleton." [Ishikawa diagram. Wikipedia]
"The Seven Basic Tools of Quality is a designation given to a fixed set of graphical techniques identified as being most helpful in troubleshooting issues related to quality. They are called basic because they are suitable for people with little formal training in statistics and because they can be used to solve the vast majority of quality-related issues.
The seven tools are:
(1) Cause-and-effect diagram (also known as the "fishbone" or Ishikawa diagram);
(2) Check sheet;
(3) Control chart;
(4) Histogram;
(5) Pareto chart;
(6) Scatter diagram;
(7) Stratification (alternately, flow chart or run chart)." [Seven Basic Tools of Quality. Wikipedia]
The example "Design elements - Fishbone diagram" is included in the Fishbone Diagrams solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.
Ishikawa diagram symbols
Ishikawa diagram symbols, third level cause, reason, secondary cause, fishbone, effect, cause, category,
This example was created on the base of the figure from the website of Minnesota Department of Health. [health.state.mn.us/ divs/ opi/ qi/ images/ fishbone_ ex.png]
"Minnesota’s Health Alert Network (HAN) enables public health staff, tribal governments, health care providers, emergency workers, and others working to protect the public to exchange information during a disease outbreak, environmental threat, natural disaster, or act of terrorism." [health.state.mn.us/ han/ ]
The fishbone diagram example "HAN project" was created using the ConceptDraw PRO diagramming and vector drawing software extended with the Fishbone Diagrams solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.
Ishikawa diagram
Ishikawa diagram, reason, secondary cause, effect, cause, category,