NEEDS ASSESSMENT KNOWLEDGE BASE

FISHBONEDIAGRAMS
PURPOSE
Thefishbonediagramisacauseandeffectdiagramthatcanbeusedtoidentifythepotential(oractual)
cause(s)foraperformanceproblem.Fishbonediagramsprovideastructureforagroupsdiscussionaround
thepotentialcausesoftheproblem.

NEEDSASSESSMENTAPPLICATIONS
Fishbonediagramsareoftenusedinneedsassessmenttoassistinillustratingand/orcommunicatingthe
relationshipsamongseveralpotential(oractual)causesofaperformanceproblem.Likewise,these
graphicalrepresentationsofrelationshipsbetweenneeds(i.e.,discrepanciesbetweendesiredandactual
results)offeryouapragmatictoolforbuildingasystemofperformanceimprovementinterventions(for
instance,acombinationofmentoring,jobaids,training,motivation,newexpectations)aroundtheoften
complexrelationshipsfoundacrosspotential(oractual)causes.

ADVANTAGESANDDISADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES

Fishbonediagramspermitathoughtfulanalysisthatavoidsoverlookinganypossiblerootcausesfora
need.

Thefishbonetechniqueiseasytoimplementandcreatesaneasytounderstandvisualrepresentationof
thecauses,categoriesofcauses,andtheneed.

Byusingafishbonediagram,youareabletofocusthegrouponthebigpictureastopossiblecauses
orfactorsinfluencingtheproblem/need.

Evenaftertheneedhasbeenaddressed,thefishbonediagramshowsareasofweaknessthatonce
exposedcanberectifiedbeforecausingmoresustaineddifficulties.

DISADVANTAGES

Thesimplicityofafishbonediagramcanbebothitsstrengthanditsweakness.Asaweakness,the
simplicityofthefishbonediagrammaymakeitdifficulttorepresentthetrulyinterrelatednatureof
problemsandcausesinsomeverycomplexsituations.

Unlessyouhaveanextremelylargespaceonwhichtodrawanddevelopthefishbonediagram,you
mayfindthatyouarenotabletoexplorethecauseandeffectrelationshipsinasmuchdetailasyou
wouldliketo.

WBI EVALUATION GROUP (2007)

NEEDS ASSESSMENT KNOWLEDGE BASE

GENERALPROCEDURES
1. Identifygapsbetweentheresults(i.e.,performance)thatarerequiredforthesuccessfulaccomplishment
ofyourprograms/projectsresultschain(i.e.,logicframe)andcurrentachievementstodate.
2. Generateaclear,concisestatementoftheneed(s).Makesurethateveryoneinthegroupagreeswiththe
needasitisstated.Forexample,theapplicationofmodernagriculturaltechniquesamongthe
populationisat25%andtheaimofyourprogram/projectisfor75%ofthepopulationtousemodern
techniques(leavingyouwithagaporneedof50%).
3. Usingalongsheetofpaper,drawalinehorizontallyalongthepage.Thislinewillbethespineofthe
fish.Writetheneedalongthespine,onthelefthandside.
4. Identifytheoverarchingcategoriesofcausesoftheneed.Brainstormingisoftenaneffectivetechnique
foridentifyingthecategoriesofcauses.Foreachcategoryofcauses,drawabonealineata45degree
anglefromthespineofthefish.Labeleachspine(seeFigure1).

Figure1:ABasicFishboneDiagram

Details Why
e
us Details Why
a
C

Details Why
e
us
a
C

Need (gap in results)

Details Why

e
us
Ca

e
us
Ca

Details Why

W
hy

Cause
ils
ta
De

5. Havethegroupbrainstormtoidentifythefactorsthatmaybeaffectingthecauseand/ortheneed.For
eachcategoryofcauses,thegroupshouldbeasking;Whyisthishappening?Addeachreasonwhy
tothediagram,clusteredaroundthemajorcausecategoryitinfluences.
6. RepeattheprocedureforaskingWhyisthishappeningforeacheffect,untilthequestionyieldsno
moremeaningfulanswers(seeFigure2).

WBI EVALUATION GROUP (2007)

NEEDS ASSESSMENT KNOWLEDGE BASE

7. Whenthegrouphascometotheconsensusthatthediagramcontainsanadequateamountof
information,analyzethediagram.Inparticular,lookforcausesthatareappearinginmorethanone
sectionofthediagram.
8. Circleanythingthatseemstobearootcausefortheneed.Prioritizetherootcausesanddecidetotake
action.Thisactionmayinvolvefurtherinvestigatingtherootcauses.

Figure2:AnAnnotatedFishboneDiagram

t
No

ed
uir
q
re

ym

er
ag
n
a

Manager is too busy

Not a priority
re
ltu
u
C

Learning Plans Not Developed

t
sn
e
do

rt
po
p
su

pr

s
es
of

ion

Focus on immediate problems

rm
fo

w
ho

ed
diz

w
no

ar
nd
s ta

k
nt
Do

No

Not standardized by HR

Lack of training
n
ke
Ta
ion
at
nt
rie
fo
to
ou

WBI EVALUATION GROUP (2007)

NEEDS ASSESSMENT KNOWLEDGE BASE

TIPSFORSUCCESS

Makesurethatthereisconsensusinthegroupaboutboththeneedandthecharacteristicsofthe
causestatementbeforebeginningtheprocessofbuildingthefishbonediagram.

Ifappropriate,youcangraftbranchesthatdonotcontainalotofinformationontootherbranches.
Likewise,youcansplitbranchesthathavetoomuchinformationintotwoormorebranchesasyougo.

Makeparsimonioususeofwordswhilepopulatingthefishbonediagram.Onlyuseasmanywordsas
necessarytodescribethecauseoreffect.

REFERENCESANDRESOURCES
Gupta,K.,Sleezer,C.M.,&RussEft,D.F.(2007).APracticalGuidetoNeedsAssessment.Pfeiffer

WEBSITES
UseaFishboneDiagramtohelpattackcomplexproblems(fromTechRepublic):
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/510010878_116092236.html?tag=nl.e053

CauseAnalysisTools(fromAmericanSocietyforQuality;hasanexampleofafishbonediagram):
http://www.asq.org/learnaboutquality/causeanalysistools/overview/fishbone.html

TheFishboneDiagram(fromSixSigma;hastemplatesformakingfishbonediagramsinMicrosoftWord
andMicrosoftExcel):
http://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/t000827.asp

WBI EVALUATION GROUP (2007)