Six Sigma Analyze phase

Ishikawa Analysis
Limitations of the Five WHY-Technique
Conventional wisdom holds that causes are linear and at some
point in their linear progression we presume to find an end cause
or root cause that if removed, changed or otherwise controlled,
will prevent the problem from occurring. For example:

1st Why? 2nd Why? 3rd Why? 4th Why? 5th Why?

Bus fell- Not Raining at

Driver lose Bus failed
off the enough Road is the time of
control of to break
elevated friction slippery the
the bus the speed
highway obtained incident

Can we find solution to the End Cause?

ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
Cause and Effect / Fishbone Diagram
▪ A graphical display of potential causes of a problem and it’s relationship to
the effect
▪ A visual tool used to identify, explore and graphically display all the possible
causes related to a problem to discover root causes.
▪ A Fishbone diagram is also known as a Cause & Effect or Ishikawa Diagram
▪ Formalized by Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa, a Quality statistician and one of the
pioneers of Japan’s quality revolution in 1940s.

• The person responsible for the

introduction of Fishbone Diagram
• Quality control statistician
• Professor in University of Tokyo
• One of the pioneers of Japan’s quality
revolution in the 1940s
• Best known for formalizing the use of
Cause-and-Effect Diagram
• Won the Deming Prize and Shewhart
Dr. Kauro Ishikawa Medal
ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
Cause and Effect / Fishbone Diagram
How is it done?
• Decide which quality
characteristic, outcome or effect
you want to examine (may use
Pareto Chart)
• Backbone – draw straight line
• Ribs – categories
• Medium size bones – secondary
causes
• Small bones – root causes
How to construct a fishbone
diagram:
i. Review the focused problem (agreed by
everyone) and write the problem or
effect on the head of the fish.
ii. Identify possible causes through
brainstorming.
iii. Sort possible causes into clusters and
assign labels.
▪ Clusters – Man / Machine / Method
/ Material / Measurement /
Environment
iv. Develop the main bones for clusters
v. Develop the secondary bones of each
cluster and start asking “why did it
happened” until you have obtained
the root cause
CAUSE & EFFECT DIAGRAM FRAMEWORK

Man C Material Environment

C UC
Cause 6

Cause 1 Cause 2 Cause 3 Statement

of the Main
Problem
Cause 4 Cause 5

Cause 7
UC
Method Machine

C
HOW TO PREPARE A C&E DIAGRAM
1. Write the effect on the right-most part and connect it into
the spine.

Increasing Customer
Complaints on Long
Waiting Time
2. Identify the major causes or groups of causes. Write
them into the large bones.

Man Machine Material

Increasing Customer
Complaints on Long
Waiting Time

Method Environment
 3. Identify the causes under each major cause or group of
causes by asking “why” at most five times. Write
each cause into the middle & small bones.

Material Machine

Slow processing of computers

Shortage offorms
Computer virus
No computer
Increasing
maintenance
Customer
Complaints on
Ineffective frontline Long Waiting
staff Long cycle SOPs not followed
Time
Too many Varied interpretation ofrule
Too much workload Proper orientation notprovided
signatories
Poor planning

Me
Man Method
 4. Determine controllable and uncontrollable root
causes.

Material Machine
Slow processing of computers
Shortage of forms
Computer virus
No computer
Increasing
maintenance
Customer
Complaints on
Ineffective frontline Long Waiting
staff Long cycle SOPs not followed
Varied interpretation ofrule Time
Too much workload Proper orientation notprovided
Too many
signatories
Poor planning

Man Method
Method
Incompletely filled out template
Template difficult to understand
Unclear definition of terms
No reporting guidelines

LONG
RETRIEVAL
TIME OF
REPORTS
Limited influx of reports
Inadequate number of faxmachines
Equipment breakdown
Overuse
Low quality of machine

Machine
ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
Cause and Effect / Fishbone Diagram