Fish Bone Diagram

Introduction
Fishbone diagrams can be defined as a diagram that shows the possible
causes of a specific event or a problem. They were first introduced by
Kaoru Ishikawa in 1968 which is why they are sometimes referred to
as Ishikawa diagrams.

Description:
 A fishbone diagram is useful in brainstorming sessions to focus
conversation between facilitator and focus group.
 After the group has brainstormed all the possible causes for a problem,
 the facilitator helps the group to rate the causes according to their level of
importance and diagram a hierarchy.
 The design of the diagram looks like a skeleton of a fish.
 Fishbone diagrams are typically worked right to left, with each large “bone”
of the fish branching out to include smaller bones containing more detail.
How To Create A Fish Diagram

 Create a head, which lists the effects, problem or issue to be studied.

 Create a backbone for the fish, straight line which leads to the head.
 Identify at causes that contribute to the problem. Connect these causes
with arrows to the spine. These will create the first bones of the fish.
 This cause could be as follow
1. people
2. process
3. machine
4. material
5. environment
 Brainstorm around each cause to document those things that contributed
to the cause. Use the 5 Whys or another questioning process to keep the
conversation focused.
 Continue breaking down each cause until the root causes have been
identified.
Examples:
Here is another example to understand root causes for a long waiting time in a
hospital

Five important points you need to understand before dealing into root cause
analysis using fishbone diagram in healthcare industry

1. Visual diagram always gives an edge in analyzing clinical problems.

2. More number of healthcare professionals are using fishbone diagram to
analyze their problems.
3. It is advisable to appoint a group moderator or facilitator while doing
the brainstorming sessions.
4. Having a moderator helps to avoid digressive discussions and to bring the
group together to identify action items.
5. Discussing the causes in a detailed way helps the organization to identify
modern solutions which you haven’t considered earlier.
6. Being open towards root cause analysis helps to identify the actual root
cause and the relationship with it to the effect in turn to identify an effective
solution.