In this example, we can see that we asked why four times and were then not able to delve any deeper. Why? Because they assumed it was obvious.Why? Because development hadn’t provided adequate instructions.Why? Because the site admin made a mistake.Why? Because it was incorrectly configured.Initial Cause: The website crashed because it ran out of memory.The technique is simple and works by asking why five times. The purpose of the 5 Whys technique is to help you ensure you have uncovered the true root cause rather than a superficial cause. It can be useful to dig deeper into each of these ideas (potential causes) using a technique called the 5 Whys. The next step is to brainstorm likely causes a category at a time.Īs you brainstorm with your team you generate a list of top-level ideas. Note that there is no limit to the number of categories you can have. So for our example, it will be, “Why did our website crash?”, and we update the fishbone template to reflect this. This is usually done in the form of a question. The first step in the process is to state the problem you wish to remedy. To do this you get the key members of your team together, along with a fishbone template, and brainstorm the potential reasons the website crashed. Once this is done, you decide to use a fishbone diagram to perform a deeper analysis of what caused the website to crash, so that you can prevent the same problem from happening again. Fishbone Diagram Exampleįor this example, suppose you run a business selling products online and your website unexpectedly crashes.Īs the website has crashed your first priority will be to get the website going again as soon as possible. Ishikawa pioneered the tool during the 1960s in the Kawasaki Shipyards. The fishbone diagram was created by Japanese organizational theorist, Kaoru Ishikawa, a professor of engineering at the University of Tokyo, who was known for innovations in quality management. The fishbone diagram is also known by several other names which can all be used interchangeably: Related causes are bundled together into categories. The backbone of the skeleton connects the spines, which represent the range of likely causes. The head of the fishbone diagram represents the problem that you want to investigate. The Fishbone DiagramĪ Fishbone Diagram takes its name from the fact it resembles the shape of a fish skeleton. In this way, you become much more likely to permanently resolve the problem the first time.įishbone diagrams were originally designed to control quality in manufacturing processes, but they can also be used to find the root cause of a problem or improve a process experiencing issues. When complex problems occur, a fishbone diagram can help you to think about and categorize all of the different factors that may have led to the issue.īy doing this analysis you’re more likely to find the root cause of the problem, rather than jumping into an immediate solution which may later turn out to be incorrect. Some things that go wrong will be obvious and easy to resolve while others will be more complex. No matter what line of work you are in, sometimes things go wrong. When these reasons are listed on a fishbone diagram, it's easier to understand the root cause - even if someone has just learned of the problem.Using a fishbone diagram can help an organization find the root causes of a problem. By fixing that problem and not just charging the battery, the owner of the car can avoid this problem, and many others, in the future. The car didn’t start just because the battery is dead, but the car wouldn’t start because maintenance was not kept up by the owner. Because the owner did not follow the recommended service scheduleĪs shown from the example, the true root of the problem is identified after the question why is asked five times.Because the belt was not replaced when worn.Because the serpentine belt has broken.Because the alternator is not working properly.Here is an example of completing a fishbone diagram by using the five whys: The fishbone diagram method is used to truly get to the bottom of an issue by using a process where you ask why five times in order to get to the root cause of a problem. Each bone of the fish going down represents a “Why” in the analysis method, ending up at the head of the fish, symbolizing the true root of the problem. Starting at the top of the diagram pictured on the left, the tail of the fish represents the main problem or issue that is trying to be solved. This diagram is used in Root Cause Analysis and is a visual representation of the 5 Why’s strategy. The Fishbone Diagram, formally named the Ishikawa diagram, is a tool for managers to get to the root cause of an issue in production. Kaizen Lean Manufacturing Continuous Improvement show all tags
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