How to Construct a Fishbone Diagram
What is Fishbone, Ishikawa or Cause and Effect Diagram
A Cause and Effect diagram or Fishbone diagram shows the key points of business issues. So, let’s find out more about a Cause and Effect diagram.
This 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. A Cause and Effect diagram is often called a Fishbone diagram or Ishikawa diagram. It is also included into the Seven Basic Tools of Quality.
They are called Fishbone Diagrams because the outline of the finished diagram resembles a fish’s skeleton – with the ‘fish’s head’ on the right and ‘the tail’ on the left. Most such diagrams include common potential causes for any issue in question.
How to Construct a Fishbone Diagram
How to Construct a Fishbone Diagram? Construction a Fishbone diagram in professional diagramming software ConceptDraw DIAGRAM 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. Follow next steps for the constructing:
- Launch ConceptDraw DIAGRAM
- Set a page orientation: File – Page Setup – Horizontal Orientation – Ok.
- Open the Fishbone Diagrams library on the Libraries panel:
- Take an Effect (rectangle head) object from the library. Place it on the page.
- Take a Category object from the library. Connect it to one of the connection points.
- Repeat it as many times as necessary.
- Name the categories.
- Take a Cause object from the library. Connect it to the Category object.
- Holding down the Option key (ALT), copy the object. Place it on the diagram.
- Name the Causes.
- Take a Reason (secondary cause) object from the library. Connect it to the Cause object.
- Holding down the Option key (ALT), copy the object. Place it on the diagram.
- Select the Category objects. Holding down the Shift key, click successively on the needed objects.
- Open Color menu from the Toolbar – Shape Color – Change the color.
- Open the Text tab in Inspectors – Change text color.
- Select the diagram excluding the Effect object.
- Use Cmd+A – Holding down the Shift key, click the Effect object.
- Open the Line tab in Inspectors. Change the color.
- Select the arrow of the Effect object. Open the Line tab in Inspectors.
- Make the color same as of Category objects using the Eyedropper tool.
- Select the Cause text – Change Color.
- Set Alignment.
- Select the Reason objects. Holding down the Shift key, click successively on the needed objects.
- Open the Text tab in Inspectors. Set Color, Font, Size and Alignment.
- Take a Fish frame from the library. Place it on the page.
- Open the Line tab in Inspectors – Change Color and Width.
- Select the rectangle head of the Effect object – delete it.
- Use the Search option on the Library panel to find a needed object.
- Take a Coffee cup object. Place it on the diagram.
- Now your Drawing is ready.
- You may save it or export to different formats via the File menu.

The possibility of exporting to variety of popular graphical formats (PNG, JPEG, JPG, GIF, TIF, TIFF, BMP, DIB, EMF, SVG) and file formats, such as Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT), Adobe Acrobat (PDF), Microsoft Visio (VDX, VSDX), Adobe Flash (SWF), Encapsulated PostScript (EPS), HTML, opens wide opportunities for you.
The Fishbone Diagrams Solution for ConceptDraw DIAGRAM Solution Park is available for all ConceptDraw DIAGRAM or later users. Use it for easy and effective cause and effect analysis and problem solving.
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Using Fishbone Diagrams for Problem Solving →
Problems are obstacles and challenges that one should overcome to reach the goal. They are an inseparable part of any business, and the success of an enterprise often depends on ability to solve all problems effectively. The process of problem solving often uses rational approach, helping to find a suitable solution. Using Fishbone Diagrams for Problem Solving is a productive and illustrative tool to identify the most important factors causing the trouble. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM extended with Fishbone Diagrams solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park is a powerful tool for problem solving with Fishbone Ishikawa diagram graphic method.
Fishbone Diagram Problem Solving →
The Ishikawa diagram, Cause and Effect diagram, Fishbone diagram — all they are the names of one and the same visual method for working with causal connections. Originally invented by Kaoru Ishikawa to control the process quality, the Ishikawa diagram is well proven in other fields of management and personal scheduling, events planning, time management. It is a chart in the form of a fish, whose head is a problem, the fins are variants for its causes. To design easily the Fishbone diagram, you can use a special ConceptDraw DIAGRAM vector graphic and diagramming software which contains the powerful tools for Fishbone diagram problem solving offered by Fishbone Diagrams solution for the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.
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Fishbone Diagram Design Element →
ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software extended with Fishbone Diagrams solution is a perfect tool for software designers and software developers. If you need to create Cause and Effect diagram, Fishbone diagram, Ishikawa diagram from templates and examples, or using the predesigned elements, ConceptDraw DIAGRAM can do this easily. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software gives ability to design Fishbone diagrams that identify many possible causes for an effect for problem. Each Fishbone diagram design element included to Fishbone Diagrams library is vector and ready-to-use..png)
Electrical Symbols — Electrical Circuits →
A circuit diagram or wiring diagram uses symbols to represent parts of a circuit. Electrical and electronic circuits can be complicated. Making a drawing of the connections to all the component parts in the circuit's load makes it easier to understand how circuit components are connected. Drawings for electronic circuits are called "circuit diagrams". Drawings for electrical circuits are called "wiring diagrams". 26 libraries of the Electrical Engineering Solution of ConceptDraw DIAGRAM make your electrical diagramming simple, efficient, and effective. You can simply and quickly drop the ready-to-use objects from libraries into your document to create the electrical diagram.
Basic Flowchart Symbols and Meaning →
While creating flowcharts and process flow diagrams, you should use special objects to define different statements, so anyone aware of flowcharts can get your scheme right. There is a short and an extended list of basic flowchart symbols and their meaning. Basic flowchart symbols include terminator objects, rectangles for describing steps of a process, diamonds representing appearing conditions and questions and parallelograms to show incoming data. This diagram gives a general review of the standard symbols that are used when creating flowcharts and process flow diagrams. The practice of using a set of standard flowchart symbols was admitted in order to make flowcharts and other process flow diagrams created by any person properly understandable by other people. The flowchart symbols depict different kinds of actions and phases in a process. The sequence of the actions, and the relationships between them are shown by special lines and arrows. There are a large number of flowchart symbols. Which of them can be used in the particular diagram depends on its type. For instance, some symbols used in data flow diagrams usually are not used in the process flowcharts. Business process system use exactly these flowchart symbols.
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Successful quality management implemented in a company of any size is a critical component of a company organization.
Cause and Effect Diagram →
ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software extended with Fishbone Diagrams solution from the Management area of ConceptDraw Solution Park is perfect for Cause and Effect Diagram creating. It gives the ability to draw fishbone diagram that identifies many possible causes for an effect or a problem. Causes and Effects are usually grouped into major categories to identify these sources of variation. Causes and Effects in the diagram show relationships among various factor. Fishbone diagram shows factors of Equipment, Process, People, Materials, Environment and Management, all affecting the overall problem.