ABSTRACT
The Fishbone Diagram, also known as a ‘Cause and Effect’ diagram, was developed by Dr Kaoru Ishikawa. The model is used to explore, identify and display the potential root causes of a specific effect – usually a quality outcome or a specific defect of some kind. The diagram works from right to left to indicate how the investigation of the causes is ‘worked back’ from the main outcome back to the root cause itself. Ishikawa’s Fishbone Diagram is used to explore, identify and display possible cause and effect in any given situation. The Fishbone Diagram provides an analytical approach to problem solving that is easy to undertake. However, care must be taken to ensure that the right causes are identified in order to get to the root of the problem, rather than attempting to simultaneously provide solutions that still do not strike at the heart of the problem that needs solving.
